FAITH CAPSULE: What does God’s commandment mean to you?

John 8:1-36

Commandment of God is His law to guide man. Commandments of God is the purpose (reasoning) of God for man to love. God’s law, His commandment did not change from the time of the Old Testament till today. Galatians 5:14 recorded the urgency of God’s purpose for His commandments stating, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Commandments of God is fulfilled for us to love others as God loves us.
In the book of 1Timothy 1:5-6, the word of God identified three avenues for love to be demonstrated by man before God. It is written, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk.”
Without doubt, loving from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith cannot be separated. Ones that love with pure heart strive for good conscience and they are the ones with sincere faith. It is not possible to claim faith (as many in the church do) and not have a good conscience.
Conscience is the sense of right and wrong that governs a person’s thoughts and actions. Actions of man before God demonstrates man’s faith before God. 1 Samuel 2:3 buttressed, “…For the Lord is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.” Conscience is what convicts man to turn man from what is not right. Lying, deception and manipulation are the identities of church and it is the evidence of one that lacks conscience. Also, it is the lack of conscience that causes a believer to live life in empty pride consciously or unconsciously.
Conscience is responsible for conviction in man’s life. However, pride often hinders man not to respond to conscience when conviction is in place. Conscience will convict man that is ready to disregard pride. The Pharisees brought a woman that was caught in the act of adultery to Jesus hoping for a judgment that calls for stoning her according to the Law of Moses. Jesus responded, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” (John 8:7) The book John 8:9 documented the reaction of the people, “Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one…”
Man are to strive for conscience and not become a victim of lack of love before God. Paul in his defense before Felix made it known in his statement that conscience is what we strive for. Paul stated, “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” (Acts 24:16)
Having conscience without offence toward God and man is a good conscience.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to be striving for conscience and gain to retain the presence of God.