Pastor Barry's "Chapter & Verse" Day 57

Posted by Pastor Barry Fredericks on

Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 57

February 26;   Acts 23:1;   112/260(VI)   ‘Right Standing’

Acts 23:1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."

Paul had been arrested.  The Roman commander wanted to know why Paul was accused by the Jews.  The commander summoned the Jewish chief priests and religious council to come and accuse Paul of what he had done wrong.  The first words out of Paul’s mouth were that he had a clean conscience before God.  Think about that.  Paul was in charge of the stoning death of Stephen.  He persecuted and arrested Christians wherever he found them.  How could he possibly say that he had a clear conscience?  Paul understood righteousness.  In fact he was the one who the Holy Spirit used to teach righteousness in the epistles.  Paul knew, and so can we know, that whatever we did before we became a Christian, was cleansed and forgotten by God the Father through the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.  Once we become a Christian and we sin, we can quickly confess that sin to the Lord and know that we have been forgiven.  God’s love for us is the reason for righteousness.  That we do not live our lives filled with guilt and condemnation.  The Lord’s forgiveness and making us righteous changes everything.  We now desire by a decision to live a holy life, not out of obligation, but out of love and gratitude to our Lord.  God’s righteousness removers the misery of guilt and condemnation the devil accuses us of.  God’s love for others is also the reason for righteousness.  If we are free from guilt we have complete freedom to do the Lord’s work unhindered.  Thank You Lord for your incredible gift of righteousness setting us free and enabling us to do your work unhindered.