Heart, Conscience, Faith, and Love
Words of Faith 4-17-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Timothy 1
[5] The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

The goal of Timothy's pastoral guidance was to be love. This is the goal of every endeavor. The word is agape, the unconditional and pure love of God. Paul made it clear to Pastor Timothy that it is not enough to act loving or do loving things or even talk a great deal about love. Love is action but also a matter of the heart and mind. Motive matters, and character counts.
This love must come from God within us, but it flows "from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith." These are all gifts from God that come by His grace, yet they are also maintained by our cooperation with that grace. We always work out our salvation with fear and trembling... (Phil. 2:12).
Our hearts must be cleansed from self-centeredness if we will love according to the first and second commandments proclaimed by Jesus-- "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37-40).
We must maintain a good conscience if love is to function correctly. We walk by grace, but that is not a lazy grace. Paul believed in grace more than anyone, yet he gave this witness-- I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man (Acts 24:16).
So how do we do that? How do we strive for a clear conscience? It is a walk in cooperation with God. We must first receive a clear conscience that is entirely by His grace. Scripture calls us to draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:22).
Our part is to draw near. We need to regularly seek the cleansing of our conscience through worship and confession. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
But there is more. We must also monitor our lives so as to keep a clear conscience. The writer of Hebrews asked for prayer in this regard-- Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way (Hebrews 13:18). Scripture calls us to keep a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (1 Peter 3:16). That means watching carefully how we live and love.
Before we conclude this study, Paul will advise young Timothy to set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity (1 Timothy 4:12). Paul urged believers to live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians 4:1) and to live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2). The calling upon us as we follow Christ is to live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).
Paul also called for us to maintain a sincere faith. We cannot consistently maintain the strength of our faith, but we can maintain sincerity. This word means "unadulterated" and "without hypocrisy." Sincere faith is not faith that has no questions, but it is faith that earnestly trusts without reservation and is not "double-minded." It is a faith that doesn't seek after God half-heartedly while clinging to the world.
That is a lot for today-- a pure heart, good conscience, and a sincere faith. Out of these, the love of God is poured through us.

Lord God, clear aside my self-centeredness that I might focus on You and others. Examine my conscience and show me where I need to be cleansed and where I need to strive. Cleanse me and wash me. Keep my faith sincere and pure as I learn to trust You more and more each day. Cause Your love to flow through me in every situation I encounter. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.