A GOOD CONSCIENCE (13 OF 52)
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:18, 1 Peter 4:2
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A Good Conscience (13 of 52)
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
1 Peter 3:18-4:2
We talk glibly about a conscience, as though one is as good as another. We talk about being true to ourselves as the end-all-be-all definition of righteousness. We consider that diversity is good and as long as we act according to those things we have determined to be right, we are in the clear. While we can't live by or police one another's conscience, there are objective standards that call us to account. Claiming a clear conscience is not the same as living righteously. On the other hand, we can feel guilty about things which are not wrong or not our fault. How do we navigate this to gain a healthy conscience?
Back in Wesley's day, the church was overly consumed with issues of sin, guilt, and escaping God's judgment. They were reeling from a Medieval construct of God as the righteous judge who was more than willing to condemn all to hell and very meager concepts of grace, mercy, and willingness to forgive. The Catholic Church had been selling indulgences, using guilt as a means to control people in fear of God and God's just condemnation.
The Reformation pressed for corrections along that line, but most reformers focused more on the heavy-handedness of the church with its selling of indulgences than questioning the underlying concept of God's response to sin. There was broad acceptance for notions of God's willing condemnation of all who committed the slightest misdeeds. This background understood salvation from the perspective of God's will to punish, rather than God's will to reconcile and redeem. Where we begin with our perception of sin has a big impact on the outcome of our theology and understanding of God.
Peter tells us Christ died and suffered for sins once for all. He tells us that Jesus' motive was to reconcile us to God. He says nothing about any divine strategy to condemn the world. Rather, he tells us God's will is redemptive, forgiving, ...
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
1 Peter 3:18-4:2
We talk glibly about a conscience, as though one is as good as another. We talk about being true to ourselves as the end-all-be-all definition of righteousness. We consider that diversity is good and as long as we act according to those things we have determined to be right, we are in the clear. While we can't live by or police one another's conscience, there are objective standards that call us to account. Claiming a clear conscience is not the same as living righteously. On the other hand, we can feel guilty about things which are not wrong or not our fault. How do we navigate this to gain a healthy conscience?
Back in Wesley's day, the church was overly consumed with issues of sin, guilt, and escaping God's judgment. They were reeling from a Medieval construct of God as the righteous judge who was more than willing to condemn all to hell and very meager concepts of grace, mercy, and willingness to forgive. The Catholic Church had been selling indulgences, using guilt as a means to control people in fear of God and God's just condemnation.
The Reformation pressed for corrections along that line, but most reformers focused more on the heavy-handedness of the church with its selling of indulgences than questioning the underlying concept of God's response to sin. There was broad acceptance for notions of God's willing condemnation of all who committed the slightest misdeeds. This background understood salvation from the perspective of God's will to punish, rather than God's will to reconcile and redeem. Where we begin with our perception of sin has a big impact on the outcome of our theology and understanding of God.
Peter tells us Christ died and suffered for sins once for all. He tells us that Jesus' motive was to reconcile us to God. He says nothing about any divine strategy to condemn the world. Rather, he tells us God's will is redemptive, forgiving, ...
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