I will examine the biblical peace of conscience based on two of Jesus’ teachings which describe two different realities. The inner reality is described in Jesus’ promise to his disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).
The description of the external reality is from Jesus’ farewell speech: “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy” (John 16:20).
I long for peace of conscience
Peace is generally understood as a person’s inner, tranquil state of being. In it he/she experiences freedom from worries, threats, and fears. The continuity of human life requires physical and psychological resilience. Peace of mind is a part of psychological well-being. For example, good relationships and world peace are a part of our daily bread. Peace of mind gives us a sense of basic security and confidence in the continuity of life. We also pray for peace in the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Without basic security, people become anxious, and in severe anxiety, they may even need outside help.
However, the fulfillment of temporal needs does not answer people’s fundamental questions. Basic security, food, and clothing do not help people whose connection to the Creator has been severed. The Church Father Augustine (354–430) wrote in his work Confessions: “For you have created us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.”
The biblical inner peace is not peace of mind, but peace of conscience, which is the work of God’s Holy Spirit in man. The Reformer Martin Luther (1483–1546) taught how the old Apostles’ Creed should be understood: “I believe that I cannot of my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Ghost has called me through the gospel, enlightened me by His gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in the true faith…”
According to Luther, in order to attain an inner peace, a person must be called by the Holy Spirit to participate in the true faith. This requires hearing and believing the gospel of forgiveness, for the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Romans 1:17).
On the other hand, a person’s descent into the false peace of a hardened conscience is a serious state. The situation of a person who has fallen into sin and is trapped in it is difficult. If no one is able to help that person, the voice of his conscience gradually fades and finally falls silent. But even if a person is hardened and indifferent to questions of faith, God calls him as He called Adam in paradise: “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
Bible teaching – the joy of discovery
When Jesus finished his Sermon on the Mount, his listeners said: “he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (Matthew 7:29). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was also the all-knowing God, who knew how to put his words in the right order. He did not need to engage in an exchange of ideas on matters of faith, as we do in our own temporal matters. Questions of faith are permanent truths. We should all accept them as we accept summer and winter. It is essential that people submit to the guidance of the Good Shepherd.
Saul of Tarsus experienced this. The Acts of the Apostles in the Bible tells of his life stages and, above all, his repentance, that is, rebirth. Saul, later known as Paul, had a respectable education, but it did not prevent his spiritual blindness. Without the power of the gospel, he was a helpless man. Through the gospel preached by Ananias, a follower of Jesus, a living faith was born in Paul’s heart. The spirit of hatred was removed and replaced by inner peace and the joy of faith.
Martin Luther experienced the same stages. He found God’s living church in the 1510s. This discovery ended a long internal struggle. Both Paul and Luther found followers of the risen Jesus who had been given the authority to preach the gospel of forgiveness, that is, to forgive sins. Through this, the Holy Spirit worked mercy in their hearts, and they found peace in their consciences.
Heresy leads to perdition
Man cannot attain living faith and inner peace by correcting his own attitudes, through exercises, or through efforts. Jesus promised that the peace he gives is not like the peace the world gives. The peace the world offers is at best a calm state of mind. It is not the harmony of the immortal soul with the Creator, that is, peace of conscience.
For example, the fashionable phenomenon of our time, New Age, is self-deception. A person misled by New Age has rejected the biblical order of grace. It is wrong and harmful to adopt the teachings of the Bible like a diner who picks and chooses what pleases him/her from a buffet table. By doing so, a person rejects God’s love in Jesus Christ.
When this happens, a person remains under God’s Holy Law. This creates a foundation for nothing but anxiety. The only possible good outcome of this is repentance, if the person opens their heart honestly. In this case, the person must admit that they will not attain eternal life in this state. He begins to search, consciously or unconsciously.
Repentance is the path to inner peace
Jesus urged his listeners to recognize the kingdom of God that was near them, and to repent. Repentance is a change of heart and, at the same time, a happy exchange. In repentance, a person renounces sin and receives in its place the promise of forgiveness for all sins through the preaching of the gospel. A person who suffers from the pangs of conscience brought on by sin experiences how God’s peace protects the faith in their heart even in the midst of a troubled world (Mark 1:15, Phil. 4:7).
How did Saul of Tarsus, later known as Paul, act? If Saul, a persecutor of Jesus’ followers, had made a normal, rational decision, he would have returned to Jerusalem and sought medical treatment. But Saul followed Jesus’ advice and went to Damascus. There he found a follower of Jesus, a believer who had the authority to proclaim the gospel of forgiveness of sins. Through believing in this gospel, he received, in his own words, “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).
God works not only in people’s hearts, but also in human destinies, in nature, and in the history of nations. God awakens people to seek eternal security and inner peace. People should pause to discern the purpose of God’s work. According to Jesus’ teaching, people should seek the kingdom of God. (Matt. 6:31–33.)
Those who have received the gift of forgiveness of sins also receive the living hope of eternal life. God’s Holy Spirit opens up the gift of faith, which is what they need. (John 16:12) The Lord’s Prayer is the common prayer of the congregation. We pray that we may see God’s merciful will in our own lives. Paul said that he was content with God’s mercy. He acknowledged his weakness before people. Because of this, he was strong in God (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). God works through his weak children.
The crown of victory is also available to you
We know the so-called Aaronic Blessing (Numbers 6:24–26) as the Lord’s Benediction. God Himself wants to show His blessing personally and uses the expression “you” in it. The three-part blessing culminates towards the end. How does God turn His face? The gospel of Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15). It forgives sins and gives inner peace.
This writing is the same gospel work that Saul encountered in Ananias’s actions. It is essential for you to find a living church made up of Christians who live by God’s grace. In the context of the church, it is possible for you to repent and believe the gospel. Jesus’ work of reconciliation and the power of his resurrection contain God’s peace, which is the reality of faith. A conscience sprinkled with blood becomes pure, a dwelling place for God’s peace. (1 Pet. 1:2)
Author: Kingdom of Peace
Image: SRK