A CONFIRMED CONSCIENCE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.”

Romans 9:1-2

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Paul had just written a chapter in his letter that was chocked full of good news for his readers in Rome.

He shared that there would be no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

He reassured the Romans that the Holy Spirit was always work interceding for Christian believers in the midst of their weakness and that God was always working things for the good of those who love Him, those called according to His purposes.

He reminded them that God was with and for all Christians because of their belief in Jesus and because of this, no one could stand against them as He justifies and pardons them from their sins.

He declared that all Christians are victorious through their faith and trust in Jesus as Savior.

And He proclaimed that the love between God and His people through Jesus was unbreakable and thus no one could separate any Christian from the Father and His Son.

As we turn the page to the first two verses of Romans 9, we find Paul doing two things. Look again at his words here:

“I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” Romans 9:1-2

First, Paul confesses validity in what he has said and does so with a conscience confirmed by the Holy Spirit.

“I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit”

There was little doubt that some who read this letter in Rome would refute Paul’s claims and declare them as falsehood. In the first verse of chapter 9, the apostle seeks to set the record straight. For he wanted his readers to know that he was not lying but rather speaking the truth, not of his own accord but rather through Christ Jesus.

This is how we can always ensure we are speaking the truth, by making sure the words we speak come from the One who declared Himself as the Truth as well as the Way and Life (John 14:6). When we do this, when we allow Jesus to give us the words to say, then and only then can we find our conscience confirmed through the Holy Spirit because Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one, two parts of the three-pronged, divine Trinity.

Want to speak with a confirmed conscience, one that is in complete confidence that truth has been shared?

Allow Jesus to speak through you so that the Holy Spirit will easily confirm your conscience.

The second thing that Paul wanted to share as chapter 9 begins is that he is down and dejected.

“I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.”

Given all the good news shared in the previous chapter, this statement might seem a bit disjointed but we need to keep in mind that not everyone would accept Paul’s Gospel message. Despite his best efforts, he knew deep down inside that many people would still choose to reject Jesus and that was what brought Paul to his state of mourning and unceasing torment. He yearned so much for every single person to be saved that it hurt his heart to know that it was not a realistic expectation.

As we move on through this chapter of Romans, we’ll find Paul getting more specific about who he rues over

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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