Acts 23:1

"Paul, looking intently at the Council": "We note once more the word for. piercing look that has become characteristic of Paul (Acts 13:9). Paul is looking over the Sanhedrin. He had not seen it since he had stood there among Stephen's accusers, nearly. quarter of. century ago. Many changes, of course, had come about in the interval, but some of the faces were probably the same" (Reese p. 815). "Brethren": That is, Paul was. fellow Jew as they were. "I have lived my life with. perfectly good conscience before God up to this day": This bold declaration included the period of time that he was persecuting Christians, for Paul was thoroughly convinced that persecuting Christians was the right thing to do (Acts 26:9). In other words he was saying, "Brethren,. have lived in such obedience to what. understood to be God's demands on me, that. have always had. clear conscience" (Reese p. 816). Compare with Acts 24:16 and 1 Peter 3:6 "as touching the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless".

Observation

Yet, clear conscience is not the standard by which we will be judged. From the fact that Paul had persecuted Christians in. good conscience is solid proof that one can be sincere and dedicated and thoroughly wrong. We must never place our trust in how we feel or our sincerity; rather we need to place our trust in God's word for that is the standard of judgment (John 12:48). "The purest conscience was an unsafe object of trust under the scrutiny of God (see 1 Corinthians 4:4)" (Bruce p. 449). Remember, the conscience only prompts us to do what we think is right, it is not the actual standard of judgment of what is right.