Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 1 Timothy 1:18-19
A war rages within us. Paul knew this and he was telling Timothy to be prepared. The object of this warfare is more than just holding on until the end. There are battles to fight, and the objectives are to live Christ-like in a world that opposes us; to be real in a world that is filled with pretend; and to see life from God’s viewpoint. We fight these same battles today. The playing field has changed a little but the objectives are the same for us as it was fo Paul and Timothy.
Any good soldier knows that how you fight the battle is how you win the battle. Paul speaks of waging good warfare. Good warfare on the Christian front consists of fire power of faith, will power of a good conscience and staying power to not reject.
The battle consists of three enemies:
The World - godless philosophies that oppose God.
The Flesh– old nature of lawlessness.
The Devil– in stalth-like fashion plants the wrong view of life,
The war within is won with the fire power of faith. Paul encourages Timothy to “have faith.” He was not speaking of a cliché … but the power of faith that learns and lives the truth about God, his Word, love, power and control of human history; that learns & lives the truth about Jesus Christ, his life, death, and resurrection; that learns & lives in the power and wisdom the Holy Spirit gives us to live righteously in all situations; and that learns about the nature of sin and how to give answer to a world that is filled with pain and hurt.
We who are soldiers in God's army need to pray for peace and be at peace in our conscience toward God and man. The Bible teaches the conscience can be: good and pure, or weak and seared.
- A good conscience … doesn’t teach us right and wrong … but insists when we know right and wrong that we do what is right.
- A good conscience … works with faith and uses the resources God has given us as we depend on Him.
From these definitive terms we can determine that a good conscience is synonymous to a life that desires and lives in obedience (by faith) to God and what He has declared right and wrong in His Word. As Christians at war within ourselves and the world we are to live by the will power of a good conscience toward God first and then toward man.
By our actions or lack of actions we will either be engaged in battle for God or entangled in the things that oppose God. We literally stand today facing perilous times … but they should not catch us off guard. - 2 Timothy 3:1 says But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: Perilous times ... the idea of reducing the strength; difficult, i.e. dangerous, or furious:--fierce, perilous. These are not just perilous times before us, but incredible times of faith living.We must guard our faith … so as to keep it true to God’s Word. We must guard our good conscience … so as to act in obedience to God’s Word. God has placed you and I on the front lines of the battle to fight the good fight of faith.
