To Encourage You

2 Corinthians 1:12 “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.”

Have you ever read a statement from the Scriptures and asked yourself, “Could I say that?” I can tell you that I have, many times.  One example is the statement above that was made by the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church. Here Paul is defending himself against accusations that had been made about him by false teachers.  Those accusations were that he was insincere in his dealings with these believers, that he was a hypocrite, and that he had ulterior motives. He was defending himself against the accusations that his actions towards them were self-centered and meant to take advantage of them in some way. 

So, how does he defend himself? To what does he appeal? The answer is, “his conscience.” He describes himself as a man of integrity. He knew in his heart that his behavior toward them had been with simplicity. The word means “singleness; without ulterior motives.” And then he says he’s acted in “godly sincerity.” By this he means “purity, no hypocrisy” when put to the test by God Himself. 

But what is his basis for such a statement? It’s not his own “earthly wisdom.” Indeed, from the world’s standpoint, how could someone like Paul ever make such a statement. Here was one who had been a persecutor of the Church. Here was one who had at one time done all that he could to destroy the Church. Here was one who had at one time hated those in the Church. How could he ever be trusted now, by anyone?

Of course, Paul was well aware of this.  Immediately after he had been converted on the Damascus Road the Church had been afraid of him (Acts 9:26). They couldn’t believe that Paul had changed. They didn’t trust him. But then Paul appeals to the grace of God. What had happened to him didn’t have a natural explanation. No, it was purely by the wonderful grace of God that Paul had been changed and his life had consistently demonstrated it ever since. Incredibly, although Jesus had opened Paul’s eyes to the great sin of his own heart, Jesus had also cleansed Paul’s conscience through the grace in which he had been saved.  Paul knew that he had been forgiven, cleansed, made holy in the very sight of the God whom he had been warring against, and he never got over it. His gratitude was profound, and his thoughts and actions towards God and the Church proved it. He could honestly say that his motives were pure. His conscience had been purified by the God who had saved him, and he could now appeal to that conscience as a helpful judge.

And so, a question for each of us: Could we say with a clear conscience to others around us, “I have behaved with simplicity and godly sincerity toward you?”  In other words, “I’ve not talked behind your back. I’m not one person when I’m around you and another person entirely when I’m not with you. I’m not acting like I love you while in my heart of hearts I’m deceiving you, for that’s not really how I feel about you” (think adulterous affair here or other acts of betrayal). Can we say, “As God is my witness, I have loved you and I do love you like I love myself?”

And do we realize, if we can say such things, it’s only because of the grace of God, for “we love because He first loved us”? (1 John 4:19). Have we, like Paul, been transformed by the power and grace of God so that we truly love those around us with the love of Christ?  If not, do we want this? Is that our prayer? Well, if we call ourselves Christians, if we, like Paul, have been transformed by the grace of God, then we, like Paul, should be able to say what Paul said with the clear conscience, simplicity and godly sincerity that should characterize the children of God.

May God make us more and more to be people like that, people, like Paul, wonderfully transformed by the mercy and grace of a loving God. And if we’re not like that but truly want to be, know that the same God who transformed Paul with an act of grace wants to and can transform us as well. All we have to do is turn to Him, turn from our sin, and ask Him with simplicity and sincerity, for, wonderfully, those who come to Him, He will cleanse, transform, and give eternal life, a life in which His very Spirit dwells.