Daily Scripture

“I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing everything laid down according to the law or written in the prophets. I have a hope in God—a hope that they themselves also accept—that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience towards God and all people.” (Acts 24.14-16)

Daily Reflection

Having a clear conscience could not have been easy for St Paul. As a Jewish rabbi, he had seen Jesus as an enemy of his faith; so much so, that he had hunted down followers of Jesus to their death by stoning. Then he came to see that Jesus was not distorting the revelation of God but was actually the true image of God. He had got everything wrong. Now he is having to defend himself before the Roman governor Felix against Jews who are accusing him of betraying the faith. How could he have a clear conscience? – because he had seen how Jesus was The Truth, The Way and The Life, had accepted God’s forgiveness, and was committed to doing ‘his best always’.

David Harmsworth