Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” Acts 23:1 NIV
I’m challenged by Paul’s declaration before the Council, and it causes me to examine my own heart to decide if I could boldly make such a statement. Have I fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day? What did Paul mean by that? What is our duty to God?
Was he talking about living a sinless life, always doing the right thing? That can’t be it, listen to what he wrote to Timothy:
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. I Timothy 1:15 NIV
Paul didn’t always get it right, by his own admission, he was a chief of sinners, but Christianity is never about our righteousness. If that were the case, we would all be in big trouble! As Paul reminded the Ephesian Christians, “We are saved by grace, not by works.” That means there’s hope for all of us!
In another letter to Timothy, Paul wrote this:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV
Paul shares with Timothy three accomplishments that give us a clue as to how he fulfilled his duty to God.
1. I have fought the good fight.
If you’ve been a Christian any length of time, you understand the battle; we battle Satan and we battle our sinful nature! Anyone who believes the Christian life is easy is just disillusion. Of course we never battle alone, God is always right beside us! (Spoiler alert: We are on the winning side!) Listen to how Paul describes his battle against sin to the Romans:
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing… What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Romans 7:18-19, 24 NIV
Paul had to battle his sinful nature every day! He struggled just like you and I do, sometimes winning and sometimes falling short, but always fighting hard! He encouraged Timothy to do the same:
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 NIV
Paul encourages us to take hold of the eternal life to which we are called. Get hold of it, and don’t let go! It’s too valuable to let it slip through your hands! Hold onto it with all your might! Fight hard!
2. I have finished the race.
The Christian life is not a sprint, but a marathon. Resolve that you will endure until the end! Listen to what Paul wrote the believers in Corinth:
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT
We should journey through life with purpose in every step, making choices that help us reach the finish line. Have you included in your schedule today activities that will build your faith and help you finish strong?
For Paul to finish strong he had to press on, even when it wasn’t easy. Check out this example:
After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” Acts 21:10-14 NIV
3. I have kept the faith.
Life was not easy for Paul but he never threw in the towel! He trusted God to give him strength as he relentlessly carried out the mission God had set before him. See what he recounts to the Corinthians:
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 NIV
It is our duty to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith! Will we make mistakes and fall short? Yes, as did Paul. But if we press on, relentlessly pursuing a right relationship with God, we too will be able to say, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” Be encouraged!