Where In The Bible Will I Find:

Sincerity And A Good Conscience Sufficient For Salvation?

Ignorance of God's will was displayed by the Jews during our Lord's earthly ministry, and also, during the preaching of the apostles. Ignorance is no excuse, it will never save a sinner. Paul recognized that the Jews were zealous, and had a good conscience, but were lost, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:1-3).

Sincerity and a good conscience are found not only in all the denominations but in social clubs, fraternal orders, and even in atheisim. There is no question in the sincerity and good conscience of their adherents, but these cannot save. Paul, the former Saul of Tarsus, was the most sincere and honest person that could be found. His sincerity is attested to by his own words, "I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison…And when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them" (Acts 26:9-10).

He later confessed that he was chief of sinners, and obtained forgiveness only because he did it in unbelief (I Tim. 1:13-15). He had a good conscience for he was able to say, "I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day" (Acts 23:1). He was honest, but honestly mistaken. He was sincere, but sincerely in error. He was conscientious, but conscientiously misguided. He was all these, but still he was lost. He learned that it took more than being honest and sincere with a good conscience to be saved.

After his meeting with the Saviour on the road to Damascus, he asked the Lord, "What shall I do?" "...And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do" (Acts 22:10). In Damascus, Paul heard the preacher, Ananias, say, "…arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). This, the Lord had commanded in Mark 16:16, and when Paul obeyed, he was added by the Lord to His church (Acts 2:47). Sincerity and a good conscience is only a good criteria to salvation when they are being directed by the Word of God (Matt. 7:21).