Wednesday | 29 July 2026

Commending ourselves to every man’s conscience

The apostle Paul was not interested in communicating information to his hearers that they could use as a resource. The purpose of his ministry was to multiply the fellowship of Yahweh in lampstand churches. For this reason, Paul said that we are ‘commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God’. 2Co 4:2. We note that Paul did not separate himself from his message. His ministry was an expression of his own offering, for the sake of establishing fellowship between himself and those who received him. Later, in this same letter, he testified to the Corinthians by saying, ‘We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open. … Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open.’ 2Co 6:11,13.  

It is significant that Paul did not commend himself to every person’s mind. He was not focused on trying to prove the veracity of his ministry to anyone, or trying to convince anyone to receive his message. He was not concerned by the judgements that the Corinthians made about him and his ministry. 1Co 4:3. Rather, he commended himself to every man’s conscience. The conscience of a person is the deepest part of their spirit. A person’s spirit is their identity. Our conscience is the faculty of our spirit that enables us to know ourselves, to know God, and to know one another. It is our capacity for fellowship. When Paul commended himself to every man’s conscience, he was saying that he wanted to meet each person, spirit to spirit, for the purpose of fellowship.

When the word of God is proclaimed, the spirit of a person must be illuminated by the Holy Spirit; otherwise, their identity remains in darkness and there is no ground for fellowship.