Keep Your Powder Dry

“But in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (1 Peter 3:15-16 RSV).

Keep your conscience clear. It sounds like, “Keep your powder dry.” In both cases, it is a means of being ready for battle. A clear conscience is a means of shaming those who revile good behavior. A conscience is kept clear two ways: 1) Obeying God. 2) Confessing sin when disobedience occurs. I find that obedience is the simpler of the two. When I sin and my conscience is not clear, it is harder, because of pride, to confess my sin.

Written July 1984.

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