SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:16
¶ teniendo buena conciencia, para que en lo que murmuran de vosotros como de malhechores, sean confundidos los que blasfeman vuestra buena conversacin en el Ungido.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Peter 3:16
Verse 16. Having a good conscience] The testimony of God in your own soul, that in simplicity and godly sincerity you have your conversation in the world. See on the term conscience at the end of Hebrews. Whereas they speak evil of you] See the same sentiment in 1 Pet. ii. 11, and the note there.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 16. Having a good conscience , etc.] Meaning not the faculty of the conscience itself, which is naturally evil, and defiled with sin, and is only made good by the sanctification of the Spirit, and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, by which the heart is sprinkled from it, and that itself purged from dead works; but a life and conversation according to the dictates of such a conscience, in the uprightness and sincerity of it, and by the grace of God, and according to the Gospel, and whereby the doctrines of it are adorned; for, as besides internal sanctification of God, or a fearing of him, and believing in him with the heart, there must be a profession of him with the mouth, and a reason of faith and hope given verbally, when there is an occasion for it; so to both must be added a conscientious discharge of duty, both to God and men, which is one way of defending and recommending the doctrines of the Gospel: that whereas they speak evil of you as of evildoers ; as vain, proud, haughty, and arrogant persons, as seditious men, enemies to order and civil magistracy; as such that speak evil of dignities, and despise government; when they shall see your modest and humble deportment in the world, and before them, and with what reverence and esteem you treat them: they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ ; which was in consequence of their being in Christ, and made new creatures by him, and was as became his Gospel, and by and under the influence of his grace and Spirit.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 14-22 - We sanctify God before others, when our conduct invites and encourage them to glorify and honour him. What was the ground and reason of their hope? We should be able to defend our religion with meekness, in the fear of God. There is no room for any other fears where this great fea is; it disturbs not. The conscience is good, when it does its offic well. That person is in a sad condition on whom sin and suffering meet sin makes suffering extreme, comfortless, and destructive. Surely it is better to suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing, whatever ou natural impatience at times may suggest. The example of Christ is a argument for patience under sufferings. In the case of our Lord' suffering, he that knew no sin, suffered instead of those who knew n righteousness. The blessed end and design of our Lord's suffering were, to reconcile us to God, and to bring us to eternal glory. He wa put to death in respect of his human nature, but was quickened an raised by the power of the Holy Spirit. If Christ could not be free from sufferings, why should Christians think to be so? God takes exac notice of the means and advantages people in all ages have had. As to the old world, Christ sent his Spirit; gave warning by Noah. But thoug the patience of God waits long, it will cease at last. And the spirit of disobedient sinners, as soon as they are out of their bodies, ar committed to the prison of hell, where those that despised Noah' warning now are, and from whence there is no redemption. Noah' salvation in the ark upon the water, which carried him above the floods, set forth the salvation of all true believers. That tempora salvation by the ark was a type of the eternal salvation of believer by baptism of the Holy Spirit. To prevent mistakes, the apostl declares what he means by saving baptism; not the outward ceremony of washing with water, which, in itself, does no more than put away the filth of the flesh, but that baptism, of which the baptismal wate formed the sign. Not the outward ordinance, but when a man, by the regeneration of the Spirit, was enabled to repent and profess faith and purpose a new life, uprightly, and as in the presence of God. Le us beware that we rest not upon outward forms. Let us learn to look of the ordinances of God spiritually, and to inquire after the spiritual effect and working of them on our consciences. We would willingly have all religion reduced to outward things. But many who were baptized, an constantly attended the ordinances, have remained without Christ, die in their sins, and are now past recovery. Rest not then till thou ar cleansed by the Spirit of Christ and the blood of Christ. Hi resurrection from the dead is that whereby we are assured of purifyin and peace __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
συνειδησιν 4893 εχοντες 2192 5723 αγαθην 18 ινα 2443 εν 1722 ω 3739 καταλαλωσιν 2635 5725 υμων 5216 ως 5613 κακοποιων 2555 καταισχυνθωσιν 2617 5686 οι 3588 επηρεαζοντες 1908 5723 υμων 5216 την 3588 αγαθην 18 εν 1722 χριστω 5547 αναστροφην 391
Vincent's NT Word Studies
16. Having a good conscience (suneidhsin econtev agaqhn). The position of the adjective shows that it is used predicatively: having a conscience good or unimpaired. Compare Heb. xiii. 18, "We have a good conscience (kalhn suneidhsin)." Suneidhsiv, conscience, does not occur in the gospels, unless John viii. 1-11 be admitted into the text. Nor is it a word familiar to classical Greek. It is compounded of sun, together with, and eijdenai, to know; and its fundamental idea is knowing together with one's self. Hence it denotes the consciousness which one has within himself of his own conduct as related to moral obligation; which consciousness exercises a judicial function, determining what is right or wrong, approving or condemning, urging to performance or abstinence. Hence it is not merely intellectual consciousness directed at conduct, but moral consciousness contemplating duty, testifying to moral obligation, even where God is not known; and, where there is knowledge of God and acquaintance with him, inspired and directed by that fact. A man cannot be conscious of himself without knowing himself as a moral creature. Cremer accordingly defines the word as "the consciousness man has of himself in his relation to God, manifesting itself in the form of a self-testimony, the result of the action of the spirit in the heart." And further, "conscience is, essentially, determining of the self-consciousness by the spirit as the essential principle of life. In conscience man stands face to face with himself." Conscience is, therefore, a law. Thus Bishop Butler: "Conscience does not only offer itself to show us the way we should walk in, but it likewise carries its own authority with it, that it is our natural guide, the guide assigned us by the Author of our nature; it therefore belongs to our condition of being; it is our duty to walk in that path and follow this guide." And again, "That principle by which we survey, and either approve or disapprove our own heart, temper, and actions, is not only to be considered as what it, in its turn, to have some influence, which may be said of every passion, of the lowest appetites; but likewise as being superior; as from its very nature claiming superiority over all others; insomuch that you cannot form a notion of this faculty, conscience, without taking in judgment, direction, superintendency. This is a constituent part of the idea, that is, of the faculty itself; and to preside and govern, from the very economy and constitution of man, belongs to it. Had it strength as it had right; had it power as it had manifest authority, it would absolutely govern the world" (Sermons II. and III., "On Human Nature").
Conscience is a faculty. The mind may "possess reason and distinguish between the true and the false, and yet be incapable of distinguishing between virtue and vice. We are entitled, therefore, to hold that the drawing of moral distinctions is not comprehended in the simple exercise of the reason. The conscience, in short, is a different faculty of the mind from the mere understanding. We must hold it to be simple and unresolvable till we fall in with a successful decomposition of it into its elements. In the absence of any such decomposition we hold that there are no simpler elements in the human mind which will yield us the ideas of the morally good and evil, of moral obligation and guilt, of merit and demerit. Compound and decompound all other ideas as you please, associate them together as you may, they will never give us the ideas referred to, so peculiar and full of meaning, without a faculty implanted in the mind for this very purpose" (McCosh, "Divine Government, Physical and Moral"). Conscience is a sentiment: i.e., it contains and implies conscious emotions which arise on the discernment of an object as good or bad. The judgment formed by conscience awakens sensibility. When the judicial faculty pronounces a thing to be lovable, it awakens love. When it pronounces it to be noble or honorable, it awakens respect and admiration. When it pronounces it to be cruel or vile, it awakens disgust and abhorrence. In scripture we are to view conscience, as Bishop Ellicott remarks, not in its abstract nature, but in its practical manifestations. Hence it may be weak (1 Cor. viii. 7, 12), unauthoritative, and awakening only the feeblest emotion. It may be evil or defiled (Heb. x. 22; Tit. i. 15), through consciousness of evil practice. It may be seared (1 Tim. iv. 2), branded by its own testimony to evil practice, hardened and insensible to the appeal of good. On the other hand, it may be pure (2 Tim. i. 3), unveiled, and giving honest and clear moral testimony. It may be void of offense (Acts xxiv. 16), unconscious of evil intent or act; good, as here, or honorable (Heb. xiii. 18). The expression and the idea, in the full Christian sense, are foreign to the Old Testament, where the testimony to the character of moral action and character is born by external revelation rather than by the inward moral consciousness.
Falsely accuse (ephreazontev). Compare Luke vi. 28; the only other passage where the word occurs, Matt. v. 44, being rejected from the best texts. The word means to threaten abusively; to act despitefully. Rev., revile.
