Acts 23:1 Meaning and Explanation
“And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Standing before the Sanhedrin, Paul looks the council in the eye and declares that he has lived before God with a clear conscience to this day.
What Does Acts 23:1 Mean?
The Roman commander has brought Paul before the Sanhedrin, the high council in Jerusalem, to learn why the crowds demand his death (Acts 22:30). Paul knows this body well — he had once served its cause, trained under Gamaliel and carrying its letters to Damascus. Now he looks the council full in the face and opens not with a legal defense but with the state of his soul.
A conscience clear before God is Paul's anchor; he will say it again before Felix — "a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men" (Acts 24:16). He does not claim a spotless past, for he had persecuted the church; he claims a life lived honestly before God in the light he had, and a present made clean in Christ. Such peace lets a man face any court without flinching.
Acts 23:1 in the Original Language
suneidesis (συνείδησις), 'conscience' -- the inner witness that knows and weighs one's own conduct.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 23:1
What does Acts 23:1 mean?
Standing before the Sanhedrin, Paul looks the council in the eye and declares that he has lived before God with a clear conscience to this day.