Acts 23:1 kjv
And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
Acts 23:1 nkjv
Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day."
Acts 23:1 niv
Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."
Acts 23:1 esv
And looking intently at the council, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day."
Acts 23:1 nlt
Gazing intently at the high council, Paul began: "Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!"
Acts 23 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 24:16 | "So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men." | Paul's ongoing pursuit of clear conscience. |
| 2 Cor 1:12 | "For our boast is this: the testimony of our conscience that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity..." | Paul's conscience attests to his sincere ministry. |
| 1 Tim 1:5 | "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." | Good conscience vital for true faith. |
| 1 Tim 1:19 | "holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith." | Danger of neglecting a good conscience. |
| Heb 9:14 | "how much more will the blood of Christ... purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." | Christ's blood cleanses conscience. |
| Heb 10:22 | "let us draw near... with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience..." | Cleansed conscience for drawing near to God. |
| 1 Pet 3:16 | "having a good conscience, so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame." | Good conscience amidst false accusations. |
| Rom 2:15 | "They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them." | Conscience as an internal moral witness. |
| Rom 9:1 | "I am speaking the truth in Christ... my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit..." | Conscience as a truthful internal witness for Paul. |
| 1 Cor 8:7 | "But some, through former association with idols... their conscience, being weak, is defiled." | Weak conscience susceptible to defilement. |
| 1 Cor 10:29 | "I do not mean your own conscience, but the other man's." | Conscience considered for impact on others. |
| Titus 1:15 | "To the pure, all things are pure, but to defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled." | Connection between mind and conscience defilement. |
| Acts 22:3 | "I am a Jew... educated according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day." | Paul's former zeal and Jewish identity. |
| Phil 3:6 | "as to righteousness under the law, blameless." | Paul's blameless conduct as a Pharisee. |
| Acts 20:18 | "You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day..." | Paul's life transparency known by Ephesian elders. |
| Psa 7:8 | "The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me." | Appeal to God's judgment based on integrity. |
| Psa 26:1 | "Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering." | Seeking vindication for integrity. |
| Jer 11:20 | "But, O LORD of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause." | God as the ultimate judge of heart and mind. |
| Acts 4:8 | "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, 'Rulers of the people and elders...'" | Peter's defense before the same council. |
| Acts 5:29 | "But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men.'" | Obedience to God above human authority, conscience driven. |
| Lk 22:66 | Jesus led to the council of the elders for trial. | Jesus' parallel appearance before the Sanhedrin. |
| Mt 10:19 | "When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour." | Divine guidance for disciples facing councils. |
| Acts 26:4 | "My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews." | Paul's early life conduct, known to Jews. |
Acts 23 verses
Acts 23 1 Meaning
Acts 23:1 records the apostle Paul, having been brought before the Jewish high council, the Sanhedrin, initiating his defense. With a resolute gaze directed at his accusers and judges, he declares to them, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day." This statement is Paul's assertion of his blameless intent and integrity, maintaining that his conduct and service, both prior to and after his conversion to Christ, have consistently been motivated by a clear and upright conscience as he understood it before the Lord. He posits that his entire life has been lived in a manner pleasing to God, regardless of the accusations against him.
Acts 23 1 Context
Acts 23:1 takes place immediately after Paul’s tumultuous arrest in Jerusalem and his brief address to the agitated Jewish crowd. Having been beaten and brought before the Roman commander, Claudius Lysias, Paul’s Roman citizenship saved him from being flogged. Recognizing the intensity of the Jewish animosity and uncertain of the precise charges, Lysias brings Paul before the Jewish high council, the Sanhedrin, which convened specifically to examine him (Acts 22:30). This council was the supreme religious and judicial body among the Jews, comprised of Sadducees (priestly aristocracy) and Pharisees (scribes and respected laymen who strictly observed the Law and oral traditions). Paul, once a zealous Pharisee and persecutor of Christians, now stands as a Christian apostle before the very body that had condemned Jesus and had previously persecuted His followers (e.g., Stephen, Peter, John). His appearance here marks a critical juncture in his trials, as he attempts to appeal to their shared heritage and religious principles.
Acts 23 1 Word analysis
- Paul (Παῦλος - Paulos): The apostle, formerly Saul of Tarsus. His standing as a prisoner before this Jewish tribunal signifies the sharp division emerging between Judaism and the nascent Christian faith.
- looking intently (ἀτενίσας - atenisas): From atenizo, meaning "to fix one's eyes on" or "to gaze earnestly at." This portrays Paul's unwavering focus, self-possession, and bold confidence rather than fear, confronting the formidable Jewish supreme court head-on.
- at the Council (τῷ συνεδρίῳ - tō synedriō): Refers to the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish judicial and religious body in Jerusalem. Paul, having once been a zealous Pharisee and persecutor serving its agenda, now faces its judgment.
- said (εἶπεν - eipen): A direct, declarative verb, indicating Paul immediately takes the initiative to speak, asserting his presence and beginning his defense without waiting for questions.
- "Brothers" (ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί - andres adelphoi): Literally "men, brothers." A respectful and fraternal form of address commonly used among Jews for fellow countrymen or assembly members. Paul uses this to appeal to their shared ethnic and religious identity, seeking common ground.
- "I have lived my life" (πεπολίτευμαι - pepoliteumai): From politeuomai, meaning "to live as a citizen," "to conduct oneself," or "to behave." The perfect tense emphasizes a consistent and ongoing conduct throughout his entire life, indicating his continuous adherence to what he believed to be right and proper, both before and after his conversion.
- "before God": This critical interpretive addition emphasizes that his conscience's standard is not human approval but divine scrutiny. It elevates his claim from mere personal opinion to an assertion verifiable by God.
- "in all good conscience" (ἐν πάσῃ ἀγαθῇ συνειδήσει - en pasē agathē syneidēsei): Syneidesis is the inner moral awareness that judges actions. "Good conscience" signifies a clear, unburdened, and sincere inner conviction that his conduct and intentions have always been right in God's eyes. It implies a consistency of genuine intent to obey God, even as his understanding of God's will transformed from Pharisaism to Christianity.
- "up to this day" (ἄχρι ταύτης τῆς ἡμέρας - achri tautēs tēs hēmeras): This phrase emphasizes the unbroken continuity of his principled living. It encompasses his zealous life as a Pharisee as well as his apostleship, implying that his transformation into a Christian did not break his integrity but rather completed his sincere pursuit of God's will.
Acts 23 1 Bonus section
The Greek word for "conscience," syneidesis, while foundational to Paul's ethical teachings (appearing frequently in his epistles), does not have a direct linguistic equivalent in the Hebrew Old Testament. This highlights a deepened New Testament emphasis on inner moral reflection and accountability, a concept Paul expertly wielded. Paul's strategic use of his past life as a Pharisee (Acts 26:4-5), immediately following this assertion of integrity, directly builds on his "good conscience" claim to demonstrate how his current "new" faith is, in fact, the genuine culmination of his past zeal. This also sets the stage for the dramatic split between the Sadducees and Pharisees in the very next verses, orchestrated by Paul's appeal to his shared belief in resurrection.
Acts 23 1 Commentary
Acts 23:1 vividly captures Paul’s confident stance before the Sanhedrin, his "intense gaze" signaling defiance combined with an unwavering inner conviction. His address as "Brothers" is a deliberate rhetorical choice, designed to disarm and establish a semblance of shared heritage before asserting his personal integrity. The core of his statement, "I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day," is profoundly significant. It's not a claim of sinless perfection—which Paul knew was impossible—but an affirmation of absolute sincerity and pure motive in all his actions. From his fervent days as a Pharisee, persecuting Christians believing he served God (Acts 22:3-5; Phil 3:6), to his radical conversion and dedicated ministry as an apostle, Paul maintains his ultimate aim was always to please God and act according to divine will, as revealed to him. This declaration foreshadows his strategy to exploit the theological division within the Sanhedrin regarding the resurrection, presenting his present Christian faith not as an abandonment of Jewish truth, but as its fulfillment through Christ. It sets the foundation for his defense: he has remained consistently committed to serving God with integrity, regardless of changing circumstances or his persecutors' understanding.