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1 Peter 3:16
16 Having [echo] a good [agathos] conscience [suneidesis]; that [hina], whereas [en] [hos] they speak evil [katalaleo] of you [humon], as [hos] of evildoers [kakopoios], they may be ashamed [kataischuno] that falsely accuse [epereazo] your [humon] good [agathos] conversation [anastrophe] in [en] Christ [Christos]. KJV-Interlinear
16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. NASB
A good conscience, is one that is clear of all that is phony, insincere, or hypocritical. A good conscience is one, which is backed up by credible scruples, principles, a pattern of life that supports, or is evidence of, the principles that you profess to live by.
It is not enough to be sincere in your opinions or beliefs. It is not enough to say all the right things to fit the convenience or opportunity of the moment. Anyone can make promises, or offer apologizes, or make appearances. It is quite another thing to back up those comments with credible actions in ones life.
Your objective in the spiritual life, is to advance to a level of understanding such that your life fits the guidelines prescribed by God.
We all falter from time to time, but the important thing is that we recover our spiritual stability and move on from our failures.
None of us are perfect. And there will be folks out there who will happily remind us of our flaws, especially any past failures you might have. People are unforgiving, in general.
Forgiveness means to forget. To forget just as though the deed had never occurred.
When God forgives, He wipes the sin out completely. He blots the sin out in such a way that is may as well have never occurred. Unfortunately, people do not do this.
And so, Peter teaches us to pursue our spiritual life no matter what confrontations we might run into. People will hate you. People will gossip against you. People will try to discredit you. But your best reaction to this is to keep on, keeping on in your spiritual life.
In so doing, you will advance yourself in your spiritual life, advance yourself in the eyes of God, and as for those who will try to ruin you, they will be discredited in due course. They may never acknowledge it until they reach heaven (assuming that they are believers), but discredited they will be, sooner or later.
And you will be vindicated by virtue of the fact of your spiritual advancement, by virtue of your spiritual production (established by a consistent life in fellowship), and by virtue of the fact of your blessings you will receive in heaven.
Do not let the world get you down. Even if you have been wrong in your life, even if you have failed miserably during your life, even if you have been a thorough jerk at some point in your life.
Then change yourself in doctrine, and keep with doctrine. Your objective is not to convince others. That may be impossible. But your objective is to gain Gods recognition by means of your consistent and legitimate spiritual life, and by your maintaining a steady (despite any stumbles from time to time) and consistent pattern of life, in your spiritual life, which proves the actual content of your soul.
What others think of you is of no consequence. They cannot evaluate and they cannot bless. Only God can do that, and only Gods opinion counts.
