Note 1 at Ac 23:1: What a statement! Paul was saying that his actions had not violated his conscience right up until that day. That doesn't mean that he was claiming to have never sinned, but it should be understood that he was claiming that his actions had been motivated by a pure heart. That would be quite a claim for anyone, but it is especially interesting that the man who was saying this had persecuted Christians to the death (Ac 22:4). This shows that he was sincere but genuinely deceived in his persecution of Christianity.

This also illustrates how the conscience cannot be trusted. Paul spoke of Christians following the leading of their consciences in a positive way (Ro 13:5; 1Co 8:7-12, 10:25-29; 2Co 1:12; 1Ti 1:5, 19, 3:9; 2Ti 1:3; Heb 9:9, 14, 10:2, 22, 13:18; 1Pe 2:19, 3:16, and 21), yet he also revealed that the conscience can be corrupted or ignored (1Ti 4:2 and Tit 1:15). Paul's own life is a perfect example of how people can never violate their consciences yet be totally wrong. We need to let God's Word be the final authority.