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Conscience – A Weak Conscience, Part 14

But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ ~ 1Co 8:12 

[Study Aired February 3, 2024]

To some, it may seem that this Conscience series of studies could have been summed up in one dob of rice flour and that I’ve laboriously rolled it into translucent rice paper with no end. However, this rice paper wrap of the word of God, just like a Vietnamese street food wrap, tastes clean and nourishing for those given to see within themselves the powerful negative subtleties of our conscience.

When seeking the Lord’s inspiration to compose a study, what comes to my ironic mind is Solomon’s eternal musings.

Ecc 12:9  And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people [either mouldy bread, milk or sizzling steak] knowledge; yea, he gave good heed [in truth or unwitting error], and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 
Ecc 12:10  The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
Ecc 12:11  The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd [Christ].

“Goads” indict our conscience, compelling us to follow the preacher’s apparent Christ-centric (or different Jesus’) words. A weak conscience is frequently unwittingly naive and innocently unschooled in rightly dividing the truth from error. That ailment can afflict the most spiritual Elect but for the multitude of counsellors, inclusive of the Body members, watching over each joint in the Bride.

Ecc 12:12  And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. [and for my cause, much “rice-paper” studies spiritually translucent for the spiritual eye]. 
Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 
Ecc 12:14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Therein, the above poetry is “the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” We cannot fear God if we are witless to the Lord’s commandments, thus profoundly making our conscience “weak” or even seared into nonexistence. Very, very few Babylonian Christians fear God since they are unshakeable in their belief that Jesus saved them by filling up in Him their sins in their stead, on the cross. To them, the following verse proves that unconsciously deluded condition since they believe that the Law was done away.

Rom 4:15  Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 

Rom 5:13  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law).

Up pops ‘secret things’ that our dear parents Adam and Eve richly exhibited in nudity for our immense understanding of our Lord’s secret things, His “hidden manna” (Rev 2:17), His secret spiritually understood things of that same Law, both good and evil.

Subsequently, when our symbolically nude actions are exhibited for others to see, we sin against Christ, the creator of His commandments that evoke “wrath”. We thus potentially wound a babe in Christ’s “weak conscience” and likely cause him to unconsciously err.

Psa 51:4  Against You [God], You only, have I sinned, and done evil in Your sight; that You might be justified when You speak, and be clear when You judge.
Psa 51:5  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin [corruptible flesh, “sinful flesh” is sin]: did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6  Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part You shall make me to know wisdom.

1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible [Christ’s word spiritually understood and unceasingly lived], by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

All people are born in corruptible flesh and naturally inherit a weak conscience subject to sin equal to ours in the soup of humanity, bubbling away in the pottage of sin with each other. God forbid we ever knowingly toss some “death cap mushrooms” (as depicted in Study 13) into the mix, but most likely, our false doctrines are born out of the slothful and idle chatter of an exuberant “two-fold child of hell” (Mat 23:14) .

A two-fold child of hell shows up when he notes that his audience has a weak conscience in the Lord’s word. He, with his now “emboldened conscience” (Study 13 in this series), is able to consciously or merely slothfully inject his puffiness into the innocent minds of the weak with blasphemous parrotted dogma learnt since Sunday School in Babylon.

1Co 4:6  And these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that you might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, so that no one of you may be puffed up against one another.

Yes, it is unprofitable to give unrighteous and deluded acclamation to Babylon’s esteemed preachers, especially when we are unconscious of our weak conscience in being steered off on some doctrinal heresy. The hidden manna in plain sight is for us to only think of what is spiritually discerned from the physical so that we don’t preach falsehoods. If we learn to not think above what is written by bringing every thought into subjection in Christ, our mouths won’t blurt out some internalised vomit to conceitedly reflect upon re-consuming it.

Pro 26:11  As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly [Content to conceitedly sniff at traditional Babylonian dogma without checking for spiritual truth]. 
Pro 26:12  Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

At this point, a slothful fellow relied on his cockiness and gathered unchecked food safe for consumption for his fellow prophets residing over Elisha’s pottage that subsequently required swift purifying to avoid death. Such is when anyone comes to the Lord’s table dressed vulgarly with interactions lacking in spiritual wisdom.

2Ki 4:38-44  And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth [famine] in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets [the body of Christ].

The famine of the Lord’s word goads us to seek food. Where can the world go but to the many-called harlot churches of the world displaying high thighs to excite lust for the stew of ‘happy-clappy’ doctrines as the offering plate is passed around (… harlots charge for their poisonous gourds of unwitting slow death).

The Lord’s Body is not exempt from corruption of our ‘stew’, for there must be heresies for the true prophets of Christ to practice identifying contaminated pottage (1Co 11:19-20).

2Ki 4:39  And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.

That “one” gathering herbs is formally you and I while in the field of Babylon, and even sometimes today, apathetically collecting all sorts of unclean food to add to our emails and Zoom meetings to which we all have succumbed from time to time. At this point, a weak conscience of a lay member could be oblivious to what he is eating if his brothers are equally as inert, too lazy to blow the spiritual trumpet alarm for accurate discernment.

Of course, that ground-hugging vine of the field could be similar to what graziers in Australia contend from the nightshade family called potato vine and is deadly to stock if the leaves or particularly the small underground “gourd” is eaten. The poor beast munching up swaths of grass can accidentally consume its leaves in the ‘mix’ with dreadful bloating and internal fluid and blood loss into the stomach cavity. Death is nearly always the result. However, the prophet in Elisha’s council of elders, gathering from the vine in the field, most likely found a climbing vine since the narrative suggests he picked the gourds directly into his apron. 

2Ki 4:40  And they poured out for the men to eat. And it happened as they were eating of the pottage, they cried out and said, O man of God, death is in the pot! And they could not eat.

That reaction is precisely what we do in the Body of Christ; alarmed to cry out a heresy! (I love the poetry that no doubt the likes of Shakespeare and other bards copied from the wealth of Biblical rhyming, “O man of God, death is in the pot!”)

2Ki 4:41  And he [Elisha] said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot. And he said, Pour out for the people, and they may eat. And there was no evil thing in the pot.

Note that Elisha represents an Elect of God skilled in discerning false doctrine. Once those deathly delusions are identified, the Body of Christ is instantly healed of the evil things brought to their table.

Considering that the following verse speaks of barley, that “meal” added to the pottage to nullify the poison was likely barley (H8184 from H8175 – 1. to storm, shiver, dread, bristle (with horror), be very afraid a. (Qal) 1. to bristle (with horror) 2. to dread 2. to storm away, sweep away, whirl away.

Like hail, barley, too sweeps away the dread of false doctrine and multitude of lies.

Courtesy of Tony Cullen in a study:

Deu 8:7  For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
Deu 8:8  A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

The good land represents our life when it is spiritually healed

[bold Grant], being blessed to be dragged to Christ (Joh 6:44) to find the ingredients that symbolize what God gives us through Christ – wheat – barley – vines – fig trees – pomegranates – olive oil – and honey {Grant: representing first-fruits} – end] Barley is known to put a coating on the walls of our stomach and intestines that helps soothe and inhibit strong acids and alkalis commonly associated with poisons.

Barley is primarily synonymous with the first fruits and the wave offering of barley depicting the Elect of God given figuratively to Elisha, who represents Christ and his “sons of the prophets” to be healed of the leaven of false doctrinal pottage and raised from the dead.

1Co 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 
1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. [the wave offering of barley] 
1Co 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 
1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterwards they that are Christ’s at his coming. [ the feast of the harvest of wheat] 
1Co 15:24 Then cometh the end [the feast of ingathering each in their own order, All in all], when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 
1Co 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 
1Co 15:26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.’ ~ courtesy of Steven Crook, “Awesome Hands – Part 17: “The days of the wheat harvest.”

Continuing…

2Ki 4:42  And a man [symbolically, Christ] came from Baal-shalisha [ bah’-al shaw-lee-shaw’ – 1. supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites] and brought the man of God bread from the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and full ears of grain in his sack. And he said, Give to the people that they may eat. 

2Ki 4:43  And his servant said, What? Should I set this before a hundred men? He said again, Give to the people so that they may eat, for so says Jehovah, They shall eat and shall leave some. 
2Ki 4:44  And he set before them, and they ate, and left some of it, according to the Word of Jehovah.

That unbelieving servant, an effective babe in Christ, wasn’t used to knowing that the Lord miraculously provided with none or minimal ingredients as he did with the loaves and fish to feed 5,000 people in Matthew 14:13-21. Subsequently, there is always plenty of food left over, denoting the abundance and wealth of spiritual knowledge always available to the Lord’s Elect, his first fruits following him so that none goes away starved by a “weak conscience”.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [“sons of the prophets” all effective kings and priests – Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.]
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ [skilled at identifying symbolic poisonous gourds and nullifying their defilements]:
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.

The fact that those deceivers “lie in wait to deceive” indicates that some, like the Pharisees imagining that they could hoodwink Jesus, deliberately set about to defraud the weak. 

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded [not caring what heresy they throw into the pottage], lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 
2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 
2Ti 3:6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 
2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Of course, the “silly women” classically depict not only the literal sickly lay individuals, men and women, but specifically the 40,000 plus churches of Babylon today held captive by deluding doctrines.

Continuing in conclusion…

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Having our weak consciences daily emboldened by the fullness of knowledge in Christ’s spiritual truths, we can confidently go forward skilled at identifying the poisonous gourds of falsehoods formally wounding ourselves and our brother’s weak conscience and thus avoid sinning against Christ.