“Then He said to the disciples, ‘It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, “I repent,” you shall forgive him’” (Luke 17:1-4).
Jesus’ warning to His disciples here are words that are applicable to us today. He speaks of offenses as inevitable things. By offenses, Jesus was referring to “sin traps”, things a man or woman might to do cause another to stumble and sin. Colly Caldwell had an interesting thought about this, “The forms these spiritual sin-traps may take will vary with each person but the effect can be devastating. It may come as a result of immoral influence, pleasurable seduction, false doctrinal teaching, or material gain.” (Truth Commentary).
How you dress, how you act, who you associate with, what you say — all of these things can make you a causal factor in the sin of another. If that happens your guilt is firm, and its consequence dire. As Jesus said, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.”
Such an action violates the law of love. This is why such a condemnation was shown to the false teachers of Peter’s day, “For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error” (2 Peter 2:18). Concerning this, Paul wrote, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way” (Romans 14:13).
It is bad enough if you sin against God. What is worse is not only to condemn yourself, but also to “mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage” (Jude 16), or to do anything else that might cause another to sin. To avoid this, each of us must “Take heed” lest we be the one to bring offense.
As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble” (1 Corinthians 8:11-13).
Is your interaction with others something that you constantly monitor and concern yourself with. For your own sake, you must!
