Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes.     Matthew 18:7 HCSB

We talk a lot about being tempted to sin, sinning, and paying the price. We talk about repenting of those sins. But we don’t often talk about tempting others to sin. The Bible calls this being a stumbling block to others. As Christians, we are not afforded the luxury of having that “every man for himself” approach to life.

Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3-4 to do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for their own interests, but also for the interests of others.

We are supposed to be imitators of Christ according to Ephesians 5:1, and since He died for us, he set that bar pretty high, don’t you think?

This is why we must be careful not to tempt others. If we tempt them, shame on us. If we do our best to lead them on that narrow path and they fail or refuse, shame on them.

This means we are considerate of others. You wouldn’t invite your recovering alcoholic friend to meet you at a party where everyone is going to be drinking. You wouldn’t bring your gambling addicted friend into a casino to eat at their buffet. We need to be mindful of the concerns of others. We need to be especially mindful of things that don’t bother us but could be a trigger for them to sin. If your Catholic friend is going through Lent, you wouldn’t want to bring them to a steakhouse on Friday. So, you get what I’m saying here.

I could argue that there is nowhere in the Bible that says I can’t eat meat on Friday, but that’s not the point. The point is, some believe it’s wrong for them to do this, and we should honor how they feel and what they believe. If they truly believe it’s wrong for them to do it, then for them it’s a sin (Romans 14:23).

I can argue all day long that the Bible permits me to do this or that, but I also must consider how it affects those around me.

Some things are permissible for us, but these things may cause others to sin. Paul said in Galatians 5:13, “For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh but serve one another through love.”

Back in Paul’s day, some considered certain food or animals to be unclean and did not eat them. Once Christ died for our sins, this all changed. In Romans 14:14, Paul acknowledges that by the Lord Jesus, nothing in itself is unclean. Still, if someone considers something unclean, they should not eat it. In verse 15, Paul said, “For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy that one Christ died for by what you eat.”

He addresses food again in 1 Corinthians 8:8-9, “Food will not make us acceptable to God. We are not inferior if we don’t eat, and we are not better if we do eat. But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak.

We have a responsibility as Christians not to tempt others to sin. This means we must consider the things we say and do in public. We must consider the effect it has on others and our witness to them.

As Christians, we have many benefits and promises from God. We also have many liberties, but we should never use a liberty to entice others to sin. We should never flaunt our liberties at the risk of causing someone who is struggling to stumble.

The Bible does not teach us that it’s each man for himself. It teaches us that we are to love the Lord with all our heart and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This means we put God first and others next. We are last.

Give this some thought. Think about how you speak, act, and the things you do in public. Could they possibly lead someone astray? If so, you may want to pray to God to help you make some positive changes.

Have a great day!