Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

To me, Jesus in this passage was just stating a fact of Christian existence. He was indicating that, as long as people (even Christians) remain in this world, they will have to deal with sin (both their own and the sins of others), and with temptations to sin (which are what He was referring to as "stumbling blocks").

However, He was cautioning His followers that they should not be the human agents who would cause that sin to occur, or who would tempt others to sin -- especially, sin against or involving other Christians -- and they should also always be ready to forgive someone who repents of sin.

I think that Paul was making somewhat the same point when he counseled Christians not to use their Christian freedom in a way that would cause or tempt others to stumble by violating their conscience (1 Corinthians 8:9-13), or when he said that it was preferable for Christians to allow themselves to be defrauded rather than to bring a lawsuit against a fellow believer before a non-Christian court (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). As Paul also said, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful." (1 Corinthians 5:12)

December 13 2017 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report