Question 1

How can I know if I’m being a stumbling block to someone else?

Accepted Answer

Romans 14:13, 20-21So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. . . . Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.A stumbling block, simply defined, is something that would cause people to fall or regress in their faith. In the New Testament, this is usually an issue between a stronger, mature believer and a weaker believer. The newer or weaker believer may have come out of an environment where certain activities were associated with idolatry, depravity, or specific sinful behavior. While not sinful in itself, an activity was tainted to the new believer because of its association with sin—specifically, in this case, eating or drinking certain foods.Galatians 5:13You have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.1 John 2:9-10If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.If we determine that we are, in fact, possibly causing another person to stumble, then we should be willing to give up the offending activities, at least in the presence of weaker brothers and sisters. While we know that those activities are not sinful and we are free to indulge in them, we should not flaunt our freedom if it will harm someone with a weaker conscience.

Question 2

What should I do if I’m accused of being a stumbling block?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 18:6“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.”The charge of being a stumbling block is a serious accusation, especially as it relates to children, so we should take it seriously. We should be quick to spend time in self examination.Romans 14:1Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.1 Corinthians 8:9; 12-13You must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. . . . And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.The simple answer is to stop encouraging weaker believers—by our words or actions—to engage in activities that they believe to be wrong. We shouldn’t even argue with them about the disputed activities, trying to convince them to indulge. This doesn’t mean that we avoid these activities altogether but that we don’t do them in the presence of those with “weaker” consciences. For example, a recovering alcoholic might be tempted to regress if he or she sees a Facebook post of a mature Christian friend drinking with friends at a bar. Or a recovering sex addict might be shocked by someone’s book or movie recommendations. Paul is saying that he will limit his freedom for the sake of a believer with “a weaker conscience.” We should be willing to do the same.

Question 3

How should I respond if I am falsely accused of being a stumbling block?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 7:1“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.”Romans 14:10So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.Although the Bible speaks clearly about not judging and condemning each other, sometimes this still happens, even in a local church. Someone might even accuse us of causing them to stumble because of our actions. Ironically, the one making the accusation is often a person who is considered by others to be mature and strong. Thus, under the guise of caring for weaker Christians, they are, in reality, imposing their legalistic standards on us. This happened to Jesus when the Pharisees accused him of associating with the wrong people (Matthew 9:10—11), working on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1–14), and being a “glutton and a drunkard” (Luke 7:34).Our first response to accusations like this should be to consider the source. Is this a mature Christian brother or sister whose biblical knowledge and wisdom we respect? Or is the person a modern “Pharisee,” trying to impose his or her legalistic rules on others. If the latter, we should firmly and respectfully explain to them, why they are wrong. But we should be careful to not get into a long discussion. Usually people like this are set in their ways and won’t be convinced by arguments, no matter how biblically based and otherwise persuasive. We also should pray for those Pharisees among us, asking the Holy Spirit to soften their hearts and to turn them toward Christ and not their religious standards.Matthew 5:44“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”1 John 4:7, 11Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. . . .Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.All of our interactions, even with those who falsely accuse us, should be done in love.

Question 4

How can I avoid putting stumbling blocks in other people’s paths?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 69:6Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.We should ask God to keep us from causing others to stumble.1 Timothy 4:12Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.We must remember that we are to be an example to others and because we belong to Christ and are no longer free to consider ourselves first.Romans 14:1Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.We should not argue about inconsequential things, particularly with those who are struggling to clarify their faith. We are to offer biblical correction, but we should not insist on our own views in an argumentative way.Romans 14:21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.1 Corinthians 8:9You must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.2 Corinthians 6:3We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.We must try to avoid causing offense to others by how we live. True freedom doesn’t insist on expressing itself to the harm of others.1 John 2:10Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.Loving other people with Christ’s love will help us avoid making them stumble.

Question 5

Are some stumbling blocks unavoidable?

Accepted Answer

Ezekiel 7:19“They will throw their money in the streets, tossing it out like worthless trash. Their silver and gold won’t save them on that day of the Lord’s anger. It will neither satisfy nor feed them, for their greed can only trip them up.”When we fail to listen to God’s warnings about greed, our own life will create a stumbling block for us—and for others.Jeremiah 18:15“But my people are not so reliable, for they have deserted me; they burn incense to worthless idols. They have stumbled off the ancient highways and walk in muddy paths.”When we fail to listen to and apply God’s Word in our lives, we create evil detours and stumbling blocks in our own lives.Isaiah 8:13-14“Make the Lord of Heavens Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.”Matthew 21:44“Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”Romans 9:32They were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path.1 Peter 2:8“He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.Salvation through the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection is offensive to some and will inevitably cause some to stumble.Luke 17:1One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!”It is inevitable that some people will stumble and fall into sin. We should be particularly sensitive about words and actions that may cause others to sin and be willing to seek forgiveness when it happens. The deliberate tempting of others to sin makes us accessories to their wrongdoing and guilty before God.

Stumbling Block