1 Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.
Jesus has one word for us in regards to our making others stumble – “Woe”! I am reminded of Paul’s words in Romans:
17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done- Romans 15:17-18 (NIV)
Again, he states in 1 Corinthians:
17 For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. 1 Cor 4:17 (NIV)
Careful in every way to walk in a “manner worthy of the gospel of Christ”, Paul’s life is a demonstration to us of the power of the Holy Spirit fleshed out in a life thereby helping to mentor and encourage us to do likewise. He was always very careful not to let his freedoms in Christ cause weaker followers to stumble. That, my friends, is living for Christ and NOT living for self! Later in this same book he tells us:
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 1 Cor 8:9 (NIV)
Beware - we never want to be a stumbling block for the weak or for anyone else for that matter! We can have the best intentions and yet miss the mark in both our words and our actions. It is sorely important that we pray “on” the full armor of God daily – pleading with God to empty us of our own vain efforts and asking Him to fill us to overflowing with the powerful Holy Spirit. Living the abundant Christian life is only accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit within the disciple of Christ through the death of self. When we start doing things in our own strength is when we open ourselves up to all kinds of distortions including that of causing others to stumble.
A perfect example of this is found in Matthew 16. A very zealous but well meaning Peter decides to give His Savior some poor advice indeed:
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Matt 16:21-23 (NIV)
Here we see Jesus coming down extremely hard on Peter stating he was a stumbling block to Him as Peter had only in mind the things of men and not God. Whenever, in our own strength, we set the bait on the trap, knowingly or unknowingly, for which the trigger is set we allow someone to adopt a course in which, if followed, they would unknowingly come to mischief and ruin. Peter was trying to keep the Lord from dying yet that was the primary reason for which He had come into the world. Peter wanted Jesus to follow his plan by thwarting the cross while Jesus was about to demonstrate that discipleship would involve great cost and sacrifice. Unbeknownst to him, Peter’s advice was going totally against God’s plan for mankind’s greatest blessing ever and, for that matter, Peter’s salvation. This would appear to be the reason for Jesus’ stern response to Peter. Again, Jesus says “Woe” to us when we advise from a worldly viewpoint rather than from a Godly one. The antidote is found in the next few verses of Matthew 16:
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matt 16:24 (NIV)
How easy it is for us to shun the cross! No one likes the idea of denial of self. Everything in us wants to bolt and run from this but (and this is a very big but) in doing so we miss the very reason we are here. It appears to be in our worldly way of thinking a very sacrificial way of life yet the greatest sacrifice of all comes from NOT doing this. No one will ever out give God. Our measly sacrifices are just that – measly!
“Nothing but Christianity will give you the victory. Until a man believes in his heart that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Master...his course through life will be neither safe nor pleasant. My only regret is that I was so long blinded by my pleasures, my vices and pursuits, and the examples of others that I was kept from seeing, admiring, and adoring the marvelous light of the gospel."
Francis Scott Key, author of the words of our national anthem
"There was a day when I died; died to self, my opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of my brethren or friends; and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God." George Mueller