WATCH YOUR LIFE, BE CAREFUL
(Part 3)
1 Cor. 16:13
Morning Meditation 3/10/17
Verse 3 says, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” This is one of Paul’s final exhortations to the Christians in Corinth. This will not be his final word to them because there will be a second epistle. But as he comes to the close of this epistle, he makes this important statement. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
We have examined the need to watch for our own personal weaknesses and watch for traps that Satan has set for us, next,
WE NEED TO WATCH FOR STUMBLINGBLOCKS
Romans 14:13 says, “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.”
The word “stumblingblock” translates “proskomma” and means, “an obstacle in the way which if one strikes his foot against he stumbles or falls, that over which a soul stumbles i.e. by which one is caused to sin” The word “put” translates “tithemi” and means, “to set, put, place.” Paul is urging the believers in Rome to avoid things in their lives that will cause weak Christian brothers to stumble or fall.
When the Bible names a sin and commands us not to do it, it is clear that we should avoid that sin no matter what the cost. Stumbling blocks go beyond the named sins. There are cultural things that are generally accepted as wrong by the population. The people in that culture grew up being told this was wrong. Many of the people in that culture do those things that their culture has told them was wrong thereby violating their conscience in the matter. Now in that context we have a missionary go to a certain field and begin to win some of the people out of that culture to Christ and baptize them into the fellowship of a local church. The missionary begins to teach that we are not under law but under grace. Under grace “nothing is unclean of itself.” Romans 14:14 Paul says, “I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” Now as the new convert gets a handle on the truth of grace, he may go out and use his freedom in Christ to do something that he has been taught culturally all his life was wrong. He does it now without a guilty conscience.
However, he has a brother in Christ that has not yet developed to where he is. That brother still thinks that this thing is wrong. He has been taught all his life that this is wrong (whatever it is). He does not yet see how becoming a Christian has changed the right or wrong of what he has been taught. So he sees his brother who has been set free by grace do this thing and a wall (stumblingblock) begins to arise between them. Who should change? Should the Christian who is taking advantage of his liberty in Christ, or, should we stop and instruct the weak brother in the truths of grace so that the barrier (stumblingblock) is removed that way?
Paul suggests that the brother who is strong should bear with the weak brother and not cast a stumblingblock in his way. Now this will probably seem unfair to some. But this is the way the Inspired Word of God deals with the problem. It is the strong brother that is to yield the point.
Romans 14:1-2 says, “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.” Why would Paul tell the one who is strong in grace to make the sacrifice? Because strength is gradually achieved. It is a growth process. And if the weak brother is going to grow from weakness to strength, he will have to be given time. And the stumblingblock that the more mature believer has put in his way may be something that will damage or stop his growth and thereby ruin his Christian life. I believe Paul is saying that the old sin nature is so issue orientated that the weak believer will probably not get beyond this issue until it is removed. Then he is free to develop unhindered. When he develops into a Christian who is mature in grace, he will probably be one of the first to say, “You know that used to really bother me. I am so thankful people in my church loved me enough to take that issue out of the way until I could grow to see that there is really nothing wrong with it.”
Stumblingblocks are things that are not named as sins. They are questionable things that the believer has the right to make a choice about without doing it under the threat of judgment. Romans 14:3, “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” I believe it is ok for a pastor to teach his church about stumblingblocks. It is even ok for him to suggest some things that cause people to stumble. But for him to go beyond that is to bring a person into legal bondage that grace does not allow. We do not have the right to make choices for others whom God in His grace has set at liberty.
On the other hand, I believe it is a mistake for the layman to refuse to listen to the suggestions of his pastor. You may be doing something that you do not see as a stumblingblock. But the pastor may see from a distance how the issue of your liberty has become a stumblingblock to others. At that point you should choose because of your love for the Lord and love for the brethren to remove the stumblingblock. This is not a law. Grace allows you do it. It is only wrong because it was causing others problems.
1 Corinthians 8:9-12 says, “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.” These verses describe the point where stumblingblocks become sin. The appeal of Jesus to us is to walk in love so that we rather sacrifice our liberty voluntarily than make it an issue and damage a weak brother’s conscience.
What are stumblingblocks? Stumblingblocks are things that we have liberty to do but are offensive to others. The offense that it causes others is not because they have a verse of Scripture that says it is wrong. It is just something that they have been taught against sometime in the past and have come to believe that Christians shouldn’t do it. It bothers them to see Christians do it. The Christian has the liberty to say, “For meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse” (1 Cor. 8:8). In other words what we are doing is not and should not be an issue under grace at all. However, if another makes it and issue, then it is an issue to him. So my decision is, “Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (1 Cor. 8:13). If we want to be the kind of Christian Paul was, we will always make the choice to remove the stumblingblock from our brothers way. My liberty in Christ is not an issue that I will push if it is causing others to stumble.
Incidentally, meat is just an example that Paul uses to REPRESENT anything that causes others to stumble.
I can just hear someone reply, “Well, the stumblingblock issue could be taken to an absurdity so that the believer would have no liberty at all.” I don’t think so. I think a response like that is likely to come from one with an arrogant attitude who draws a line and dares anyone to step over it. You say, Well, how far can you go with grace?” As far as it takes. Remember, you are under the Lordship of Christ. Let Him help you decide the right or wrong concerning matters that are not specifically named in the Scripture. If you can use your liberty without it being a stumblingblock to others, then enjoy it.. If your liberty causes others to stumble, don’t abuse it (Christian liberty).
We need to watch our lives. We need to be careful. We need to be alert to our own weaknesses and avoid getting into a situation where we will be vulnerable. We need to watch carefully for traps that Satan has set for us. Then we need to avoid using our liberty in Christ when its use becomes a stumblingblock to others.
May the Lord give us a spirit of love for the brethren so that we gladly remove any use of Christian liberty that causes others to stumble.
God bless.
In Christ
Bro. White
