Matthew 18:7 KJV
Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
An offence is something that causes another to slip or fall. And here is what we know about offences from this one verse;
It is one of the hardships of life in this worldEven the creation groans in pain waiting for the day of redemption. One of those woes this world experiences is that it is a place of offence. The creature (being the world that God created) must grieve that it is a breeding ground for those traps that would ensnare the children of God.
It is not possible to live in this world without facing offences
The best of men and in the best of environments experience offences and temptations to stray away for Christ. It is impossible to avoid them altogether. And I would say it is unwise to live in such fear of them than we cloister up or hide away in hopes of missing them. Surely we would be wise not to run into the face of offences and temptations. But neither should we seek to avoid them to such an extent that we do not venture to do great things for the cause of Christ.
It is imperative that we who walk with the Lord not be the ones who cause those offencesIt is such a terrible thing that a brother would be an offence to another brother that the passage makes it appear that being such an offence may be a sign that we are not really believers at all: the offending party faces everlasting fire.
Finally the chapter ends with a word to the offended and it is just this, forgive. Regardless of the offence and the offenders reaction to the fact that they have offended, forgiving them is the only option we have. And there is even some indication that the one who doesn't forgive isn't a true believer either.
Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
An offence is something that causes another to slip or fall. And here is what we know about offences from this one verse;
It is one of the hardships of life in this worldEven the creation groans in pain waiting for the day of redemption. One of those woes this world experiences is that it is a place of offence. The creature (being the world that God created) must grieve that it is a breeding ground for those traps that would ensnare the children of God.
It is not possible to live in this world without facing offences
The best of men and in the best of environments experience offences and temptations to stray away for Christ. It is impossible to avoid them altogether. And I would say it is unwise to live in such fear of them than we cloister up or hide away in hopes of missing them. Surely we would be wise not to run into the face of offences and temptations. But neither should we seek to avoid them to such an extent that we do not venture to do great things for the cause of Christ.
It is imperative that we who walk with the Lord not be the ones who cause those offencesIt is such a terrible thing that a brother would be an offence to another brother that the passage makes it appear that being such an offence may be a sign that we are not really believers at all: the offending party faces everlasting fire.
Finally the chapter ends with a word to the offended and it is just this, forgive. Regardless of the offence and the offenders reaction to the fact that they have offended, forgiving them is the only option we have. And there is even some indication that the one who doesn't forgive isn't a true believer either.
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