From the desk of Pastor Ben

Do Not Cause a Brother to Sin – Part 2

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!”     (Matthew 18:6-7)

In the wake of the apostles’ heated argument over who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, this illustration must have been especially sobering to them. The disagreement, no doubt, caused each man’s resentment to rise as each one asserted, likely more than once, why he was due the label of greatest. They not only sinned with their pride and boasting, but they incited one another to envy and anger.

As children of God, each Christian needs protection, care, and understanding. For one saint to sin against another and slow his or her spiritual growth is heinous to God, because it equals sinning against Christ.

The prophet Zechariah states that whoever harms God’s people (Israel) “touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8). The expression “apple of the year” is an ancient metaphor for the cornea, the most delicate external part of the human body. The illustration is that anyone who harms believers jams his finger, as it were, into God’s eye, seriously grieving our Heavenly Father.

Anyone in the church who lives an ungodly life and pulls others into sin is effectively sticking a finger into God’s eye and would be better off dead. Pretty harsh sounding, isn’t it. But, how we treat fellow believers in God’s church is a matter of immense importance.

Ask Yourself:
Your example touches more people than you probably know — whether for good or for ill. In what ways are you often forgetful of this fact? Think of the people in your own life whose diligent or frequent faithfulness has a telling influence on you.