_3_The Scripture Doctrine of Offense

Seducing others to sin the Scriptures call “giving offense,” (Rom. 16:17). We may define it thus: To give offense means to teach or to do something by which we lead another not to believe or to believe error or to lead a wicked life and thus cause him, as far as we are involved, to perish eternally. Hence the solemn warnings of Scripture against giving offense (Matt. 18:6: “But whoso shall offend one of these-little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea”; Mark 9:42ff.; Luke 17:1-2, etc.). Scripture teaches in addition that offense is given not only by doing evil (false doctrine and wicked life), but also through the inconsiderate use of permissible things (e.g., eating meat and drinking wine, Romans 14 —adiaphora); for, by our example, Christians who are weak in knowledge may be induced to do things which in their erring conscience they regard as wrong and thus endanger their faith. For (v. 20): “All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offense”; (v. 23): “He that doubteth is damned [] if he eat”; (v. 15): “Destroy [] not him with thy meat for whom Christ died.” We note that the Apostle in Romans 14 does not censure those who feel free in regard to food, drink, or days; they occupy the correct theological position (v. 14: “There is nothing unclean of itself”; v. 22: “Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth”). But we must be willing to restrict this correct theological knowledge in practical use in every case where our use of the right knowledge would induce the brother who is weak in knowledge to act contrary to his erring conscience.

The general rule to be observed is this: We must waive the use of our Christian liberty unless the truth of the Gospel is at stake. And that is the case when the weak brother insists that his error be acknowledged as the true doctrine and judges him who has the right knowledge, declaring him to be a transgressor of God’s commandment. In this case the weak brother becomes a false teacher, and then Col. 2:16 applies: “Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day,” etc., and Gal. 5:1: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.” It may happen that by the commanded use of the Christian liberty weak Christians are offended, that is, are induced to act contrary to their conscience; but the responsibility for the offense rests on those who, by demanding recognition for their error [by their ] have forced us to make use of our Christian liberty.48

From offense which is given we must distinguish offense which is taken. Offense is taken when one who is spiritually blind and wicked takes occasion to sin from the words or acts of another without the other’s fault. Christ the Crucified One becomes a “stumbling stone and rock of offense” to the self-righteous Jews (Rom. 9: 30-33), and to the Greeks seeking after wisdom He is foolishness (1 Cor. 1:22-23). Both Jews and Greeks insisted on, and persisted in, their false notion of the way of salvation over against Christ’s way of saving men. Men will continue to the end of time to take offense at Christ and His Church.49 Even Christians take offense at Christ when they fall away from Him because they are not willing to follow Him on the way of suffering. Matt. 24:10-11: “Then shall many be offended… . And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many.” Matt. 13:21: “When tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by he is offended.” For this reason, Christ so earnestly warns: “Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me,” etc. (Matt. 11:6, 25, 26.)