Rom. 16:17-20, The Scandal of the Cross

There are those who do evil.  Then, there are those who cause others to do evil.  In the OT the latter were called “workers of iniquity.”  Today, the noun: the trap, enticement, stumbling block that encourages others to sin.  Tomorrow, the verb.

skandalon (noun): trap, enticement, that which gives offense

·       Mt 13:14: angels will weed out at judgement all that cause sin (offend), and those who do evil.  (In other words, God’s justice recognizes both the sinner and the one who encourages others to join in sin.)

·       Mt 16:23: to Peter: get behind me Satan, you are a stumbling block.  (Interesting: Peter was the stumbling block to the Lord, a tool in Satan’s hands, to keep Him from the cross.)

·       Mt 18:7abc: Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes (Lk 17:1).  (Again, God’s judgment is accurate.  All sin is judged, but the workers of iniquity bear greater judgment.)

·       Ro 9:33: Christ is the stone that causes men to stumble (proskommatos), rock that makes them fall.  (Make sure you see what this says.  Christ does not cause them to fall, but He is the stumbling stone over which they call.  1 Pt. 2:8 below quotes this same Isaiah passage and then explains that they stumble because they are disobedient to the word of the Gospel.)

·       Ro 11:9: David: may their table become a stumbling block (from Ps. 69, an imprecatory section of that great Messianic Psalm.)

·       Ro 14:13: make up your mind not to put stum. blk (proskomma) or obstacle in brother's way (here the “offense” is some non-heretical issue that causes a weaker or younger brother to stumble).

·       Rom 16:17: watch out for those who cause division, put obstacles in way (divisive people cause an offense, just by their divisiveness).

·       1Cor 1:23: Christ crucified is a stumbling block to Jews (see above, Rom. 9:33).

·       Gal 5:11: offense of cross abolished if Paul preaches circumcision. (If we preach a gospel of works we take away what is offensive to people.  But, of course, they won’t be saved if they seek Christ by works.)

·       1 Pt. 2:8: “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

·       1 Jn 2:10: he who loves brother lives in light, nothing to make him stumble.  (Again, people stumble over Christ because they do not walk in the light.)

·       Rev 2:14: Balaam taught Balak to entice Israel to sin.  (Balaam’s idea of enticing Israelites to immorality with the people of Moab brought about God’s judgment on Israel.)