What does it mean to cause someone to stumble?

"Let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother." —Romans 14:13

Have you ever heard that someone say that we shouldn't "cause another Christian to stumble"? The concept of causing another believer to "stumble" comes from two letters written by the apostle Paul in the Bible. In Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8, Paul talks about how we should respect others' personal convictions regarding specific topics—even if our personal convictions are different.

"Take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak." —1 Corinthians 8:9

Thanks to Jesus' sacrifice, we are no longer under the Old Testament law. His shed blood is the New Covenant between us and God (Luke 22:20). Because of Him, we have lots of freedoms now that would not have been possible under the old covenant (See Exodus 34).

Don't judge someone's personal convictions.

During the early church days, people were divided about what laws and traditions they chose to continue following and which ones they were free from. Paul was trying to help them accept each other and not judge one another's faith or goodness based on differing convictions.

Today, we have the same kind of disagreements—even over the same kind of topics! Under the New Covenant, we are not bound to certain laws about body piercings, tattoos, clothing styles, movies, video games, books, and alcohol or smoking.

While the Bible doesn't give us checklists in these areas, many Christians have still developed their own personal convictions on this stuff. One person might say that wearing shorts is still modest, while another might say they're immodest—and that is perfectly fine.

It's true that some things might lead one person to temptations, worldliness, sin, impurity, or even just obsession or idolatry. But on the other hand, being legalistic by avoiding a checklist of "worldly" things can also become an issue of pride or arrogance.

You can see how this could cause a lot of confusion among believers, because it's sometimes hard to determine what's "right" and what's "wrong"—especially when the Bible doesn't give specific instructions. But in the end, these kinds of preferences make no eternal difference; all that matters is that a person accepts Christ as their Savior by committing to follow His example in life.

Respect others' personal convictions.

Here's where we come to the part about not causing other believers to stumble. The Greek word for “stumble” is defined as sort of like stubbing a toe, which would cause you to stumble as you walk. Spiritually speaking, we should not do anything to "stub the toe" of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are trying to walk in Jesus' footsteps. "Stumbling" on that path might damage or weaken your friend's faith.

God wants us to help other Christians stick to their personal convictions—even if we don't feel personally convicted about that thing being sinful. We should never tempt fellow believers to go against their convictions.

"We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves." —Romans 15:1

For example, let's say your friend has a problem with a certain kind of music. Maybe that music is not inherently evil. But if it is something that would cause your friend to stumble in his faith, it is your duty as a Christian friend to make sure that you are not responsible for exposing him to that kind of music.

In Philippians 2:15, Paul tells us to be living examples of Christ so "that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world..." Don't let your actions be the ones that lead another believer to sin.

"Let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up." —Romans 14:19 (NLT)

That passage means sometimes giving up your freedoms so that you can help fellow believers who don't feel free to act in the same ways. When we respect each other's convictions, we're showing the world “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

Yes, we're free from the laws of the old covenant, but we still have a responsibility to protect those who have doubts or are still learning which freedoms they can enjoy.

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