Read
Therefore 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
Reflect
Frank and Joe were trick-or-treating on Halloween when they came upon a table in front of a house. There was no one at the table, which was covered with wrapped candy bars.
Frank started picking up handfuls of candy bars and putting them in his bag. Joe stayed back and said to his friend, “Frank, shouldn’t we leave some for the other kids?”
“No one’s looking,” Frank responded. “Plus, what’ll they do if they catch us? It’s not like it’s against the law.”
Joe edged forward. He didn’t like the idea of doing something he felt was stealing. But Frank had a point — or at least Joe tried to convince himself that he did. The candy was unattended, so maybe it was fair game. After a short wait, Joe picked up a couple of handfuls and stuffed them in his sack.
Did Frank sin? Did Joe?
In light of Paul’s teaching in today’s scripture, Frank and Joe both had a problem. Frank may not have disobeyed a clearly stated rule by taking more than one candy bar, but he certainly seemed greedy. Even worse, he encouraged Joe to do something Joe believed was wrong. Joe believed in his heart that taking the extra candy was stealing, so when he went ahead and did it anyway, he sinned against what he believed to be true.
In Paul’s day, some meat sold or served in Roman society had first been sacrificed to idols. Paul says that no idol was truly a god, and that Christians were not made unclean simply by eating that meat. But some Jewish-background Christians, and others with tender consciences, still believed eating that meat was wrong. If one of them went against his conscience and ate it anyway, he would be sinning. And so would the person whose actions helped lead him there.
As Christians, it’s not enough to merely do what we think is right. We’re supposed to take other people into account and make sure we’re not encouraging them to do things they believe are wrong. Christian freedom is real, but love teaches us when not to use it.
Today, pay special attention to your actions and think about the impact they have on other people. Pray that the Lord will help you encourage others only to do good and right things, and not to lead them down a path that would lead to sin for either of you.
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
