Offenses, or stumbling blocks, are a part of life. Temptations befall every man, and every man has the grave task of overcoming them. “It is impossible that no offenses should come” (v. 1). They may arise on a personal level in which one lacks self-discipline and is led away by his own folly. Yet, there are times when sin traps are laid by others either knowingly or unknowingly. Woe to that man who lays such a trap. Jesus said it would be better for such a man to be thrown into the sea with a large stone hung around his neck, and thus sink to his demise, than for him to suffer the consequences of causing a novice believer to sin. What we say and do affects, not just to our own spiritual well-being, but others’.

The resulting sin at times appears in the setting of one against another. When sin is committed against another, that one must have the love which looks beyond his own injury, and cares for his brother’s soul. We must be willing to convict them of their faults, and restore the fallen (cf. Galatians 6:1). As God forgives us, we must also forgive (cf. Matthew 6:14-15). And just as God’s forgiveness knows no limits past repentance, so ours should be. It matters not that the number be seven times in one day, or even four hundred ninety times (cf. Matthew 18:22), “you shall forgive him” (v. 4).