Discernment needed…

The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies. They turn their backs before their enemies, because they have become devoted for destruction. I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. Get up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow; for thus says the Lord, God of Israel, “There are devoted things in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you.” In the morning therefore you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man. And he who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned with fire, he and all that he has, because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’ ” (Joshua 7:10–15)

This event illustrates an important truth: my sin affects others who follow Jesus. The entire OT congregation could not stand before their enemies because one person took from those enemies a forbidden item and therefore created a vulnerability that ruined their power.

Move up to the present time. What do Christians ‘steal’ that is supposed to be devoted to the Lord? Time? Sabbath rest both spiritual and literal? Possessions? This page is not long enough to list all that belongs to God that we could put on our own list, whether it be tangible stuff, or actions, or His glory.

This is convicting. Could it be that when I see a Christian or a congregation that has gone off the rails and is doing their own thing because they see in me something I hold for myself that belongs to the Lord — so they assume it is okay?

The NT term is stumbling block. It means doing something that I have faith (or not) to do and others copy me thinking that what I’m doing is okay for them, but it is not. Worse, I then criticize them for their actions.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. 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. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. (Romans 14:10–19)

The reasoning behind this instruction is that all of us are to live by faith, not by copying the way others live…

The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. (Romans 14:22–23)

Not every believer understands their freedom in Christ as I do. If they copy me instead of heeding God's voice, that is sin. 

But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:9–13)

Not that what I say or do is always a stumbling block, but I need discernment, and listen to God, act in faith, and keep short accounts. I also need to speak up or shut up,  depending on what He says.

Jesus, grant me great love and discernment.