Causing Someone to Sin

 

Matt. 18:6-7  “How terrible it will be for anyone who causes others to sin.  Temptation to do wrong is inevitable, but how terrible it will be for the person who does the temptation.”

The world is full of people who make it their life to tempt others to sin.  We cannot escape them.  They infiltrate every area of our lives.  They have become such a part of living that we scarcely recognize them anymore and don’t seem to care.  We accept their presence and allow them to influence our thinking and living.

Think about it.  Take note of everyone today who offers you some way to sin.  Listen to the lyrics of the songs you hear.  Pay attention to what you read.  Look around you at work and take note of how things are being done.  Pay attention to the ads on TV and the content of the shows you watch.  Listen to what others are saying to you.  If you take note of these things, you will discover just how much temptation to sin you encounter each day of your life.

It takes great determination to resist the temptations to sin.  It takes a lot of prayer and exposure to God and His Word to have the willpower to say no.  It takes staying close to the Lord to even recognize much of the temptations we encounter to lure us away from God.

It is a terrible thing to fall into sin.  But it is even worse to be the one who leads others into sin.  Stay alert and don’t let sin have a foothold in your life.  And, make sure that you don’t cause others to sin along the way.  There are people watching you.  They notice how you live and talk.  If they respect you, they will conclude that if it’s okay for you then they can do it, too.  If you are a believer, then it is obvious how you can influence others to sin. 

Guard your soul and strive to live a godly life always.  Sin is a big deal to God as is being the cause of another person falling into sin.  Terrible is the fate of those who lead others into sin.  Terrible is the fate of those who fall into sin and do not repent.  How we live does matter to God.