Our Stumbling Blocks

April 27, 2026

A man went to the doctor and said, “I’ve been misbehaving, Doc, and my conscience is troubling me.” The doctor asked, “You want something that will strengthen your willpower?” “No,” the man replied, “I was thinking of something that would weaken my conscience.” This humorous story reveals a very human tendency. We do not like feeling guilty, so we look for ways to excuse behavior we know is wrong. The Apostle Paul deals with a similar issue in Romans 14.

In Romans 14:1 Paul writes, “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.” Paul introduces the idea of the weaker or lesser brother to describe a believer whose conscience is more restricted than others, often due to cultural background, personal conviction, or incomplete understanding of the gospel. This is not a lack of genuine faith, but rather a sensitivity to matters that are not essential to salvation. Some call this the “Lesser Brother Principle,” where stronger Christians should not use their freedom in a way that causes a weaker brother or sister to stumble.

When he uses the phrase “disputable matters,” he is talking about those issues that are not core doctrines of the faith. He gives three examples of disputable matters: which holy days to observe, whether to eat meat sacrificed to idols or pork, and whether to drink alcohol. We may disagree on these, but they are not essential to salvation. Moral absolutes such as lying, stealing, immorality, and beliefs like the deity of Christ, the physical resurrection, and substitutionary atonement are fundamentals of the faith. On these fundamentals there should be no disagreement among Christians.

For example, the Bible teaches that drinking alcohol in moderation is not a sin, but drunkenness is. However, if your drinking causes someone struggling with sobriety to fall back into addiction, then it becomes a stumbling block. The stronger Christian must willingly limit his or her freedom out of love for the weaker one. This principle applies far beyond alcohol. It covers anything we do that might harm another believer’s faith or growth.

I find that Christians often speak of not placing stumbling blocks before others with a fair amount of self-satisfaction and arrogance. The problem is that we are often blind to our own stumbling blocks. Once, I shared with our session that God had been challenging me to grow in humility. One elder kindly told me that I frequently use the phrase, “I don’t care,” in conversations, and it often comes across as arrogant and dismissive. I immediately replied, “No I don’t.” The rest of the session smiled and said, “Yes you do.” I had no memory of using the phrase, yet others heard it clearly. In the next sermon an elder tried to get my attention when I used the it again, but I never noticed. It was as if something kept me from hearing my own weakness. This experience reminded me how easily we can be deaf or blind to our stumbling blocks.

We all have them. None of us is free from areas where our behavior or attitude can cause others to stumble. That is why we need two important practices. First, we must have a genuine desire to know what our stumbling blocks are and to remove them. Second, we need trusted people in our lives who love us enough to speak the truth. Ask a close friend, spouse, or mentor, “What are my blind spots? In what ways do I cause others to stumble?” The answers may be uncomfortable, but they are necessary for growth.

Common areas where stumbling blocks appear include faith, trust, obedience, love, and especially forgiveness. Many of us talk a good game about forgiveness but struggle to practice it. We say we have forgiven someone, yet we keep score, rehearse the hurt, or make excuses for holding grudges and offense. Jesus makes it clear that we must forgive as we have been forgiven. (Mark 11:25, and many others). When we refuse, we become a stumbling block both to ourselves and to others who watch our lives.

The good news is that Christ has given us His Spirit to help us see clearly and grow. Ask the Spirit to help you answer these questions. What is one area where you may have a blind spot or stumbling block? Who is a trusted person in your life you could ask for honest feedback? In what ways have you seen your own freedom cause someone else to struggle?

This week, take time to pray and ask God to show you any stumbling blocks in your life. Then courageously ask a trusted Christian friend for honest feedback. Let us accept one another as Christ accepted us, and together become a community that honors God in both the big things and the small.