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Offending Others

By July 1, 2005November 9th, 2022No Comments

Q.

What does 2 Corinthians 6:3 mean when it says we aren’t supposed to give offense in anything?

A.
First, I’ll mention what the verse doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean that we must never offend anyone. Many pastors and other Christians today are so afraid of offending someone that they fail to give out or stand for the truth. Scriptural truth is offensive to the unbeliever (1 Corinthians 1:18) and wayward believer. Consider, too, that virtually no one can get through life without unintentionally offending someone. Misunderstandings are a part of life, and people do take things the wrong way. I read about a sign in a restaurant that said, “We can’t please everybody, but we try.” How true!

The apostle Paul, who was sensitive to the integrity of the gospel ministry, was saying that we must be careful in the Christian life so we don’t throw away our testimony. When pastors and Christian leaders fall into sin and are not characterized by daily victory in their lives, the watching world criticizes and blames the ministry. The Bible teaches that we will each give an account of ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:10, 11; Romans 14:7–13). We must be careful.

This article appeared in the “Q & A” column of the Baptist Bulletin (July 2005) by Norman A. Olson. 

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