Eckhardt's Homiletisches Reallexikon, 1907–1917

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Offense. Treatises. What does the Bible teach about offense? Luth. 1900, 49 ff. On Offense. 1904, 54. Il. 92, 125. Wis. 1901, 20 f. Schulb. 86, 74 ff. 82, 95. Mit. 40-47. 72. 80. 104-120. Ma. 17, 55 f. 26, 255 f. Walth. L. L. 568. Baier 313. 314. Löber 401. Hymn 138, 3. 360, 4. Outline. Meaning of the word § 1. Origin § 2. Given offense § 3-10. What it means to give offense. § 4. Examples § 5. When the offense is all the greater § 6. Pastors should not give it § 7. Parents § 8. Is sin § 9-10. Taken offense. What is taken offense. § 11. Offense at Christ § 12-13. Offense at things indifferent. § 14. Conduct in such cases § 15-16. In most cases sin is bound up with offense. If sin is already bad in itself, it is all the worse because of the offense that accompanies it.

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1. Meaning of the word. Scandalon is something by which one is caught or trapped (e.g., the trigger-stick in a trap), translated by Luther as "snare," Ps. 140, 6, "net" or "trap," Ps. 141, 9, "net," Josh. 23, 13. Note a. Figuratively it means everything that is apt to bring a person to a fall on the way of faith, everything by which a person is seduced and led astray in the faith. Note b. Therefore it is also called a "stumbling block," an obstacle in the way that makes everyone who strikes against it fall. Lev. 19, 14. Isa. 8, 14: a stone of stumbling. Rom. 14, 13: stumbling block or offense.

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2. The origin of offense is a. not from God. James 1, 13: God is not a tempter to evil; but b. from the devil. The enemy that sowed them is the devil. Matt. 13, 39. 41. c. from men. Objection a. Matt. 18, 7: It must needs be that offenses come. That sounds as though God had so ordained it. - Because the world is so evil, it no longer goes without offense. Objection b. Rom. 9, 33: I (God) lay in Zion a stumblingstone and rock of offense. - But this stone becomes a stumbling block to them not per se, in itself, but per accidens, through men's wickedness, for the sake of their unbelief. Given offense.

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3. To give offense. 2 Cor. 6, 3: give none offense. To cause offense, Rev. 2, 14. To cause, Rom. 16, 17. To lay, Rom. 14, 13, means a. not to make someone angry, as in colloquial speech, but b. to make someone worse than he already is, to cause someone to commit a sin he would not otherwise commit, or to say or do something by which someone is hindered on the way of truth.

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4. Offense is given: a. through false doctrine. Rom. 16, 17: to cause offenses contrary to the doctrine. This is the gravest offense, because through it God's name is additionally misused. Note. This happens especially 1. from pastors; 2. from professors toward students, and through their journals; 3. from schoolteachers toward children. b. through false practice: Christian burial of lodge members, common prayer at intersynodical conferences. c. through a godless life, when someone says or does something against God's Word, so that others see and hear it, and so one learns evil from another; e.g., 1. cursing, 2. laughing at sin, 3. lewd pictures, 4. immodest clothing, 5. evil communications. 1 Cor. 15, 33, 6. anger. Prov. 22, 24. 25, 7. distribution of bad writings, 8. equating oneself with the world, 9. participation in Sunday amusements, 10. keeping or diligently frequenting the saloon, 11. marriage with worldly people. Gen. 6, 2, 12. dancing, 13. unchristian conduct at baptismal celebrations, picnics, 14. joining worldly associations. Note a. Offense is like a labyrinth with a thousand wrong turnings. Note b. Because Christians still have the old Adam, offense is easily given. Note c. Under certain circumstances offense can also be given by breaking church ordinances, e.g., not sending children to the parochial school, dropping the name "Lutheran," etc. Note d. Secret sin cannot give offense. Note e. Whether something is an offense or not cannot be judged by moral conviction, but only by God's Word.

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5. Examples from Scripture and world history. a. Balak seduced Israel to idolatry. Num. 25, 1-3. Rev. 2, 14. b. Aaron. The golden calf. c. Gideon. Judg. 8, 22-27. d. David. 2 Sam. 12, 14. 1 Sam. 2, 17. 29. e. Eli's sons. f. Jeroboam made Israel sin. 1 Kings 14, 16. g. Peter. His denial. His hypocrisy. Gal. 2, 11-22. Matt. 16, 23. h. From world history: King Frederick William III, through the introduction of the Prussian Union.

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6. The offense is all the graver a. the higher the standing of the person who gives it. If a great tree (tower) falls, it knocks down the small ones standing next to it as well. Note a. Offense given by pastors, teachers, and leaders is therefore greater than that given by ordinary Christians, because they are meant to be examples and are observed by many. Note b. King David's offense, as that of a person in authority, is greater than a similar offense by his subjects. b. the greater the number of persons to whom it is given. An offense given to a whole congregation is worse than one given to a single person. c. deliberate, premeditated offenses are graver than those that happen merely out of hastiness; d. offenses against the first table are graver than those against the second; e. those given through false doctrine are graver than those given through a godless life; f. offense given by a Christian is greater than that given by a non-Christian.

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7. Pastors and teachers should give no offense. Luth. 1900, 131. 132. a. to hearers and pupils: through their conduct. b. to superiors: through unpeaceable behavior. c. to the congregation: through trifling pursuits, side occupations, meddling in politics, wrongful conduct in obtaining or giving up a call, in worship, at family celebrations. Through association with the female sex, secret engagement, choice of a wife, etc. d. to the world: through frequenting saloons, theater, circus. e. to household members: through management of the household, vanity, discontent with office and salary. f. to fellow ministers: in association and at conferences. Note a. They should be especially careful to give no offense. Note b. Otherwise they would tear down with one hand what they build with the other. 1 Cor. 9, 27: to preach to others and be themselves castaway. Note c. Story of a pastor who, on the way home after a mighty sermon, [--].

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8. Parents should give their children no offense, but should go before them in all things with a good example. Matt. 18, 10: that ye offend not one of these little ones. Note a. That is worse than the slaughter of the innocents at Bethlehem. You weep when your child dies. That it dies the eternal death - to that you contribute. Note b. Later the parents lament over ill-bred children and acquit themselves of blame. Note c. Youth is like a blank sheet of paper, which accepts all the words that are written on it. Note d. Nor should one give children the occasion to be led into offense in the first place, by letting them take part in all worldly pleasures.

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9. To give offense is a sin, whereby a. sincere Christians are grieved, b. the world is confirmed in its contempt for Christianity and sinful nature ("There's nothing to Christianity. The Christians themselves don't do what they teach."), c. the enemies of the Lord are made to blaspheme, d. God's name is dishonored. 1 Tim. 6, 1. Rom. 2, 24: blasphemed among the heathen, e. pure doctrine is brought into suspicion: "There you see the fruits of their doctrine; the doctrine cannot be right," f. the preaching office is brought into disrepute. 2 Cor. 6, 3, when offense is given by pastors, g. spiritual life in other people is destroyed and many are robbed of salvation. Spiritual execution. Therefore woe to them by whom offense comes. Matt. 18, 6. 7. Note a. The punishment follows 1. often already on earth. Eli. 2. certainly one day. Matt. 13, 41. 42: all offenses shall be gathered together and cast into the furnace of fire. Note b. The seduced will accuse the seducers: you strengthened me in evil.

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10. Therefore we should a. take care to give no one an offense. 2 Cor. 6, 3. 1 Cor. 10, 32. 33. 11, 1. b. avoid all appearance of evil. 1 Thess. 5, 22. Others must judge by what they see. Note. Examples: 1. Even when inoffensive, classical plays are performed, still not to go. 2. Even if a saloon could perhaps under some circumstances be run in a Christian manner, still rather to abstain from it; c. get out of the way of offense, avoid evil company, false teachers. When animals see a trap, they often prefer to go around it; d. not let ourselves be offended by others, since the world is, after all, full of offense. Matt. 16, 23: Get thee behind me. If thy foot offend thee, cut it off; e. clear out of the way offense already given, so that others do not also stumble and fall over it. 1. that given by ourselves: through confession of sin, repentance, apology. Manasseh. 2 Chron. 33, 13-17. David, Ps. 51. 2. that given by other Christians: through brotherly correction, church discipline, suspension from the Lord's Supper. Objection: my fellow Christians were not offended at all by my sin. - It is enough to show that offense must arise. 3. that given by the world: through constant testimony against it, especially by the pastor. 2 Cor. 11, 29. John 16, 1: These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. Taken offense.

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11. Taken offense is when a person, out of a thing that is in itself good or even commanded by God, prepares a stumbling block for himself, letting it, in the blindness of his heart, become his ruin. Spiders can suck poison out of roses. Note a. A good thing cannot give offense; if this happens nevertheless, it lies not in the thing but in the person. Note b. Taken offense can be 1. offense at Christ, 2. offense at things indifferent. Offense at Christ.

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12. Many take offense at Christ. 1 Cor. 1, 23: unto the Jews a stumblingblock. Gal. 5, 11: the offense of the cross of Christ. Rom. 9, 33: rock of offense. 1 Pet. 2, 8. And indeed they stumble a. at his word, his teaching, at the preaching of the Gospel. Note. E.g., 1. the Jews. Matt. 13, 57. Rom. 9, 32. 2. the Pharisees. Matt. 15, 12. b. at his person, his lowly origin. Isa. 52, 14: because his form is uglier than other men's. Just a proof that he is the Messiah, c. at his suffering and death, d. at his kingdom, which is a kingdom of the cross, e. at everything that Christians do according to God's Word. Note a. How dangerous this is: 1. whoever takes offense at Christ does not accept him as Savior. 2. brings a heavy judgment upon himself. Rom. 11, 9. Note. Even Christians still sometimes stumble 1. at Christ's teaching, at Bible passages that seem to contradict each other, at the doctrine of the Lord's Supper, election by grace, 2. at the Christians' cross. Matt. 26, 31. John 16. 3. at correct practice, e.g., at the refusal of joint prayer with those of a different faith. Note c. We should guard ourselves against such offense. Blessed is he who is not offended at me. Matt. 11, 6. Note d. To be kept safe from it, we must take our reason captive under God's Word. God's Word alone can clear such offense out of the way and break our evil will.

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13. What is to be done when others take offense at Christ, at our preaching of Christ? We should a. comfort ourselves that this is not our fault. We cannot prevent it, b. instruct them and do everything to guard against such offense. 1 Pet. 3, 15. 16: but be ready always to give an answer, c. not, for their sake, depart from the right confession and preach another gospel, even if everything should be ruined over it. Note. Examples: 1. God. Rom. 9, 33: I lay a stone of stumbling, although he knows that many will stumble at it. 2. Christ. Matt. 15, 12-14. He does not change his speech for the Pharisees' sake. 3. The apostles. 1 Cor. 1, 23: but we preach Christ. Gal. 5, 11. 2, 3-5: gave place, no, not for an hour, d. not deny our Christian walk for their sake either. If others take offense, for example, at our churchgoing, should we for their sake lose sight of God's command? Offense in things indifferent. 14. Many weak Christians take offense at things indifferent (ceremonies, the cross, candles, liturgy), which God has neither commanded nor forbidden. They should not do so, but they do it nevertheless. Note. If one does something that is not sin in the sight of one who holds it to be sin, one thereby provokes him to do the same thing against his conscience. Rom. 14, 20: with offense, with offense of the conscience. That is not good for him.

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15. Conduct in such cases: a. one must try to instruct such people from God's Word. That alone gives the right understanding of what is good or evil; b. for the sake of the weak, renounce Christian liberty and refrain from such things. 1 Cor. 8, 9. 13: that this liberty of yours become not a stumblingblock to them that are weak. Note a. Examples: 1. the tribute coin. Matt. 17, 27: lest we should offend them, Christ submits to men's regulations. 2. eating meat offered to idols. Rom. 14, 21: it is good neither to eat flesh. 1 Cor. 8, 13: I will eat no flesh while the world standeth. Note b. This is already so in other matters too. If a sick person cannot bear loud talking, one speaks softly. Smoking.

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16. It is presupposed here, a. that through such renunciation of Christian liberty the confession is not violated. Examples: 1. Paul circumcised Timothy for the sake of the weak Jewish Christians, Acts 16, 1-3; but not Titus, because here he was dealing with false teachers. Gal. 2, 1-5. 2. Peter ate with the Gentile Christians; but when he withdrew from them for the sake of the Jewish Christians, he violated the confession of the truth. Therefore Paul withstood him. Gal. 2, 11-14. 3. Luther married in defiance of the devil and his scaly minions. "And I would gladly cause still more offense, if only I knew it pleased God and annoyed them." 4. We do not break the bread in the Lord's Supper, because it is a symbol of the Reformed doctrine. Note a. One should let no yoke of human regulations be imposed under the pretext that one must yield to the weak. Note b. Must one, among Catholics, abstain from eating meat on Friday? By no means. To the papists, who want to make it a sin, one must confess the truth. b. that through renouncing Christian liberty other weak persons in turn do not take offense at our renunciation. If one sits thus between two fires, then one should use one's liberty. Example. Some in the congregation thought one should fast before the Lord's Supper. One could readily yield to them. But now others, who formerly held the same view, have through instruction been brought to the right understanding, and would take offense if the pastor fasted for the sake of the weak. Homiletics. To give offense. Invocavit. Epistle. 2 Cor. 6, 3. 1. Let us give no one any offense. a. what it is. b. why this is our duty. 2. or: a. what this means. b. why we should refrain from it. Michaelmas. Gospel. 3. Christ's warning against offense. a. that one should give none. b. that one should not let oneself be offended.