In our church congregations, akin to islands offering refuge, we should feel a level of safety from gossip, criticism, and offense. The apostle Paul advises church members to give no offense to fellow members, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God. Jesus Christ warns of a future time when offenses will lead to betrayal and emphasizes the importance of protecting the little ones, which may include children, newer members, or those more sensitive within God's church. When offenses occur, as Jesus Christ states they inevitably will, handling them is challenging for both the offended and the offender. Solomon notes that a brother offended is harder to win than a strong city. Jesus Christ provides a four-step plan to address such issues. First, speak privately to the offender to resolve the matter simply, recognizing that the offense might stem from a mistake. If this fails, the second step involves bringing one or two unbiased witnesses to establish the matter, ensuring diplomacy to avoid gossip or division within the congregation. If resolution still eludes, the third step is to tell it to the church, meaning to involve the ministry, but only after the prior steps are exhausted and without using their involvement as a threat. Finally, if the offender refuses to heed even the church, Jesus Christ instructs to treat them as a heathen or tax collector, implying potential disfellowshipment or marking, as Paul also urges to note those causing divisions and offenses. In our small church congregations, surrounded by the vast ocean of satan's world, opportunities for fellowship are limited, making it crucial to avoid giving offense and being overly sensitive to it. We must strive to love one another with the godly love unique to the brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, sticking together on our little islands of truth and righteousness.

Unity and reconciliation within the church hinge significantly on tact and diplomacy, as exemplified by the apostle Paul. In his efforts to live peaceably with all men, as urged in Romans 12:18, Paul skillfully navigated diverse cultures and peoples without causing offense. His approach, unlike traditional methods of debate, focused on understanding others' perspectives and preserving their self-image, recognizing that individuals strive to maintain consistency and stability in their beliefs. Paul's method involved seeing ideas from another's point of view, developing empathy by metaphorically walking in their shoes, and acknowledging their frame of reference. He lavished compliments on his audiences, as seen in his interactions with the philosophers of Athens in Acts 17, and acknowledged cultural debts to both Greeks and Jews in Romans 2-3. He built bridges of common understanding by pointing out similarities, such as sharing views on the resurrection with the Pharisees in Acts 23:6, and identifying himself as a Roman citizen when appropriate in Acts 22:25. Following Paul's example, we can avoid causing offense by employing three steps in negotiation: first, conveying to others that they are understood; second, identifying areas where they may have a valid or superior position; and third, finding shared moral qualities and aspirations to reach mutually acceptable solutions. These steps, grounded in genuine humility, foster pleasing and peacemaking interactions, enhancing our quest for unity within the church.

In Matthew 18, Jesus addresses the seriousness of causing offense against a weak Christian. He warns that anyone who causes a Christian with a childlike, humble attitude to sin, or places obstacles in their path of faithfulness, commits a grave offense. Christ declares that it would be better for such a person to be weighted down and drowned in the sea than to commit this sin. Offenses are inevitable due to human nature, but Jesus pronounces woe on those who lead others into sin, emphasizing the great guilt borne by such individuals. He stresses that only deep-seated wickedness seeks to confuse and destroy another's potential, which is so valuable that every effort must be made to protect it. Jesus further illustrates the need to abandon any worldly attachments, friendships, or employments that lead to sin, using strong imagery to convey that avoiding temptation and sin is paramount, even at great personal cost. The stakes are high, as it is far better to attain eternal life without the pleasures of sin than to enjoy them temporarily and face eternal judgment.

Offense, causing, is a serious matter within the church. Jesus warns that causing someone to stumble and sin is so grave that it would be better for the offender to have a heavy millstone hung around their neck and be thrown into the sea. This offense goes beyond merely hurting someone's feelings; it involves leading them into sin, often through setting a bad example that others, especially the weak or new in faith, might follow. The responsibility to avoid causing offense is emphasized by the presence of angels who behold the face of God and advocate for the offended. Jesus stresses the importance of self-sacrifice and extreme measures to prevent setting a bad example, indicating that it is better to face personal loss than to cause a brother to sin. The context of these teachings is maintaining unity and peace within the church, highlighting the need for members to be vigilant about their actions and their impact on others.

Every sin, including one that wounds another person, is first of all a sin against God. Joseph recognized that adultery with Potiphar's wife would wrong Potiphar, yet the far worse matter was sinning against God. God told Abimelech that He had kept him from sinning against Him, and the wickedness of Sodom was sin against the LORD. David, who murdered Uriah, took Bathsheba, and brought a sword upon his house, still prayed, "Against You, You only, have I sinned." He did not deny the human harm. In stark contrast, those wrongs paled beside the offense of casting aside all the blessings, grace, and promises God had given him. Sin is transgression against God, a slap in His face, and it jeopardizes the relationship that matters most. Because of this, a person who has offended another should first admit his sinfulness to God and seek to restore that relationship. Offenses between people should still be worked out in patience and love, but many supposed offenses, such as being overlooked at church, are only misunderstandings or oversights and are best shrugged off. Holding grudges, assuming intent, and refusing the benefit of the doubt lead only to more sin.

The offenses at the Corinthians' congregational meals were no minor matter, even though offenses are bound to occur in life. Paul warns that whoever eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, "not discerning the body" (I Corinthians 11:29). Among the several meanings of "the body," the spiritual Body of believers fits the context, since chapters 10 through 14 deal with interactions within the Body. To discern the Body is to distinguish it from the rest of humanity and to be partial to the Body as a whole rather than making distinctions within it. The Corinthians were doing the opposite: they highly esteemed some members and despised others. In so doing they failed to treat all the brethren, for whom Christ died, with the highest respect. Because they offended and belittled fellow members this way, they were in danger of bringing judgment on themselves when they observed the Passover. Mistreating members of Christ's Body is therefore a serious sin that makes participation in the Passover unworthy.