CHRISTIAN LIFE

Relationships and Sin

The Bible teaches us that to deal with our sin, we need the help of others. How do we handle other people's sins? What can we do to help others avoid sin?

Day One: Enabling
To "enable" sin is to embolden someone to continue in sin, to empower his ability to sin, or to make it easier for him to sin. In our stand for righteousness, we want to avoid enabling the sins of others...
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For more, see: "Sin and Acceptance"

Day Two: Stumbling Block
The concept of not causing others to stumble is found in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8. In these chapters, Paul talks about personal convictions and our responsibility to our fellow believers in Christ...
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For more, see: "What does it mean to be a stumbling block to someone else?"

Day Three: Taking Offense
Trying to not take offense is like trying to not think about elephants. If someone says, "Don't think about elephants," we automatically think about them. If we focus on trying not to take offense, we will keep thinking about the offense...
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For more, see: "Hypersensitivity: How Offensive!"
For more, see: "Unoffendable — A Review"

Day Four: Correcting Others
This can be a delicate subject. It is wise to spend time in prayer first, to check our motivation and ask for guidance. There are times when Christians are called upon to "talk to" or try to correct a fellow Christian...
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For more, see: "How should a Christian correct another believer?"

Day Five: Loving Confrontation
Talk of sin is commonly frowned upon today. Even many pastors avoid making statements that could be seen as remotely condemning or reproachful. The conventional wisdom is that it is unkind or unloving—and therefore ungodly—to take a stand against certain activities...
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Day Six: Handling Disputes
Christians have often turned to the principles of Matthew 18 for guidance in handling disputes. It reads, "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over"...
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Day Seven: Loving Others
Loving others can be extremely difficult at times. A common phrase to refer to those people that we consistently find ourselves challenged to love is "extra grace required" people. But even people we generally like can sometimes be difficult to love...
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For more, see: "How Would Jesus Love?"

Image Credit: Raul Lieberwirth; "1 against 1"; Creative Commons