In other translations "things that cause people to sin" are translated into one word pictures such as, temptations, offenses, or stumbling block. With prompting from this wonderful Bible Study I've referenced over and over I went to look up the greek word for this myself. Beth does tell you what it means in the study. This is the greek word "skandalon" which also translates "trap stick".
So in other words people can become a trap stick to us; where as, we become entrapped. Whether the person realizes the consequences to us or not, our enemy has no intention of letting us out of a trap, he intends for us to find spiritual death there. Christian or not. Once we're born again, thus a real Christian, we have been saved from the trap of eternal death, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty more traps for us to be lured into that won't take us and kill off any spiritual growth the Lord intended for us. For the born again believer getting stuck in a trap is like becoming a spiritual feral child, with little to no contact with other believers or making the choice to be with God. If we choose God we can get out of the trap, but with no contact with other believers or the Bible how would the feral child know he/ she could turn to God?
If that is not serious enough for you, then get this!
Luke 17:2-4
It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”
Not rebuking (or "calling a fellow Christian out"-- in love and gently) and not forgiving is in and of itself how even the most mature Christian can become the "trap stick" causing another believer to be trapped. Of course there are plenty of ways people can become the trap stick to children & to new believers, but these are the 2 least obvious which is why Jesus pointed them out.
Forgive!!
Forgiveness is way more serious than I have believed for a while. I knew it was really serious and necessary & if you have chosen to open the gift of God's forgiveness, receiving it as your own then you are capable of giving real and pure forgiveness. But get this! Beth gives this next verse in her study and I'm like..."oooooooOOoooooo" serious Aha! moment for me.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11
If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
Un-forgiveness is an outright scheme of the devil!! Which is why he wants us to become the trap stick by not forgiving. Un-forgiveness traps the child and it traps the new believer so the enemy can play games with their minds. Think about it. Can you remember being a child and knowing something was your fault and having asked forgiveness the other person stayed angry and became more and more bitter toward you? Even as an adult when I've asked forgiveness and was truly remorseful and did not receive it, it really messed with my mind. But not in not forgiving we become the trap stick for ourselves too, and there we are trapped in this cage of un-forgiveness and spiritual stagnancy. Ever smell a stagnant pond before? Stagnancy stinks like death! Let Jesus flow through & you'll be able to forgive!
I've come across a couple of different people on FB who made my elementary years hooorrribbbbllllle!!! Get this, my mother transferred me to a different school to get away from all of it. Yeah. So...as an adult I cyber run into them & see they have children and find myself wishing the worst for these kids so their horrible parent would get a taste of what being made a victim of bullying feels like. Yeah. I know. BAD!! and the Lord immediately convicts my heart! and I suddenly realized I was hanging on to something from more than 20 years ago. I had no idea up until that moment!! Seriously! I immediately forgave her and all these other former children who were so mean to me. Then yesterday I come across this "trap stick" thing and felt a serious need to put this importance out there!
Rebuke.
Getting called out is no fun. It is something I've pretty much always hated, mainly because of how painfully insecure I was up until now... which I'm not yet "there" but you can certainly take "painfully" off the description... I'm still working on the insecure part. I give it over to God every time it rears its ugly head... I'm sure He'll wash it all out. Anyway... It is hard stuff to get called out for something I'm not totally paying attention to. And guess what! I HATE confrontation, especially when it's about something serious!! hate hate hate. But look... I so much don't want to be a trap stick that I'm willing to receive and give a "calling out". I'll do everything I can to be loving and gentle, please do the same for me.
As Beth also points out rebukes are for fellow believers. I didn't care a thing about acting like Christ before I was a Christian and you can be certain that I won't expect anyone who isn't to act like Him either. We should however lovingly and gently lead people to the one who saves, hearing is how we all find Jesus who gets us out of the trap we're born in. We are born there because Adam and Eve first sinned which brought death into the world; we all inherit that. Christ died to conquer death therefore giving us the choice of life which is salvation (see Romans).
Realizing some of these things are in our own lives is like eating a mouth full of sand. It's not fun, but it is important. I'm pretty sure no one wants to be a trap stick, setting someone up for entrapment. It's important to recognize it for others and for ourselves lest anyone of us end up trapped for death. It is equally if not more important to realize we are in a trap!! Traps can be constructed of plenty of different things, but I'm certain of this: they are all made up of lies we believe. Ask God to wash the lies out and replace them with truth!! It's something I've been asking for myself recently, God is willing and able! He wants us set free!
giving credit:
mouse trap picture found here
money trap picture found here
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