Skandalon

Robert Wurtz II

“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:9–11 KJV)

John brings us to a central theme of the New Testament with renewed focus and insight. Paul summarizes this doctrine in Romans 13:10: “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:10 KJV) The objective of the Law was to teach fallen humankind how to treat one another lovingly and godly in relationships. Walking in love brings many good things to pass even unawares.

Walk in Love

When a person walks in love, they achieve the primary objective of the Law; they fulfill the law. One may use 1 John 2:9–11 as a commentary on Romans 13:10, where Paul stated, “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour.” Both Paul and John agree that when a person loves their brother or sister, no “cause of stumbling” exists in them. That is to say, nothing in them will cause another person to fall into sin or stumble in the faith. An awareness of how our actions impact others is paramount.

Our Greek word for “cause of stumbling” is skandalon, the word from which we derive the English word scandal. It refers to a trap or a stumbling block. A person who walks in love does not create a spiritual trip hazard for others. This is because a person who loves their brother or sister values them above all else, except God. Someone can pretend to love, but if their actions cause a person to stumble, genuine love is absent; it is hatred in disguise.

The Value of a Soul

Many people claim to love souls, yet their words and actions contradict their claim. If they truly loved people, they would not risk causing them to stumble for the sake of carnal and temporal pursuits. The material possessions of this life are temporal and will eventually be burned up, so they mustn’t be the cause of stumbling eternal souls. Such recklessness stems from ignorance, satanic influence, or both. Why would Jesus die on a cross to save a person, only for a professing believer or leader to act carelessly or foolishly and cause that person to stumble?

God describes people as vessels meet for the Master’s use (2 Timothy 2:21 KJV). Common sense dictates that we handle them with care, as though handling a priceless antique vase. Moreover, a person who walks in love remains conscientious and careful never, under any circumstances, to cause an unnecessary offense—whether intentionally or recklessly—that would turn others away from God or harm their faith.

Diabolical Recklessness

Some professors of the Christian faith do not live by this rule of love and care. They either lack understanding of how their actions affect others, or they serve as agents of Satan who pretend to be children of God while destroying people. John writes, “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:11 KJV)

An evil eye leads to inward darkness, as Jesus taught (Matthew 6:23 KJV). Such a person manifests greed and stinginess, which are forms of hatred. If a person walks in greed and hate, they walk in blindness, crashing into others and tripping them up in their faith. They remain blind to the destruction they cause. To reiterate: “But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:11 KJV)

This passage offers a sobering truth. First, it teaches us that some professors of Christ actually hate their brother or sister. They may not admit it, but their actions testify to their hatred. What constitutes such an action? Behaving in a way that offends someone and causes them to fall from the faith. They stand prepared to destroy people for whom Christ died over reasons that, in the light of eternity are utterly trivial.

Ignorant of Your Own Spirit

Before their spiritual rebirth, the disciples harbored an attitude that if people did not respond to Jesus as expected, they should call fire down from heaven and destroy them (Luke 9:54 KJV). Jesus told them that they did not know what manner of spirit they were of (Luke 9:55 KJV). We see then that ungodly spirits can inspire people to behave maliciously without their realizing it.

The Holy Spirit was not inspiring that behavior. Nevertheless, when they received the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, God shed abroad His love in their hearts (Romans 5:5 KJV), transforming their spirits and perspectives. They came to love the very people they once hated. Their priorities were set in the proper order; people first and material goods last.

Compounded Darkness

The second truth in our passage reveals that when a professor of the Christian faith harbors a hateful attitude toward a brother—driven by underlying greed and stinginess—more darkness fills them. It resembles wearing two pairs of dark sunglasses simultaneously. Compounding hatred completely blinds them. Such a condition endangers not only others, but also the blind individual themselves.

Worse still, such individuals remain unaware of their blindness and genuinely believe they possess clear vision. They have an us against them outlook, which militates against the life of a loving family. Yet with a proverbial beam in their eye, they assume they see with greater clarity, discernment, and wisdom than others, but it’s a false reality. Hate and greed distort a person’s perception so profoundly that John characterizes them as blind.

Double Blind

John and Paul do not stand alone in addressing this issue. Peter echoes the same truth when he writes: “And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” (2 Peter 1:6–9 KJV)

A person who lacks temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love suffers from spiritual blindness. Peter identifies the root cause: such a person has forgotten that God purged them from their old sins. This danger continuously looms. When a professor of the Christian faith forgets that God forgave their own sins, they develop a self-righteous, ungodly, and unloving attitude toward others that blinds their vision.

As Paul instructed: “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32 KJV) Some professors of the Christian faith excuse their hateful behavior by asserting that the person they hate is no Christian at all, but an enemy of the faith. Once they convince themselves of this lie, they justify ungodly and unloving behaviors. Paul dismantles this stronghold in Romans 14:4 when he asks: “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4 KJV)

Fake Excuses for Non-Love

Excluding brothers and sisters in the faith simply because we deem their faith insufficiently genuine—thereby rendering them worthy of hatred, mistreatment, or stumbling—is complete folly and a trap.

“What a blessing it is that the Lord’s heart is so large, that He can help whenever He sees some good; whereas man withdraws because he sees some evil thing, which is generally found to mean something that wounds his own self-love in the little scheme he had set up as perfection.” — Anthony Norris Groves

Groves held his hand on God’s pulse when he wrote those words. How starkly his perspective contrasts with the attitude of a person who hates and stumbles their brother! Yet we must add one more set of words to our consideration—words that carry perhaps the most sobering warning of all.

Danger

“Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves…” (Luke 17:1–3 KJV)

This passage warns against more than simply tempting someone to sin; it warns against causing others to become less faithful disciples or to stop following Jesus altogether. We may wonder, how or why could this type of thing happen? Selective love is a primary cause.

John Stott in his book, The message of the sermon on the mount, argues that the defining characteristic of a true Christian mind is that it does not operate on a natural, selective basis. Stott notes that loving one’s friends and hating one’s enemies is merely human nature and common pagan practice. When a professing believer restricts their practice of mercy and love strictly to those in their close orbit, they are relying on “natural affinity” rather than the Holy Spirit. Stott points out that self-deception occurs when a person misinterprets their natural affection for family/friends as supernatural Christian virtue. He points out that the true test of supernatural, Spirit-led love is whether it extends to those who oppose, mistreat, or actively dislike us.

Dangerous Sin

Jesus recognizes that offenses will inevitably occur, yet He pronounces woe upon the person through whom they come. In what sense does terror await the disciple who causes another to stumble? In verse 2, Jesus states that a person would fare better if someone tied a millstone around their neck and cast them into the sea than if they caused one of these little ones to stumble. Elsewhere, Jesus teaches that a person should sooner lose an eye or a limb to gain heaven than enter hell whole (Mark 9:43, 47 KJV). Though Jesus employs strong imagery, He clearly warns of severe judgment upon anyone who destroys the faith of a believer. He closes with a solemn directive: take heed to yourselves.