Deuteronomy 22:8
“When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you will not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falls from it.”
God wants us to be responsible. The above verse speaks of safety. The word parapet means railing. If we are to have deck on the roof of our house, we are to have a railing. We aren’t to be careless. Thoughts of, “He’s a grown up. He can be take care of himself.” Aren’t enough if it’s our property that has the risk.
God wants us to be concerned about others. Nothing we do should have a potential for harm. Paul addresses this in I Corinthians 8:9-12 “Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. By sinning against your brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.” Our behavior could put others at risk. We are to limit it, if it could be harmful.
This is part of what it means to “love one another”. Instead of doing “unto others”, we aren’t to do that which could be harmful. In Paul’s example, it would be loving to avoid a favorite restaurant out of love. It may mean restricting our fun.
In the Corinthian passage, Paul describes this harmful negligence as sinning “against Christ”. Jesus identifies with His children and takes these things personally. In Matthew 25:40 He says ‘‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’ That’s speaking in the positive. Paul is addressing offenses against believers or against the weak.
We should examine our behavior. Do we have attitudes or practices that could be harmful?
Lord, thank You for how much You care for us and others. Help us to behave in a responsible manner.