We live in a day and time where everyone is offended. Not sharing the same beliefs as someone else is offensive. Having a different appearance than someone else, also offensive. When one family’s ways of doing things differ from another family’s… The list could go on, and on, but you get the picture. People are easily offended.
Curious as to what the Bible has to say about being offended, I got out my Strong’s Concordance and did some digging. Here is what I found:
Offended: to transgress against, to go against, to quarrel with.
It turns out there is only ONE use of the word “offended” that means the same as our common, modern use of this word. This verse is found in Proverbs 18:19
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.”
Proverbs 18:19
What a powerful verse! Offending someone with our behavior or words, makes it so much harder to win them for Christ. ALWAYS remember to handle yourself with grace, and love. Look at every encounter with others as an opportunity to offend or to win. You win more flies with honey than vinegar. (Isn’t that the old saying?)
Offend: to trip up, cause to stumble, to lead astray; to sin.
Every other time in scripture you see the word offence, or offend, it carries a connotation of sinfulness. Knowing this fact has brought new light to some common passages of scripture for me. Here are some examples:
But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Matthew 16:23
Jesus was giving us a great example to follow in this verse. Satan has the power to make any of us trip up and sin. He doesn’t savour the things of God, but he savours worldly things. The best thing to do is to get away from the wiles of the devil as quickly as possible to avoid tripping up, or being led astray!
But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Matthew 13:20-21
This passage refers to one who gets saved, but because of a lack of spiritual growth, this person eventually stumbles and is led astray into sinful living because of tribulation or persecution. What a sad possibility! I can’t say it enough – dig into your Bible! Feed your soul a steady diet of God’s word. Grow, Christian, grow!
I encourage you to do your own study on the word “offend” or “offence” in the Bible. Come back and let me know what passages you find that have new meaning to you, now that you know the root meaning of the word!
