Peace to you all!
I sometimes find that I empathise with Paul. With how frightened/concerned he might have been when he started out (and perhaps always), that he would do or say something wrong. That he would stumble someone. I wonder about this because of how he changed his teaching from the two letters to the Corinthians that we have from him. In the first he says to shun the immoral brother. In the second he says to forgiven and embrace him. He even offers a reason why he made the command to begin with... to test them; to see if they would obey. Not because it was from God or Christ, but to see if they would obey in all things.
So sometimes I wonder if that was the reason, or had he just realized he had made a mistake, but did not know how to own up to that without causing some to turn away.
But turn away from whom? God? Christ? Or Paul.
I think we know that people followed Paul. Was the faith of some in Christ (and therefore God) based upon them having faith in Paul. Many people need to see, to touch, to hear with their physical senses... the object of their faith, as the many religions, sacred objects, leaders, etc, can attest to. I think Paul realized that at some point later on, knew it was wrong and so tried to warn them off... such as when he gave his speech about not following Paul, or Applollos, or any of the others he named. He might not have known what to do about that in the beginning; hence the sort of flip-flop on shunning, and the reason given for the change... rather than just a 'you know what; I was wrong. I'm sorry. Listen to Christ, not to Paul'. Maybe he was afraid that some would turn away altogether, if they sensed that they could not also trust all that Paul said. I think religious leaders get trapped into that as well.
(I could be reading too much into things, regarding Paul. These are just the things I get a sense of concerning him)
But I think the thing to remember is this: We are each responsible for who we place our faith IN. We who witness to Christ bear great responsibility... to point to CHRIST as the teacher and leader and savior. Owning up to being wrong is big among that, as is not attributing our mistakes in something we might have thought was right to something like 'new light', as in the case with the WTS. But we, as individuals, are also responsible for who we put our faith in. Other people, religions, doctrines, traditions, etc... these are sand. Swipe that religion, leader, teaching out from under you... and faith can go with if the faith was just in them (knowingly or not).
Christ is the Rock. If our faith is in Him, and our faith and knowledge of His Father built upon Him... then the actions of no one else or of a religion can stumble us or take our faith. Because it is not Christ who lied to you or hurt you or failed you or judged you or did not love you. If our faith fails due to the failings of another person or religion, then we might consider that our faith was only ever in that other person or religion to begin with.
So for those who might turn away from Christ because of something another person did to you (and claimed to do so in the name of Christ or God), please consider that they might simply be... the sand.
Peace to you,
tammy
