⁶ but ^(A)whoever causes one of these ^(B)little ones who believe in me to sin,^[a] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Temptations to Sin

^42 (A)“Whoever causes one of ^(B)these little ones who believe in me to sin,^{[a] (C)}it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

Temptations to Sin

17 And he said to his disciples, ^(A)“Temptations to sin^[a] are ^(B)sure to come, but ^(C)woe to the one through whom they come! ^2 (D)It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.^[b]

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise ^(A)one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven ^(B)their angels always ^(C)see the face of my Father who is in heaven.^[a]

¹⁴ So ^(A)it is not the will of my^[a] Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

⁶ since indeed God considers it ^(A)just ^(B)to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to grant ^(C)relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when ^(D)the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven ^(E)with his mighty angels ^8 (F)in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those ^(G)who do not know God and on those who ^(H)do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will suffer the punishment of ^(I)eternal destruction, ^(J)away from^[a] the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

The Example of Christ

15 ^(A)We who are strong ^(B)have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ^2 (C)Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. ³ For ^(D)Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ^(E)“The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Do Not Cause Another to Stumble

^13 (A)Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide ^(B)never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. ¹⁴ I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus ^(C)that nothing is unclean in itself, ^(D)but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, ^(E)you are no longer walking in love. ^(F)By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.