What does it mean that offenses must come (Matthew 18:7)?

Jesus Christ taught that Christians cannot avoid encountering stumbling blocks in a fallen world. Yet He also declared judgment on those who cause such offenses. Jesus said, “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” (Matthew 18:7, NKJV). In saying, “Offenses must come,” Jesus acknowledged that God allows temptations and stumbling blocks to appear in the lives of His followers. However, in His sovereignty, God uses such offenses to expose sin and distinguish genuine faith from false devotion.

Jesus’ warning in Matthew 18:7 continues His teaching from the previous verse, where He foretold judgment on anyone who leads His followers into sin. In a disturbing description, Jesus said, “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” than to cause one of His “little ones” to stumble (Matthew 18:6, ESV). With this image, Jesus made clear that causing others to sin is a serious matter. Though stumbling blocks are inevitable in a fallen world, God will hold accountable those who place temptations in the path of His children.

The word must in Matthew 18:7 indicates the inevitability of offenses. There is no shortage of unbelievers who delight in causing other people to share their sin (see Proverbs 7:1–27). It’s why the book of Proverbs is full of warnings to resist the call to sin: “My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them” (Proverbs 1:10). Whom we choose to associate with is an important decision. “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33), and “a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20b).

Throughout the Bible, God has allowed temptations to reveal what is genuine and what is false. For example, He allowed the serpent to test Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:1–6). He allowed Joseph to be tempted by Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39). And He allowed the devil to tempt Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11). A Christian’s weathering of temptation is like fire refining gold. As Peter wrote, “These [trials] have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:7). When fire refines gold, the heat brings impurities to the surface, leaving only what is pure. In the same way, when offenses come, they can expose what is true and what is counterfeit, revealing genuine faith.

After warning that leading others into sin is a serious offense (Matthew 18:6–7), Jesus gave a graphic illustration of the eternal consequences of sin: “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire” (Matthew 18:8, NKJV). With this warning, Jesus called His followers to resist anything that leads them into sin; no sin is worth eternal judgment.

In conclusion, Jesus’ warning in Matthew 18:7 reminds believers that, according to God’s sovereign plan, temptations are inevitable in a fallen world. The good news is that God enables His people to resist and reject such stumbling blocks. “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). And He will hold accountable those who cause the temptation, ensuring that, in the end, truth triumphs over all lies.