of bitterness. Therefore we must be prepared and armed for offenses, because our response determines our future. The Greek word for “offend” in Luke 17:1 comes from the word skandalon. This word originally referred to the part of the trap to which the bait was attached. Hence the word signifies laying a trap in someone’s way.1 In the New Testament it often describes an entrapment used by the enemy. Offense is a tool of the devil to bring people into captivity. Paul instructed young
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