The Responsibility of Giving Advice
Introduction: (Please read this excerpt from Matthew 18, for a large part of this article is based on it)
1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matthew 18:1-7 NIV |
As followers of Christ and faithful servants of the Lord we are told “to become like little children.” That doesn’t mean we are supposed to act as a young child would (immaturely and irresponsibly, according to the world), but instead, just like the young child, we too are supposed to have steadfast faith in the Lord. The message also tells us that we are to depend on our Father as the young child depends on his/her parents. I have been blessed by God to see two young children grow up in a Christian environment and have seen their faith in the Lord develop and strengthen over time. Even when something negative happens they do not fall away from God’s teachings, nor do they blame Him who has given us hope for that bad occurrence. This is just a portion of the “type” of faith we must have in the Lord. And so that others may see the Lord by way of example, we must strive to live this faith—letting God shine through us. However, as is stated in Matthew 18:6, “...if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” So if we become like “little children” faith-wise, then we have indeed become “the greatest in the kingdom in heaven.” And if anyone were to cause us to sin, “it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” For that reason and others, it cannot be emphasized enough the extreme importance of not causing other "children of God" to sin.
Having said that, below is the second portion of this article regarding the Responsibility of Giving Advice:
Giving advice is one of the things that human beings do most casually, but it is also something that we as followers of Christ must be careful with. The reason for this is simple: if we advise an individual to do something which is not in accordance with biblical principles and the Lord’s teachings, we have influenced that particular individual to stray away from the faith. And if it happens that the person then commits a sin due to the advice, we have caused them to sin. We will then be held accountable for their sin, as will the listener for not seeing the falsity of our advice and thus acting blindly upon it. So before we give a fellow believer or even a non-believer advice, we must be sure that the advice we are giving is in accordance with Christ’s teachings, lest we be held accountable for any potential sin(s).
Another aspect of advising is giving advice which we can not follow or would shy away from if we were in the same position. Simply put, if we feel that we can not follow the same advice we are giving, then there is obviously something wrong! As is hinted at in Matthew 23 when Christ Jesus is confronting the Pharisees, it is mandatory that we practice what we preach. If we can not practice the advice we give to others, then how do we even know that the advice we are giving has the potential of being helpful? At the same time, if the listener(s) trust us enough to take our advice, then it can be assumed that they can just as easily be influenced by us. If then, they are influenced by us, is it not a possibility that the hypocrisy which disables us from “practicing what we preach” will spread into them?
In closing, it is necessary that we all begin practicing what we preach, and to be careful that we do not simply “throw advice around.” As is explained in James 3, we must learn to “control our tongues” or else they may act like “small fire[s] set on in a great forest by small spark[s].” To be held accountable for another believer’s sin(s) is truly a massive weight. It is something we must avoid by praying to the Lord for wisdom whenever we dare to speak, or interpret, His Holy words in order to help ourselves and/or others.