Jeff, I challenge you to take another look at the two "stumble" passages in the scriptures.
It's pretty evident to me that the way Paul used "stumble" and the way Jesus used "stumble" were quite different... but Christians frequently conflate the two and assume that they were talking about the same thing.
In my own studies, have concluded this...
- Jesus (Matt. 18):
- To "stumble" means to miss out on salvation and end up in hell.
- To "cause to stumble" therefore is a matter of being a catelyst to another person's eternal damnation.
- This is why Jesus' judgment against one who causes another to "stumble" is so severe.
- Paul (Rom. 14. 1 Cor. 8)
- To "stumble" is for a person to participate in a neutral activity, even though that person's own conscience still considers it to be wrong.
- To "cause to stumble" therefore is to participate in a neutral activity (which is not a sin to do, in and of itself) while in the process of doing so, another person is encouraged to violate their own conscience in order to join you in the activity. Salvation is not at stake.
- NOTE: contrary to most Christians' belief, this does NOT mean that someone has an ungodly reaction to something that we do... (i.e. lusting, getting angry, attempting to kill us)... for in that case we would have to assert that Jesus was in sin when he intentionally did things that precipitated the Pharisees' murderous response to Him.
It is, therefore, a mistake to treat both passages as if "stumble" were one and the same idea
Review the scriptures yourself... you'll see what I mean.
We are not taught to avoid activities to which others respond sinfully... so if someone responds with lust/anger/hate/etc., that's on them (it was in their heart already... see Mark 7:14-23). When Jesus' disciples picked and ate grain on a Sabbath, He rebuked those with a sinful response... not those who dared do something that others believed was sinful. When Jesus healed on a Sabbath, it was his critics who were wrong, not the Healer.
David