Biblical Types, Symbols & Patterns
Stumbling-Block
Claim-level biblical evidence review with contextual controls, canonical relationships, and preserved interpretive history.
How to read this entry
Evidence grades apply to individual claims, not to the headword as a whole. Strong biblical identification is kept separate from plausible or traditional interpretations, and unsupported proposals remain visible as negative evidence rather than being silently removed.
The New Testament explicitly applies the stone-of-stumbling imagery to Christ in relation to unbelief.
The New Testament explicitly applies the stone-of-stumbling imagery to Christ in relation to unbelief.
Context control: The Christological stumbling-stone use is explicit in this NT application; ordinary stumbling blocks are not thereby Christological.
The New Testament explicitly applies the stone-of-stumbling imagery to Christ in relation to unbelief.
Grade 1: Explicit biblical interpretationScope: The Christological stumbling-stone use is explicit in this NT application; ordinary stumbling blocks are not thereby Christological.
Residual uncertainty: Full legacy wording remains subject to TSP-S3 unless the S2 statement exactly exhausts it.
Scripture
Evidence sources
- Canonical Scripture: S2 high-certainty anchor loci, MT/LXX/NA28 with NET/ESV comparison — Text loci verified for TSP-S2 high-certainty anchor corpus, 2026-09-20
Stumbling-block language for a moral or spiritual obstacle
Matthew 18:7, Romans 14:13, and 1 Corinthians 8:9, 13 use stumbling-block or stumbling language for an obstacle or influence that can occasion another person’s moral or spiritual fall; this strongly supports the legacy obstacle/tripping sense, while “snare” remains a related but distinct entrapment metaphor.
Context control: The metaphor concerns occasions of moral or spiritual stumbling in context; it does not make every obstacle a theological stumbling-block or collapse stumbling imagery into the distinct snare/entrapment motif.
Matthew 18:7, Romans 14:13, and 1 Corinthians 8:9, 13 use stumbling-block or stumbling language for an obstacle or influence that can occasion another person’s moral or spiritual fall; this strongly supports the legacy obstacle/tripping sense, while “snare” remains a related but distinct entrapment metaphor.
Grade 4: Recurrent canonical motif or strong thematic patternScope: The metaphor concerns occasions of moral or spiritual stumbling in context; it does not make every obstacle a theological stumbling-block or collapse stumbling imagery into the distinct snare/entrapment motif.
Residual uncertainty: No material residual uncertainty beyond the stated scope limitation.
Evidence sources
- Canonical Scripture: MT/LXX/NA28 with NET/ESV comparison — Text loci verified for TSP-S0F Batch 1
Canonical relationships
- Stumbling-Block: Confirmed in the source-supported contextual sense: The New Testament explicitly applies the stone-of-stumbling imagery to Christ in relation to unbelief.
Study-aid notice
This page is part of an AI-assisted conservative evangelical Bible-study project. It has passed structured research, review, and QA gates, but it is not inspired or infallible and does not replace Scripture, prayer, pastors, teachers, or local church discernment.
Claims should be tested against Scripture in context. Corrections and Review Policy.