So many Christians, so much tolerance…
"There's a banner waving saying tolerance will set you free, it's the latest thing
While the consequences it leaves behind are like a ball and chain"
These are the lyrics to a song by Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman. If you are a “Christian”, at some point, a “believer” will tell you that “you need to be more tolerant, like Jesus was”. Problem is, there is nothing in scripture that says or even suggests that Jesus or any other Christian for that matter was tolerant of anything. In fact large parts of the recounting of Jesus and His apostle’s encounters with people of the day, seem to say the opposite. This suggestion of tolerance will be given with the understanding that “we also need to be more loving like Jesus was”. Before we get too far, let’s look at the definition of tolerance or tolerate:
Tolerate tol·er·ateb allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of (something that one does not necessarily like or agree with) without interference.
"a regime unwilling to tolerate dissent"
synonyms:
allow, permit, condone, accept, swallow, countenance; More
accept or endure (someone or something unpleasant or disliked) with forbearance.
"how was it that she could tolerate such noise?"
synonyms:
endure, put up with, bear, take, stand, support, stomach, deal with;
abide
"he couldn't tolerate her mood swings any longer"
be capable of continued subjection to (a drug, toxin, or environmental condition) without adverse reaction.
"lichens grow in conditions that no other plants tolerate"
From Dictionary.com
So, nowhere in the definition does it mention that tolerance and love are mutually inclusive or exclusive. In fact it doesn’t mention the word love at all. Obviously as we know from the account of Jesus’s life and who He was, He loved everyone, unconditionally. However, that in no way infers that sinful behavior is to be tolerated. If sin was just going to be tolerated, why would we need a Savior? Let’s look at what Jesus said to and about people and our sin:
Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; you shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade.’” (John 2:13-16)
“Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you.” (Matthew 7:6)
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes will be those of his own household.” (Matthew 10:34-36)
Have you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one? So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.’” (Matthew 19:4-6)
“I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! …. Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division…” (Luke 12:49-51)
“Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” (Matthew 23:31-33)
“For you will always have the poor with you…”
(Matthew 26:10)
“…go and do not sin again.”(John 8:10)
7 At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. 8 Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? 9 Don’t you understand even yet?(Matthew 16:7-9)
And that’s just really for starters, He also rebuked His parents when they scolded Him for staying behind, when He was 12 years old to teach in the temple. He also admonished the Samaritan woman at the well for continuing to lead a sinful lifestyle. But being intolerant of our sins doesn’t mean He didn’t love us. My kids do all kinds of stuff I will not tolerate, but I still love them, I did all kinds of stuff my parents could not tolerate, they told me to stop acting like an idiot, behave and grow up. They never told me they no longer loved me! But that’s the story from most “believers” today. The reason, the purpose of what Jesus really lived and died for, has been rewritten to ease the conscience of a world that no longer takes its relationship with its Creator as literal.
Revelation 17 tells of the Harlot or Harlot church. Some speculate that it is the perversion or twisting of a certain denomination of sect of traditional Christian faith, the turning of an established church if you will. I don’t think it is limited to the falling away of a particular denomination. I think it is the magnification and multiplication of what is happening to believers throughout the world, the steady mission creep, from the belief that the repenting of sin is what God wants, to God just loves everybody and He sent Jesus to let us know that love is all that matters. This is what Paul said about how people will act;
Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these! (2Timothy3:5)
And James said this;
You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
(James 4:4)
It’s important to say what we know and know what we say. It’s important to know what the Bible says. It’s important to know the “nature” of God and how He works:
"Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. (Matthew 7:21)
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15)
Be aware of the person who “scolds” you for not being tolerant and loving like Jesus. And like Jesus it will very likely be someone you know well, someone who you respect and believe to be a strong Christian. Someone whose opinion you trust and whose walk you might admire. But understand, that’s how the evil one works. Why would you emulate or consider the opinion or admonishment of someone for whom you have no respect? Make no mistake, the blind are leading the blind even now. They are using the guise of compassion and tolerance as a compass to pull off course those who have not studied the road map of the Holy Bible. The portrait of the returning Jesus in the final book of the Bible seems a little less than tolerant;
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. (Revelation 19:15)
The next time someone questions your walk with Jesus or tries to use your faith against you, and there will be a next time, if you are telling people who you are and what you believe. Find a Christian and not just a “believer” and ask them this: “can you show me in the Bible where it says that as followers of Jesus, we must be tolerant”? If the answer is “no where” sit down and talk with them for a while! If the answer is something else, walk away!
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