Faith Baptist Church
4258 Botetourt Road
Fincastle, Virginia 24090
(540) 473-2325
Psalm 50:21-23 and Isaiah 55:8
What a shock it must be to most of us to note scripture which puts us in our places. After all we are nice people and we do nice things. We try, don’t we? Aren’t we supposed to try to get along with folks as Paul says in Rom.12:18, to try to live at peace with men as much as lieth in us? Doesn’t God want us to get along with our fellowman?
So how does God expect us to respond to others who see things differently than the Bible portrays? How much unbelief in God’s word are we supposed to tolerate? How much are we supposed to tolerate in others? What about the adage; live and let live?
I have mentioned these questions because these are some of the questions people bring up if a Christian speaks against those things which oppose the word of God.
In our society today tolerance is the new morality. It is the motto of the liberal politician and our social engineers; those who attempt to mold society through the arts and the media and places of education such as our public schools and universities and colleges.
Toleration becomes the trumpet call when a hideous act is perpetrated upon a poor soul in the neighborhood. Toleration becomes the trumpet call when someone brings a non-Christian belief system into the public eye or the local church. Toleration becomes the trumpet call when someone with a perverted lifestyle wants to lead our children or our nation and even our places of worship. Toleration today means we should look as much as possible the other way and give room to others to do their thing. The problem is that the more we look the other way the worse those things become. When we finally turn around and face a society that has been created through blind toleration we no longer have standards of right and wrong. This is the ideal society to many people.
Such folks as this, and there are many, believe God could not send a soul to an eternal place of torment such as Hell as described in the Bible; that if God cannot tolerate our sin then too bad, he will just have to get over it, or we will simply stop calling our sin, sin and start calling our sin a disease. Atheism and agnosticism thrive in a society that promotes moral toleration.
However, if we look in the Scriptures we do not see a mindset of toleration in the person of God. As the Lord said in one of David’s psalms, “Thou thoughtest that I was altogether as thyself, but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.” Ps.50:21-22. Nahum 1:3 “... the Lord will not acquit the wicked.” As one author puts it, “If the cross tells us anything, it reminds us that God has zero toleration for sin.”
Those who believe tolerance is the moral high ground would obviously take issue with the aforementioned passages. They would also take issue with the words of Christ found in John’s gospel.
Jesus Christ said things concerning himself that people, including professing Christians, do not like, or at least do not understand. What I would like for us to see in these statements Jesus Christ made is that they are the words of God. We see the character of God in the words and personality of Jesus Christ; after all he is the physical manifestation of the invisible God, I Tim.3:16.
Many say his views were too narrow and intolerant. In essence there have always been those who are convinced they are more righteous than God.
Jesus Christ’s statements of intolerance. What think ye of me he asked his disciples?
Jn.2:16.. make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.
3:3 .. except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
3:7 .. marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
3:15.. whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life
3:18.. he that believeth on him is not condemned
3:18.. he that believeth not is condemned
4:14.. whosoever drinketh of the water that I give to him shall never thirst again
4:26.. I that speak to thee am he, [ Messiah] see v.25
5:14.. sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
5:21.. for as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son
quickeneth whom he will.
5:22.. the Father commiteth all judgment unto the Son.
5:23.. all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.
6:35.. I am the bread of life
7:16.. My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
8:12.. I am the light of the world.
8:23.. Ye are from beneath; I am from above:
8:24.. Ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, [ God] ye shall die in
your sins.
8:29.. for I do always those things that please him.
8:31.. If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
8:36.. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
8:44.. ye are of your father, the devil and the lusts of your father ye will do.
8:58.. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
9:5.. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
9:37-38.. Thou hast both seen him and it is he that talketh with thee. And he
said, Lord I believe. AND HE WORSHIPPED HIM.”
10:9.. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and
out and find pasture.
10:11.. I am the good shepherd:
10:15.. I lay down my life for the sheep.
10:18.. I have power to lay it [ my life] down, and I have power to take it up again.
10:28.. I give unto them [ my sheep] eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of my hand.
10:30.. I and my Father are one.
10:38.. ..believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
11:25.. I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead
yet shall he live:
11:26.. Whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die, Believeth thou this?
12:45.. He that seeth me seeth him that sent me.
13:8.. If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
13:13.. Ye call me Master and Lord; and ye say well; for so I am.
15:5... for without me you can do nothing.
15:14... Ye are my friends if you do what I command you.
If God was intolerant with his own beloved Son as he was dying in agony on the cross and suffering for our sins; as Jesus cried out, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” why should we think God will tolerate our sins.
We need to rethink God’s take on sin and our attitude toward sin today. We need to take a good look at those who make light of sin and see what their standing with God is according to the word of God not according to popular opinion. And then we need to make up our minds as to whose opinion we are going to follow, God’s or his opponents.
Choose you this day whom you will serve.
God tells his children to come out from among those who are unclean. And why? Because we will become unclean too if we do not, II Cor.6:14-18.
The last thing a Christian can afford to do is bank on getting away with their sin and disobedience. Because God loves us he will correct us quicker than we can say Jack Sprat. This is the God many believers have failed to acknowledge because they don’t know God Scripturally. Christians are being influenced by their social peers; politicians and the media and their culture to be more understanding and tolerant. Christians are being brainwashed into thinking that if they are more tolerant of the beliefs of others that eventually harmony will finally come to us all; that sure utopia awaits those who seek international harmony. If church pastors do not teach God’s word and explain the God of the Bible to their people, then the national pastors, what the Bible calls in Jer.23:1 national shepherds or politicians; then they will lead us to tolerate international beliefs. This is a lie straight from the Devil. In the world there may be collaboration, but there is no peaceful harmony among men without compliance to God’s truth. All Satan is doing is creating a pseudo harmony of defectors of God’s absolute truth. These defectors deny the inspiration of Scripture and then use their God given talents of communication to undermine God’s authoritative word. Many of these teach in seminaries and supply pulpits across this nation; the Bible calls them Satan’s ministers of light, II Cor.11:13-15.
They spread good cheer among men. They compromise with those of different faiths and religions. They have the notion that toleration among men pleases God. Unfortunately the god they seek to please is not the God of the Bible. Some have the foolish notion that if they tolerate and appease those of different faiths that they will be liked, and perhaps they will be so well thought of that they may gain their counterparts conversion to their faith.
This is deviant thinking at best.
If you are a Christian stick to acting like a Christian. Stand firm in Christ’s doctrine and never apologize for it. If you think pleasing men puts you in good standing with men, then go ahead and strive to please men. However, when you die you will not give an accounting of your life to men; it will be given to Jesus Christ, Jn.5:22. What will you tell him when he questions you concerning your loyalties?
If Jesus Christ held such weak convictions as this he would have tried to get along with the Pharisees and Sadducees and he would have forsaken the cross at all costs. Look, toleration is good to a point, but in certain fields of thought it can become a devastating evil. When it comes to choosing between what people think and what God’s word says, we must stick to the word of God and let the chips fall where they may.