Is Jesus Tolerant?

Exploring Why Christians Shouldn’t Stand Down in the Face of Evil

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Last week we touched on the question, Is Jesus tolerant? As believers, we are constantly bombarded by the leftist mantras about Christianity, telling us that if we are authentic followers of Christ, we should learn to have more 'acceptance' and 'tolerance" for any and every alternative lifestyle. If you missed that post, you can view it here.

In this kinder, gentler, 21^st-century American version of the gospel, we want to believe that Jesus loves us all equally—regardless of our choices. We repeatedly listen to songs on Christian radio talking about God’s incredible love and acceptance.

We are told, in a word, that Jesus is tolerant. There’s no mention of sin, judgment, repentance, or God’s wrath. But is this true?

Part of our dilemma as believers is that the rules have changed once again. This new tolerance is not the same concept of “live and let live” that our parents grew up understanding.

In 1998, Pastor Josh McDowell published the book, The New Tolerance: How a Cultural Movement Threatens to Destroy You, Your Faith, and Your Children.

This New Tolerance, according to McDowell, claims that there is no absolute standard of right and wrong. Since we, as Christians, profess Jesus and believe that He is the only truth, we are the very definition of “intolerant.”

McDowell’s prediction from 25 years ago rings strikingly true. In the name of civility, rational people are persuaded to reject Christianity as hateful, bigoted, homophobic, etc.

It’s not enough, however, to disparage the Biblical Worldview. Satan, the original gaslighter, wants to convince this generation that the rules no longer apply. You are not a genuine Christian if you still believe what the Bible says. It’s the oldest trick in the book, “Did God really say…”

Say What?

If we are truly to accept at face value that Jesus is tolerant using this new standard, we must reject certain truths contained in Scripture, including the words of Jesus himself.

Consider the following:

1 Corinthians 6:9 says, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality…” (ESV).

Hebrews 13:4 says, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (NIV).

Luke 3:7-8 says,  “When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?  Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God” (NLT).

Romans 1:18 says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (ESV).

Proverbs 6:16-19 says, “There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent (abortion), a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family” (NLT).

And finally, in Matthew 10:34, Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (NIV).

If Jesus were the passive, peace-loving gentleman we would like to believe him to be, he had an odd way of showing it.

Having said that, it’s true—God loves you, died for your sins, and has a plan and purpose for your life. But you and I need to repent by changing our behavior when it contradicts the Word of God so that we will experience the blessings of obedience as He intended.

But there are always consequences for sin. Always. Because of His great love for us, however, He offers us grace when we acknowledge the error of our ways and ask for forgiveness.

What happens when Christians tolerate evil?

Tragically, some Christian leaders (not all, of course) are telling us to stand down on the issues of abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgenderism. Just love everyone. Don't judge. Don't talk about sin or teach what the Bible says about the consequences of harming children or sexual immorality. If we're accepting enough and not judgmental, they'll eventually come to our way of thinking.

But they haven't. And—as always happens when evil is left unchecked—the crisis escalates.

Recently, we have discovered that in New York City and other places, sexual predators are being INVITED into public elementary schools for Drag Queen Story Hour. Teachers are talking to our first graders about choosing their own gender.

Disney and other corporations are over-sexualizing our preschoolers through non-binary cartoon characters. We would be fired for saying these things in the office, but now third-grade teachers can talk to kids about sex. Should we stand down on these issues, too?

North is Still North

The bottom line is that we cannot stand down now. There’s too much at stake.

We may lose some friends or offend some, and our family members may never talk to us again. So, yes, we need to be kind. Yes, compassion should always be our first response. Yes, we need to love those who disagree with us. But don't we have an obligation to tell them the truth?

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas once said, "You can be in the middle of a hurricane, or you can be on a calm day; North is still North."

Paul assured us in 2 Timothy 4:3 that a time would come when people would reject sound teaching. Instead, they will look for teachers to tell them whatever they want to hear because it doesn't offend them. My spiritual GPS tells me that, tragically, we've arrived.

The Wrap-Up

The very idea of tolerance is deceptive because it was never about accepting others without judgment; it was always about persecuting those who hold to a traditional worldview.

We tend to forget that Jesus wasn’t open-minded, easygoing, and accepting; His speech was so controversial and his actions so threatening that the religious establishment hunted him down and killed him like an animal. (Who are the tolerant ones here?)

In a similar fashion, many of his followers were captured and executed as political prisoners. His own cousin, John the Baptist, was violently beheaded because he called out Herod, the leader of the not-so-free world, for exploiting women.

No, we don’t need to be more tolerant of evil. We should be more concerned with offending God and escaping His wrath than we should be about what our peers think.

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COMING SOON!

I’m excited to announce the release of my latest book, “The Truth about Love: How to Graciously Push Back against a Godless Culture,” coming out mid-May.

In this book, we will discuss how to challenge common narratives such as Love is Love, Christians Should be more Tolerant, Marriage Equality, Words are Violence, and much more.

Watch for additional information next week.