FREEDOM FILES
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV).
ISSUE #7
August 6, 2014
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Tolerating the Intolerant
Let’s start with a couple of definitions.
TOLERANCE: sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own; the act of allowing something (www.merriam-webster.com/)
· Synonyms: forbearance, long-suffering, sufferance, patience (ibid)
INTOLERANCE: the quality or state of being intolerant (ibid)
· Synonyms: dogmatism, illiberalism, illiberality, illiberalness, bigotry, narrow-mindedness, partisanship, sectarianism, small-mindedness (ibid)
Tolerance seems to be a buzz word in today’s society. It is “politically correct” to be tolerant of people who are different from us, who believe differently than us and who live differently than we do. So, my question for today is, “How does tolerance and intolerance fit into my freedom in Christ (Galatians 5:1) and my desire for the unity with my spiritual brothers and sisters that Jesus prayed for in John 17?”
THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS:
One of the manifestations of intolerance comes in the form of elitism. When we think that we are the chosen ones and everyone else is not, when we see ourselves as the only ones who have it right, when we see others as poor imitations of ourselves, then we are afflicted with elitism. Even the disciples became infected by this common disease. John, who some scholars say was Jesus’ best friend, brought up to Jesus the fact that they had observed someone “driving out demons in your name” (Mark 9:38). He adds, as if he expects congratulations, “we told him to stop, because he was not one of us” (Ibid). Notice that John didn’t say that this person was attempting to drive out demons. Mark records that John saw this unnamed individual actually driving out demons and he was doing it in the name of Jesus. Jesus’ reply, and not John’s report, is the example that we need to follow. He says to John, “Do not stop him” (Mark 9:39). We need to understand that we do not have a monopoly on Jesus. Whatever name you may wear, whatever name is on the sign outside the building in which you worship God, all of us who are believers, who put our faith in the death of Christ as payment for our sins, are brothers and sisters in Christ and are children of God. Jesus goes on to explain to his apostles, “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward (Mark 9:39-41). So, the example that Jesus sets for us is to accept those in other faith communities. Be tolerant of those who worship down the street from you or across town from you. If we are worshipping the same God and putting our faith in the same Savior, then we are family and should be tolerant of our differences.
Jesus is not one who would have been labeled in his day as politically correct. He was not trying to maintain the status quo. During the early part of his earthly ministry he went into Jerusalem. When he arrived in the temple courts “he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money” (John 2:14). “The temple tax had to be paid in local currency, so foreigners had to have their money changed. But the money changers often would charge exorbitant exchange rates” (Life Application Study Bible, pp. 2221-2222). The cattle, sheep and doves were for the foreigners to use as animal sacrifices. “Because of the long journey, many could not bring their own animals” (Ibid, p. 2222). At the sight of this “flea market” in the temple courts Jesus became enraged. “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’” (John 2:15-16). Jesus had no tolerance for people who would dishonor his Father and cheat his people. There are times when tolerance is not appropriate. Jesus is intolerant of those who claim to be religious, and yet will take advantage of others. He is intolerant of those who put profits before people.
Jesus again proves that he is not politically correct when he meets a woman in Samaria. “His disciples had gone into the town to buy food” (John 4:8). So Jesus finds himself at Jacob’s well, outside the town of Sychar, and takes a seat (John 4:5-6). “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink’” (John 4:7)? Now, Jesus has just committed three cultural taboos. “This woman (1) was a Samaritan, a member of the hated mixed race, (2) was known to be living in sin, and (3) was in a public place. No respectable Jewish man would talk to a woman under such circumstances. But Jesus did (Life Application Study Bible, p. 2227). The woman is surprised that Jesus would talk to her. “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink” (John 4:9)? The example that Jesus sets for us is clear. There is no racism in a true follower of Christ. There is no gender bias in a true follower of Christ. And there is no one who is so sinful that they are beyond the reach of the love and grace of God.
THE TEACHINGS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL
The apostle Paul teaches tolerance in his letter to the church in Rome. “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters” (Romans 14:1). We are not to argue over matters of opinion. The problem we seem to have today is that everyone has their own opinion about what is a matter of opinion. If I believe it to be truth then it is not a matter of opinion. If you believe it to be truth and I do not, then it must be a matter of opinion. Paul goes on to give an example relevant to his day regarding what one of faith may or may not eat. He writes, “One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them” (Romans 14:2-3). Notice that these are not just opinions at play. It is the “person’s faith” that allows him to eat anything. The one who has a weaker faith is a vegetarian. This was not unusual in that day because people were being converted from paganism to following the teachings of Jesus. Their faith did not allow them to eat meat that possibly could have been offered as a sacrifice to an idle. A person, who’s faith was stronger, understood that the idles were nothing and therefore the meat was fine to eat. In this situation Paul tells us who is right. They both are right. He tells the one who eats meat to not look down on the vegetarian and he tells the vegetarian to not judge the one who eats meat. Why? Because “God has accepted them”. Paul admonishes the believers in Rome to stop being intolerant of those believers who practice their faith differently than we practice ours. “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister (Romans 14:13). Paul also told the Romans: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7). Christ accepted us in all our imperfections. We should do the same for our fellow believers.
Believe it or not, the Apostle Paul also taught intolerance. When he wrote his letter to the churches in Galatia, he made it very clear that all people and all teachings are not to be tolerated. “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse” (Galatians 1:8-9)! Paul was so emphatic that he said it twice. This was a serious matter to Paul. In fact, he will later say that this is a cause for separation from Christ. In the third chapter of Galatians Paul makes the case that it is not by “works of law” (Galatians 3:2) that we are brought into relationship with God, but it is by God’s grace, through our faith. “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). Then, in chapter 5, Paul explains that trying to be justified by anything other than the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross will separate one from Christ. “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4). There were those who were teaching the Galatian believers that they needed to accomplish “works of law” in addition to accepting the grace of God by faith in Jesus in order to be accepted by God. Paul could not tolerate a message that distracted from the love of God for all people. He could not tolerate a message that left the cross of Christ inadequate to save us from the penalty for our sins.
CONCLUSION
The example we see in the life of Christ is that we are to be tolerant of those believers who worship in other places and in other groups. We are to be tolerant of, and inclusive of, those from other cultures and other races. We also learn from Jesus’ example to be intolerant of those who profess religion, but do not practice true religion, to be intolerant of those who cheat and take advantage of others, and those who dishonor God with their actions.
The teaching we receive from Paul is to live in harmony with (be tolerant of) believers who understand things differently than we do. If we don’t have a command from Jesus or an inspired writer in Scripture, then the matter is disputable and we are not to argue about such things, but accept those who believe and practice differently than we do in these matters. On the other hand, we are to be intolerant of those who are legalistically adding rules and laws that are not in Scripture. I confess that I used to make excuses for the legalists and wanted to be tolerant of them. I would rationalize that they are my brothers in Christ and we just disagree on these things. But when I finally saw the urgency in Paul’s writings I realized that Paul is concerned for the souls of these legalists in Galatia. He did not want them to be separated from Christ. In our daily walk, we need to remember this one thing. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Since God tolerates us in all our imperfections, let us also tolerate those imperfect believers that follow the same savior that we follow. After all, we want them to tolerate us, as well.
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If you would like to be added to or removed from this mailing list, contact me at [email protected] and I will immediately comply with your request. Previous issues can be read at www.freedomfiles.weebly.com. If you are challenged by these newsletters, then feel free to send them on to others and encourage them to write for a free subscription. I would also welcome any questions or comments from the readers.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1, NIV).
ISSUE #7
August 6, 2014
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Tolerating the Intolerant
Let’s start with a couple of definitions.
TOLERANCE: sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own; the act of allowing something (www.merriam-webster.com/)
· Synonyms: forbearance, long-suffering, sufferance, patience (ibid)
INTOLERANCE: the quality or state of being intolerant (ibid)
· Synonyms: dogmatism, illiberalism, illiberality, illiberalness, bigotry, narrow-mindedness, partisanship, sectarianism, small-mindedness (ibid)
Tolerance seems to be a buzz word in today’s society. It is “politically correct” to be tolerant of people who are different from us, who believe differently than us and who live differently than we do. So, my question for today is, “How does tolerance and intolerance fit into my freedom in Christ (Galatians 5:1) and my desire for the unity with my spiritual brothers and sisters that Jesus prayed for in John 17?”
THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS:
One of the manifestations of intolerance comes in the form of elitism. When we think that we are the chosen ones and everyone else is not, when we see ourselves as the only ones who have it right, when we see others as poor imitations of ourselves, then we are afflicted with elitism. Even the disciples became infected by this common disease. John, who some scholars say was Jesus’ best friend, brought up to Jesus the fact that they had observed someone “driving out demons in your name” (Mark 9:38). He adds, as if he expects congratulations, “we told him to stop, because he was not one of us” (Ibid). Notice that John didn’t say that this person was attempting to drive out demons. Mark records that John saw this unnamed individual actually driving out demons and he was doing it in the name of Jesus. Jesus’ reply, and not John’s report, is the example that we need to follow. He says to John, “Do not stop him” (Mark 9:39). We need to understand that we do not have a monopoly on Jesus. Whatever name you may wear, whatever name is on the sign outside the building in which you worship God, all of us who are believers, who put our faith in the death of Christ as payment for our sins, are brothers and sisters in Christ and are children of God. Jesus goes on to explain to his apostles, “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward (Mark 9:39-41). So, the example that Jesus sets for us is to accept those in other faith communities. Be tolerant of those who worship down the street from you or across town from you. If we are worshipping the same God and putting our faith in the same Savior, then we are family and should be tolerant of our differences.
Jesus is not one who would have been labeled in his day as politically correct. He was not trying to maintain the status quo. During the early part of his earthly ministry he went into Jerusalem. When he arrived in the temple courts “he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money” (John 2:14). “The temple tax had to be paid in local currency, so foreigners had to have their money changed. But the money changers often would charge exorbitant exchange rates” (Life Application Study Bible, pp. 2221-2222). The cattle, sheep and doves were for the foreigners to use as animal sacrifices. “Because of the long journey, many could not bring their own animals” (Ibid, p. 2222). At the sight of this “flea market” in the temple courts Jesus became enraged. “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’” (John 2:15-16). Jesus had no tolerance for people who would dishonor his Father and cheat his people. There are times when tolerance is not appropriate. Jesus is intolerant of those who claim to be religious, and yet will take advantage of others. He is intolerant of those who put profits before people.
Jesus again proves that he is not politically correct when he meets a woman in Samaria. “His disciples had gone into the town to buy food” (John 4:8). So Jesus finds himself at Jacob’s well, outside the town of Sychar, and takes a seat (John 4:5-6). “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink’” (John 4:7)? Now, Jesus has just committed three cultural taboos. “This woman (1) was a Samaritan, a member of the hated mixed race, (2) was known to be living in sin, and (3) was in a public place. No respectable Jewish man would talk to a woman under such circumstances. But Jesus did (Life Application Study Bible, p. 2227). The woman is surprised that Jesus would talk to her. “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink” (John 4:9)? The example that Jesus sets for us is clear. There is no racism in a true follower of Christ. There is no gender bias in a true follower of Christ. And there is no one who is so sinful that they are beyond the reach of the love and grace of God.
THE TEACHINGS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL
The apostle Paul teaches tolerance in his letter to the church in Rome. “Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters” (Romans 14:1). We are not to argue over matters of opinion. The problem we seem to have today is that everyone has their own opinion about what is a matter of opinion. If I believe it to be truth then it is not a matter of opinion. If you believe it to be truth and I do not, then it must be a matter of opinion. Paul goes on to give an example relevant to his day regarding what one of faith may or may not eat. He writes, “One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them” (Romans 14:2-3). Notice that these are not just opinions at play. It is the “person’s faith” that allows him to eat anything. The one who has a weaker faith is a vegetarian. This was not unusual in that day because people were being converted from paganism to following the teachings of Jesus. Their faith did not allow them to eat meat that possibly could have been offered as a sacrifice to an idle. A person, who’s faith was stronger, understood that the idles were nothing and therefore the meat was fine to eat. In this situation Paul tells us who is right. They both are right. He tells the one who eats meat to not look down on the vegetarian and he tells the vegetarian to not judge the one who eats meat. Why? Because “God has accepted them”. Paul admonishes the believers in Rome to stop being intolerant of those believers who practice their faith differently than we practice ours. “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister (Romans 14:13). Paul also told the Romans: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7). Christ accepted us in all our imperfections. We should do the same for our fellow believers.
Believe it or not, the Apostle Paul also taught intolerance. When he wrote his letter to the churches in Galatia, he made it very clear that all people and all teachings are not to be tolerated. “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse” (Galatians 1:8-9)! Paul was so emphatic that he said it twice. This was a serious matter to Paul. In fact, he will later say that this is a cause for separation from Christ. In the third chapter of Galatians Paul makes the case that it is not by “works of law” (Galatians 3:2) that we are brought into relationship with God, but it is by God’s grace, through our faith. “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). Then, in chapter 5, Paul explains that trying to be justified by anything other than the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross will separate one from Christ. “You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4). There were those who were teaching the Galatian believers that they needed to accomplish “works of law” in addition to accepting the grace of God by faith in Jesus in order to be accepted by God. Paul could not tolerate a message that distracted from the love of God for all people. He could not tolerate a message that left the cross of Christ inadequate to save us from the penalty for our sins.
CONCLUSION
The example we see in the life of Christ is that we are to be tolerant of those believers who worship in other places and in other groups. We are to be tolerant of, and inclusive of, those from other cultures and other races. We also learn from Jesus’ example to be intolerant of those who profess religion, but do not practice true religion, to be intolerant of those who cheat and take advantage of others, and those who dishonor God with their actions.
The teaching we receive from Paul is to live in harmony with (be tolerant of) believers who understand things differently than we do. If we don’t have a command from Jesus or an inspired writer in Scripture, then the matter is disputable and we are not to argue about such things, but accept those who believe and practice differently than we do in these matters. On the other hand, we are to be intolerant of those who are legalistically adding rules and laws that are not in Scripture. I confess that I used to make excuses for the legalists and wanted to be tolerant of them. I would rationalize that they are my brothers in Christ and we just disagree on these things. But when I finally saw the urgency in Paul’s writings I realized that Paul is concerned for the souls of these legalists in Galatia. He did not want them to be separated from Christ. In our daily walk, we need to remember this one thing. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Since God tolerates us in all our imperfections, let us also tolerate those imperfect believers that follow the same savior that we follow. After all, we want them to tolerate us, as well.
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If you would like to be added to or removed from this mailing list, contact me at [email protected] and I will immediately comply with your request. Previous issues can be read at www.freedomfiles.weebly.com. If you are challenged by these newsletters, then feel free to send them on to others and encourage them to write for a free subscription. I would also welcome any questions or comments from the readers.