Intolerance and Grace
I'll say right at the beginning here that I know countless people have written on this subject, and I doubt my rants will add anything of real value to the mix. Wiser people than I have been ignored more than I have on this issue, and no doubt my comments will be largely ignored by those to whom they are directed.
No matter. I need to get this off my hairy chest.
The logic of the day is illogical.
When a person or group declares that tolerance is the ultimate expression of peaceful humanity, what they really mean is every one else should be tolerant of the views that person or group holds. They very rarely (very, very rarely) mean that they, too, are tolerant of opposing views.
Tolerance accepts that your view is different than mine, and allows you freedom to express your viewpoint. Tolerance also allows me the same freedom to express my viewpoint.
This applies to religious views as well as personal opinions on a variety of topics.
Never is it "fair" or "tolerant" to personally attack a person for their views. A fool, insane person, sociopath, or psychopath cannot interact logically, fairly, tolerantly. Anyone else should be able to do so.
As a Christian, I believe that Jesus is Yahweh God's Messiah. Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem, really existed historically. Historical records support that this individual was crucified by Roman soldiers, died, was buried, and was seen again alive - resurrected - by more than 500 witnesses in all. I accept these things based on the testimony of non-Christian historians, as well as the testimony of the writers of the Holy Bible (which I believe is the Word of God).
I believe that Jesus died and was resurrected to pay an infinite price for the sins I have committed, to keep me from going to hell. His resurrection is a guarantee that I, too, will be spiritually resurrected to live with Him for eternity, and that my body will one day be resurrected, as well.
I believe this. No one can deny that I believe it.
My neighbor down the road is Muslim. He believes that the Koran is Allah's holy word. He believes that Jesus was a prophet, but not the promised deliverer. He believes that Muhammad is that person. As a Muslim, he believes that Allah substituted a "stunt double", so to speak, on the cross in Jesus' place. The real Jesus never was crucified, never died, and therefore never needed to be resurrected. This is the standard Muslim belief.
My neighbor is free to believe this.
We live in a country that allows these freedoms. Today, Memorial Day, we commemorate the lives of those men and women who sacrificed their lives to guarantee such freedoms as this.
If my neighbor says I am intolerant toward him or his religion because I attempt to evangelize him into Christianity, he is misinformed as to what intolerance is. If I say my neighbor is intolerant toward me or my beliefs because he attempts to convince me that Islam is the true belief system, then I am misinformed as to what intolerance is.
Our belief systems mandate that we attempt to bring about the conversion of those who do not believe as we do. In Christianity, it is the Great Commission [Matthew 28:18-20]. I am commanded to do this. I cannot be disobedient to Christ's commands in the name of modern "tolerance".
But Jesus commanded that we love one another. He commanded us to love other believers in Him. We are commanded to love God. We are commanded to love unbelievers and our enemies.
I am supposed to love my Muslim neighbor to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I can only introduce him to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit does the rest - the hard part.
This is my command - and proof of my love for my neighbor. This is not intolerance.
If my homosexual friend thinks I am tolerant of his chosen sexual behavior because I love him and treat him as a person of worth, then he has misunderstood. I love my friends who identify as homosexual, and I want them to come to understand the truth of what the Bible says about that lifestyle - that it is a lifestyle of sinful behavior, one that God will not tolerate. It is just like every other sinful lifestyle. But my love for them is not tolerance of sin.
Jesus' love for us is not tolerant of our behavior.
We ask for His forgiveness - not for Him to excuse our behavior.
"Jesus, I'm awfully sorry I murdered those children," we could pray. "Excuse me."
I'm sorry ... what? We aren't asking for acknowledgement that we didn't mean to sneeze.
Excusing something means saying that it didn't matter - that it bears no consequences.
Forgiving something means saying that it did matter - that it bears consequences. Yet, we choose to offer grace to acknowledge that wrong was committed, it was understood as having been wrong behavior, and that the offender wants to be accepted again by the offended.
This is GRACE.
If you pull up next to me in your car with your music so loud I cannot hear my own, and I look over at you to see who you are or what's going on, and you call me a hater because I have looked toward the disturbance, ... then you have a serious misunderstanding of what hatred is. You have labeled others "hater" while daring them to disagree with you about anything you choose - your music, your clothing, etc. This is hatred, and intolerance.
The Gospel is intolerant - it is full of judgment. But the Gospel is full of Grace, as well.
They don't rule each other out, but complement each other. God cannot truly be Gracious if He is not first Judge.
The Judge declares the offense to be actual, and bearing consequences. The Grace-Giver declares the offense forgiven, and the consequences paid by Another - by Jesus Himself.
I am an intolerant person.
But I open myself up to let the grace that God has poured into me spill out into others.
No matter. I need to get this off my hairy chest.
The logic of the day is illogical.
When a person or group declares that tolerance is the ultimate expression of peaceful humanity, what they really mean is every one else should be tolerant of the views that person or group holds. They very rarely (very, very rarely) mean that they, too, are tolerant of opposing views.
Tolerance accepts that your view is different than mine, and allows you freedom to express your viewpoint. Tolerance also allows me the same freedom to express my viewpoint.
This applies to religious views as well as personal opinions on a variety of topics.
Never is it "fair" or "tolerant" to personally attack a person for their views. A fool, insane person, sociopath, or psychopath cannot interact logically, fairly, tolerantly. Anyone else should be able to do so.
As a Christian, I believe that Jesus is Yahweh God's Messiah. Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem, really existed historically. Historical records support that this individual was crucified by Roman soldiers, died, was buried, and was seen again alive - resurrected - by more than 500 witnesses in all. I accept these things based on the testimony of non-Christian historians, as well as the testimony of the writers of the Holy Bible (which I believe is the Word of God).
I believe that Jesus died and was resurrected to pay an infinite price for the sins I have committed, to keep me from going to hell. His resurrection is a guarantee that I, too, will be spiritually resurrected to live with Him for eternity, and that my body will one day be resurrected, as well.
I believe this. No one can deny that I believe it.
My neighbor down the road is Muslim. He believes that the Koran is Allah's holy word. He believes that Jesus was a prophet, but not the promised deliverer. He believes that Muhammad is that person. As a Muslim, he believes that Allah substituted a "stunt double", so to speak, on the cross in Jesus' place. The real Jesus never was crucified, never died, and therefore never needed to be resurrected. This is the standard Muslim belief.
My neighbor is free to believe this.
We live in a country that allows these freedoms. Today, Memorial Day, we commemorate the lives of those men and women who sacrificed their lives to guarantee such freedoms as this.
If my neighbor says I am intolerant toward him or his religion because I attempt to evangelize him into Christianity, he is misinformed as to what intolerance is. If I say my neighbor is intolerant toward me or my beliefs because he attempts to convince me that Islam is the true belief system, then I am misinformed as to what intolerance is.
Our belief systems mandate that we attempt to bring about the conversion of those who do not believe as we do. In Christianity, it is the Great Commission [Matthew 28:18-20]. I am commanded to do this. I cannot be disobedient to Christ's commands in the name of modern "tolerance".
But Jesus commanded that we love one another. He commanded us to love other believers in Him. We are commanded to love God. We are commanded to love unbelievers and our enemies.
I am supposed to love my Muslim neighbor to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I can only introduce him to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit does the rest - the hard part.
This is my command - and proof of my love for my neighbor. This is not intolerance.
If my homosexual friend thinks I am tolerant of his chosen sexual behavior because I love him and treat him as a person of worth, then he has misunderstood. I love my friends who identify as homosexual, and I want them to come to understand the truth of what the Bible says about that lifestyle - that it is a lifestyle of sinful behavior, one that God will not tolerate. It is just like every other sinful lifestyle. But my love for them is not tolerance of sin.
Jesus' love for us is not tolerant of our behavior.
We ask for His forgiveness - not for Him to excuse our behavior.
"Jesus, I'm awfully sorry I murdered those children," we could pray. "Excuse me."
I'm sorry ... what? We aren't asking for acknowledgement that we didn't mean to sneeze.
Excusing something means saying that it didn't matter - that it bears no consequences.
Forgiving something means saying that it did matter - that it bears consequences. Yet, we choose to offer grace to acknowledge that wrong was committed, it was understood as having been wrong behavior, and that the offender wants to be accepted again by the offended.
This is GRACE.
If you pull up next to me in your car with your music so loud I cannot hear my own, and I look over at you to see who you are or what's going on, and you call me a hater because I have looked toward the disturbance, ... then you have a serious misunderstanding of what hatred is. You have labeled others "hater" while daring them to disagree with you about anything you choose - your music, your clothing, etc. This is hatred, and intolerance.
The Gospel is intolerant - it is full of judgment. But the Gospel is full of Grace, as well.
They don't rule each other out, but complement each other. God cannot truly be Gracious if He is not first Judge.
The Judge declares the offense to be actual, and bearing consequences. The Grace-Giver declares the offense forgiven, and the consequences paid by Another - by Jesus Himself.
I am an intolerant person.
But I open myself up to let the grace that God has poured into me spill out into others.
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