TOLERANCE

TOLERANCE

How tolerant should we be, if at all?

 

What exactly is tolerance? Is tolerance a Biblical principle and if so, how are we to apply it in our lives? How tolerant should we as believers be? What can be tolerated and what not? These are all questions we are confronted with when we consider this theme.

I have come to believe that the modern version of tolerance is a deception. This deception could not only prevent people from hearing the truth, but also encourage them to continue in sin. Instead of me giving you my opinion, let us see how our Heavenly Father sees tolerance.

What is tolerance?

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines tolerance as:

1.     Capacity to endure pain or hardship.

2.     Sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own.

3.     The act of allowing something.

4.     The capacity of the body to endure or become less responsive to a substance (as a drug) or a physiological insult especially with repeated use or exposure

 

This definition is not from a Biblical perspective, although some biblical principles can be found in it.

The Louw, Nida Greek-English Lexicon provides us with a Biblical definition of the word tolerance. This Lexicon derives its definition of the word from a purely Biblical context. The definition can be summarized as:

To be patient with

In the sense of enduring possible difficulty

Eph 4:2

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

Rom 2:4 

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

 

 

Pertaining to what can be borne or endured

Mat 11:22

But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

 

 Capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances 

 

1Thessalonians 1:2-4 

2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;

3  Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

4  Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

 

To continue to bear up despite difficulty and suffering

2Timothy 2:10

Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

2Timothy 3:11

Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. 

 

To put up with annoyance or difficulty

 

1Corinthians 9:12

If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.

1Thessalonians 3:5

For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

Rom 9:22

What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.

 

To continue to persist in any undertaking 

Heb 11:27

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

  

 

The essence of tolerance from a Biblical perspective is patience, endurance and perseverance. However, to tolerate according to our modern definition, is also to allow, and to indulge practices different from, even conflicting with our own beliefs. However, what struck me about the secular definition of tolerance is that it is described as the increase in unresponsiveness with repeated exposure. It is the same when we are exposed to evil; we develop a tolerance for it, and we start to compromise. We learn from Scripture, that we are not to tolerate evil, but even to hate it.

 

Do not tolerate evil

Here are two references of tolerance in the book of Revelation. Firstly, the assembly of Ephesus is admonished for not tolerating evil and secondly, we find the assembly of Thyatira criticized for tolerating Jezebel who was and still is the impersonation of evil.

Revelation 2:2
² ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;

In order to gain understanding, we need to define evil in the Biblical sense. The Greek word translated as evil is “kakos” and means the following:

88.106 κακός^a, ή, όν; κακῶς^a: pertaining to being bad, with the implication of harmful and damaging—‘bad, evil, harmful, harshly.’

 

Psalm 97:10
¹⁰ Hate evil, you who love YHVH, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 

The Hebrew word “ra” is used here and is translated as “evil”. The definition according to the Dictionary of Biblical languages defines it as follows:

  8273 I. רַע (rǎʿ): adj; bad, evil, wicked, no good, i.e., pertaining to that which is not morally pure or good according to a proper standard, implying this evil hinders or severs a relationship to a person or principle which is proper;

What is this proper standard mentioned in the definition? It is the Torah, YAHUAH’s Word. Anybody or anything that might have been harmful or damaging, or who did not live according to the proper standard, was not tolerated. When we continue reading, we understand why…

Tolerance leads to compromise

The assembly of Thyatira tolerated the woman Jezebel and everything she represented.

Revelation 2:20
²⁰ ‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

This Jezebel is not referring to King Agab’s wife, but to any person who impersonates her in any way. Her modus operandi (method of operation), can be described as follows: She first gains credibility by calling herself a prophetess. Secondly, she teaches and leads them astray with her instruction. Then they commit immorality and finally fall into idolatry.

Should such a person be tolerated? This sounds very much like spiritual adultery. She must have imparted some truth, for they listened to her teachings. She used this truth to lure people in, and then led them astray with the falsehood she mixed in. In other words: what she teaches, will lead to compromise, which will lead to sin, and we know sin results in death! She and her followers will have the same end.

 

Revelation 2:21–23
²¹ ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. ²² ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. ²³ ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

 

 Do not tolerate false doctrine

False doctrine is that which leads people astray and should not be tolerated. We find another example of in the Epistle to the Corinthians. Paul’s biting sarcasm is obvious when he wrote here how they were led astray because of tolerating false doctrine. False doctrine is another form of evil; it is not according to YAHUAH’s word, but man’s interpretation of it.

  2 Corinthians 11:3–4
³ But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Messiah. ⁴ For if one comes and preaches another Y’shua whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.

 

The Bible knowledge commentary gives us some explanation:

 

2 Corinthians 11:2-4.

2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.  

 

While they may have thought otherwise, they were in peril. The tragedy of Eden was ominously close to reenactment. As Christ was elsewhere compared with Adam;  

Romans 5:14

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

  

1 Cor. 15:21-22, 45

21  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

 45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 

 

 

Paul here compared the church in Corinth to Eve. Instead of resisting

   James 4:7

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 

 

 

The devil’s inducement to disobedience Eve listened and succumbed

 

Gen. 3:1-6

1  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 

 

The serpent enticed her by his cunning “trickery”.

 

Genesis 3:13

And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

 

beguiled

H5377  נשׁא  nâshâ'   naw-shaw'

A primitive root; to lead astray, that is, (mentally) to delude, or (morally) to seduce: - beguile, deceive, X greatly, X utterly.

 

The devil’s representatives in Corinth were also seductive.  

 

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

 

They should have been spurned (rejected)

 

 

2 Corinthians 6:14-15

14  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

 

But instead they were tolerant.

 

2Corinthians 11:4

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

 

We have now learned from the Scripture not to tolerate evil or false doctrine, but how do we apply this in our lives?

 

 

How are we to apply this to our lives?

 

What would be examples of evil in our time? Evil, according to a Biblical context is anything contrary to YAHUAH’’s Word. That will include all the sins that are being popularized by modern culture. This starts in school where children are taught to respect all religions and lifestyles. They are not taught what is acceptable according to Scripture and that is the problem. They grow up not knowing the truth.

Young people, like yourselves, are being confronted with immorality, abortion, homosexuality, pornography and many other things, not in accordance to YAHUAH’s standard. These are all held up as if it is normal and good under the banner of tolerance.

Contrary to this, making people aware of sin is demonized.  It is called evil. Sin is not called sin anymore, but alternative lifestyle or choice. Evil is being called good and good evil.

Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 

Here is an illustration of how not showing tolerance in the modern sense of the word.

 When I was still an unbeliever, I was very interested in New Age. I had a friend who was a believer, and I used to tell her about all the occult things I found so interesting. She never contented with me, but only said that it was wrong, and that she strongly disagreed with it. It made me question what I was involved with and eventually played a part in me becoming a believer. If she tolerated my wrong beliefs, even encouraged me, I might have continued in it… 

We have also learned that we are not to tolerate false doctrine. Have you noticed how New Age and other occult practices have infiltrated the faith? This is compromise! We cannot mix pagan beliefs with our belief in YAHUAH. We are to search for the truth and not take anything we hear at face value. We are to expose evil for the sake of ourselves and other believers. Those who are teaching falsehoods are not even aware that what they are instructing is wrong. Do them a favor and tell them, but do it in love. Do it in the way you would like someone to correct you, if you were wrong. Paul said it well in Ephesians:

Ephesians 4:1–3
¹ Therefore I, the prisoner of the Master, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

³ being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

 

I will end by leaving you with the following verses to ponder.

 

2 Corinthians 6:14–17
¹⁴ Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

¹⁵ Or what harmony has Messiah with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

 ¹⁶ Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

¹⁷ “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says Yahuah. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. 

    

Be Blessed