Today: The Age of Tolerance

 Tolerance, it is “in” for Christians today. We tolerate homosexuality, adultery, fornication, and other blatant sins within the church. The Bible tells us that people will know we are God’s children by the love we have for one another. We have changed God’s example of love into tolerance. The fact is that God never told us be tolerant of the sins of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead he tells us to lovingly confront our family in Christ when we see them in sin.

       Not only does God tell us to confront them. There comes a point in which we should not just confront our brothers and sisters who are in sin; but we should come to the point of not even associating with them. In 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 Paul says:

                  9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[a] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”[

        It is our duty as children of God to confront those who claim to be in the body of Christ but yet do not live it out. The Bible does not tell us to be tolerant, it tells us to “expel  the wicked person from among us.” Perhaps the reason why our brothers and sisters persist in their sins is because their sins are not taken seriously. By our actions they are told that what they are doing is okay.  We love them the way they are and through that we send them the message that they do not need to change. This practice is contrary to God’s plan. He loves his people so much that he will not leave them the way they are. By tolerating their sinful life we are actually inhibiting their growth.  

        If sin was taken seriously in the church perhaps those in the sin would also take sin seriously and make an effort to change. The person deciding not to change will give the body of Christ a bad name.

       We must consider what sort of testimony we are to display. Are we satisfied to display a tolerant attitude towards sin? Or will we take our forgiveness seriously and stand against sin in the church. The decision is ours. Tolerance will ruin the church, stand against it.