I Won't Tolerate Intolerance

Tolerance:  the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with ~Oxford dictionary


This word people on the left like to throw around when Bible believers point out what Jehova has said in His word.  They use it as a bludgeon to try and beat down what God has said.  Those who use the word do not practice what it says as they don't put up with dissent or allow other opinions and behaviors they do not agree with.  It is a hypocritical double standard.


One of the arguments they use is that Christianity teaches tolerance; that Jesus himself does so.  Is this true?   Does God tolerate sin?  Let us take a look.


The bible quotes Jesus, John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  Is this a tolerant saying?  Is Jesus here allowing for any other belief, or opinion on how to get to the Father?  I think not.


When Jesus confronts the pharisees, is he tolerant of their actions?  Mathew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?


Seems to me that Jesus, by action, thought, or word lays it out that He expects that there is only one way and that no other way is tolerable.  We cannot get to heaven through Mohamed, Buddha, our own good deeds, or any other way.  The ONLY way that we can be saved from our sins is through Jesus Christ.  Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.


The other argument that those on the left give in response to this is that Christianity is hate because it does not allow for other views.  The odd part about that argument is that the left itself does not tolerate Christian views.  Christianity is barred from being taught in schools.  Its symbols are barred from public display.  It's practices are being increasingly criminalized.  Again the left hypocritically does not practice what they preach.  What the left calls hate, is actually what the Bible calls love.


John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.


The same Chapter goes on to explain why so many reject Jesus as a symbol and embodiment of love and acceptance.
 

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.


For a variety of reasons, people reject the notion that, Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  They do not want to recognize that what they do is sin, therefore they hate the light.  Yet, somehow, they want to turn that around to say that Christianity is hate when the exact opposite is true.  Jesus came to give us all life, and life eternal, but what they can't deal with is having to do it Gods way.


We as believer try to tell people what is going to happen for their rejection and we are called the haters.  How can we hate someone that we care for so much that we are willing to share with them the way to avoid eternal punishment?  How can it be hate to want what is good for others?  The bible describes this too.  Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!  They reverse the order.


So the questionis, is God tolerant?  No.  God will not accept evil.  God will not accept sin. 
Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.


But that does not mean he hates people.  He loves them enough to give them a way of forgiveness.  He loves them enough to send his followers out to tell them the good news.  Yet these same folks who claim to be so tolerant can't stand this notion and do everything in their power to stamp it out so they can continue to live a sinful lifestyle apart from God.


Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,


As much as people like to complicate things, a simple line really says it all.  Matthew 12:30
He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

When We Say Goodnight

At the end of the day

Do we mean what we say

When we say, "Good night"?

For one never knows

As the next day shows

Whether everything is alright

As a thief in the night

Ones demise may come

Tomorrow is not promised

And won't be there for some.

Did we tell them we care?

Or share any love?

Did we do good toward them?

Or out of mind did we shove?

Did we know of their problems?

Or care of their pains?

Know of their needs?

Help them to gain?

The Good Book says

To love neighbor as I

To go out of our way

Put our needs aside

For at the end of our days

It is not what we own

But how we treated others

The love the we've shown

We do not know 

If the kindness we share

Is the last thing done

To another who's there

We may never know

The influence we've had

Or if our love shared

Helped make someone glad

At the end of the day

Do we mean what we say

When we say, "Goodnight"?

For one never knows

As the next day shows

If everything is alright.

What to Keep?

A little study time- thinking on page.

Proverbs 28:4 They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.

Forsake- azab (aw-zab')
A primitive root; to loosen, that is, relinquish, permit,
commit self, fail, forsake, fortify, help, leave (destitute, off), refuse, X surely.

Relinquish seems to be the best context here... could use forsake as well.

They that relinquish the law, they that forsake the law

Law- tôrâh (to-raw', to-raw') - a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch: - law.

They that relinquish or forsake the Torah...

We seem to run into a major question mark here at this point...  Does the word Torah speak of the Decalogue, the 10 commandments, or of the Pentateuch, the law of Moses?  This question is critical in understanding and would have a vast difference in meaning. 

In Simeon's Horae Homileticae DISCOURSE: 814 we see some principles laid out concerning this forsaking.  In summary it would be these:
1.    That obedience to God’s Law is unnecessary—
He will acknowledge the Scriptures to be a revelation from God; and would be greatly offended, if his belief in that revelation were questioned. But his faith in it is nothing more than a speculative assent: he regards not the authority of God in it; and by his contempt of that authority he says, in fact, that a submission to it is unnecessary.

2.    That not even the Gospel itself entails any obligation upon us—
Many who profess to believe the Gospel, and to make it the ground of their hope towards God, yet feel no constraining influence from all its wonders of love and mercy. They practically say, ‘True, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, and “died the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God

3.    That the way of wickedness is preferable as it respects this present world—
Finding pleasure only in the things of time and sense himself, he encourages the same taste in others. For, for what end “has God given us all things richly to enjoy,” if we are not to enjoy them? As for a compliance with the precepts of the Law, it is obvious that it must require continual self-denial: and what happiness can there be in that?

4.    That no evil is to be apprehended from it in the world to come—
This necessarily follows from all the rest: for, if he really thought that God would execute his threatenings against the violators of the Law, he would be more attentive to his own ways. But he persuades himself, that God is too merciful to punish any one in the eternal world, or, at all events, for such slight offences as he commits: and, by his open contempt of God’s threatened judgments, he says to all around him, that they have nothing to fear, since “the Lord will do neither good nor evil

These are 4 fairly common grounds upon which law is relinquished or forsaken, but still we are asked, which law?  The 10 commandments?  or the law of Moses.  Torah, in the general sense does not give an indication.  It is used interchangeavly.  This is why it may be confusing to some people.  Some feel that the entire law of Moses is to be followed if one is saved, and would point to a verse such as John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments as a verse that says we need to keep the law of Moses.  The greek word used entolē injunction, that is, an authoritative prescription: - commandment, precept.  We see here a focus on "commandment"  Would a different word be used in greek if the law of Moses were meant?

Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.  The word for law used here is nomos.   law (through the idea of prescriptive usage), generally (regulation), specifically (of Moses [including the volume]; also of the Gospel), or figuratively (a principle): - law.  So we see here that if the law of Moses is mentioned, a different Greek word is used than in Jesus previous command to keep His commandments.  Keeping His commandments is the keeping of the 10 commandments, not the law of Moses.

Christ in John 13:34 gives us a new commandment.  "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."  In Romans 13:8,10 and Galatians 5:14 we see that this command to love fulfills the nomos, which could be the entire law of Moses, but Paul here in Romans 13:9 clarifies and goes through the list of the 10 commandments pertaining to loving others.    We can assume by context that Paul refers to the 10 commandments.

Mathew 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

On these two entole hang all of the nomos.  All of the law of Moses is fulfilled in these two commandments of Jesus. 

Collossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Wee see here another word used, the word for ordinances in Greek is dogma -  a law (civil, ceremonial or ecclesiastical): - decree, ordinance.

What can we conclude from this?  That Love of God and neighbor fulfills the requirements of the law and are the commands we are to follow when Jesus says to keep His commandments.  That the law is not "done away with", but, that we are freed from the judgment of the law that we are sinners worthy of death.  But, Do we keep the law of Moses?  Or the 10 commandment?  Paul seems to make it clear that love keeps the 10 commandments and the law of Moses. 

Romans 8: 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

The law of the spirit of life as we saw is to love God, love the son, love your neighbor (spirit).  The law of sin and death is the law of Moses (flesh).  The law could not save us from our transgressions.  It could only condemn us and make known to us our sinful nature.  When we try to keep the law of Moses, we are working in the flesh.  When we keep the law of love, we are operating in the spirit. 

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.


If we focus on the law of love, Love God, Love the son, Love others, we will do well.

I John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

Obedience to What?

Does the Church have it Backwards?

Colossians 2: ¹⁶ Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
¹⁷ Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.


Most of the time when people use this verse, they are generally making the case that we are no longer under the law, that the law has been done away with, and that we therefore no longer have to be obedient to what God has said through the law.  But, is this what the passage is really saying?


I propose that it may be saying just the opposite of what most people use it for.  It may just be saying to let no man judge you for KEEPING the Sabbath and FOLLOWING the dietary commands, or using the Jewish calendar to denote holy days and keeping them.  Some of the biggest debates in Christendom surround the idea that we need to be obedient to the whole Bible.


Many Christians today have been taught that they no longer have to do what the bible says to do because certain parts of the Bible have been done away with.  Is this so?  Christians often use the previous verses to substantiate their claims.  
 

¹³ And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
¹⁴ Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
¹⁵ And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

The argument is that the OT laws were blotted out.  The truth is, what was blotted out was the penalty for violation of Gods commands.  Jesus himself said,  Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  That fulfilling was His substitutionary death in our stead.  In no way were any of Gods commands declared null and void.  

 

this easy believism and grace without responsibility is what has watered down the churches message.  It has destroyed the witness of Christians.  Rather than being separated from the world through obedience to God, the church has become part of the world, nearly indistinguishable from unbelievers.  The rates of sin within the church are just as high, if not higher, than outside.  

 

There is no more fear of Yahweh in believers any longer.  The salt has lost its savor and is being trodden under foot.  Every vestige of our heritage as Christians is being removed from society.  Over the last 50 years God has been removed from nearly every institution.  Where have the Christians been?  

 

Believers!  It is time to repent and return unto the way of the Lord.  Time is short and the harvest is ripe.  Turn away from the lie of grace as a license and do as thou wilt churchianity.  It is time to submit yourself to do what God has commanded you to do.  We serve a might God, not the other way around.  God is not our magic genie to make us feel all warm and fuzzy and give us the things we want.  We are His servants who are to do as HE commands of us.  Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  ² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Loving or Judging?

I John3: ⁴ Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
⁵ And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
⁶ Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
⁷ Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
⁸ He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
⁹ Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.



These verses were presented in an article I read this week.  At first it disturbed me a little.  The author was saying essentially that if you sin, you are not saved because if you were saved, you would not sin.  This is really a disturbing message for many Christians.  At least to me it was disturbing.  Why?  Because we all still sin. 

The argument then goes, “they will continue to sin but they won’t make a pattern of it, but if a person continues to sin, then they were never saved in the first place.”    If that were the case; if everyone who was truly saved was not even capable of sinning, then why would John write earlier in chapter 1 on I John, v9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If  a Christian never sins, what would they need to confess? 

Now I am not arguing that a Christian can just go ahead and sin.  Paul asks the question, Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? (Romans 6:1)  “God, forbid” was the answer.  Much of Romans 6 continues about how we are dead to sin and won’t continue therein.  But in verse 7 we find out that we still do sin, even intentionally, knowingly, willfully. 
Romans 7: ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
¹⁵ For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
¹⁶ If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
¹⁷ Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
¹⁸ For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
¹⁹ For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
²⁰ Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
²¹ I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
²² For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
²³ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
²⁴ O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
²⁵ I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.


So what of the I John 3 verses?  They seem to say we won’t sin if we are truly saved.  Don’t they contradict what Paul is saying here in Romans?  Not at all.  Look at verse 15 of Romans 7; but what I hate, that do I.  Often a Christian will sin, even willingly and knowingly, but the pleasure of it is not there.  A Christian will feel guilty.  They will feel remorse, sorrow in their sin.  They will recognize the wrong.  Going back to I John 1:9, we will confess our sins and be forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. 

The key to what is being talked about in Chapter 3 is the condition of the heart.  If one is sinning, and they enjoy it, feel no remorse over it, and plan to do it again for their own amusement, then we could say that they would not be abiding in Christ.  Such a person would also have no desire to do what God says is right.  They will create for themselves a God that excuses their behavior.  A God of love who doesn’t condemn anyone. 

I write about this because I want to encourage others.  Young believers especially can have their faith shaken by such proclamations as Christians won’t ever sin if they are true Christians.  Immediately they begin to doubt their salvation because it is impossible for us to live sinless, even after being saved.  The real danger is when we no longer or don’t even care if our actions are sinful or not.


We as believers also have to remember what Jesus taught, Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.  Mathew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
We would do much better loving one another.

The Bucket List

Every Semester as part of our children’s health class in our school district, the pupils are given an assignment of creating a bucket list for themselves.  For those of you who might not know for some reason, a “bucket list” is a list of things a person would want to do before they died.  It comes from the old phrase “to kick the bucket”, which most people know is kind of a slang term for dying.  The idea was popularized by a movie of that name starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman that came out in 2007. 

In the movie we see two old dying men gallivanting around the world fulfilling their dreams and accomplishing goals.  The Morgan Freeman character then comes to an epiphany about what the two were doing and decides that rather than fulfilling personal alone, he would rather try and spend his final days with family and close friends.  The adventures end and we see the difference between fulfilling the selfish desires portrayed by Nicholson as he spends a lonely holiday by himself as compared with the more selfless Freeman who is seen loving and laughing with family.

When a child of 13, 14, 15 years old is asked to do such an assignment, they usually default to a list of desires and achievements purely to satisfy their own lusts and desires.  They all want to hang with that famous musician or movie star, drive some fancy car, participate in some extreme sport, go to some distant exotic place, and do all this with their best friends.  I rarely see family time involved, but really that, I think, is beside the point.

This kind of a lesson could be a wonderful teaching opportunity for the children, but it really gets passed by.  All that happens is another reinforcement of the “me first” mentality.  The school is not allowed to judge, direct, guide, the students in any way.  It is deemed ‘healthy’ for the students to express their selfish desires without judgment or critique, without any values placed on their choices.  The most important value is that their self-esteem not be hindered in any way and even promoted. 

What is wrong with that?  One may ask.  Our children should be told how special they are and we should never harm a children’s ego or they may be scarred for life with feelings of inferiority or complexes for which they will need to be medicated and seek counseling for.   A child can’t be told that any value they hold is right or wrong.  All viewpoints are to be validated and not judged.  We’ve all heard this secular humanist argument before, and for many years.  It has failed.

Our children have been dumbed down to the lowest common denominators educationally, socially, and morally in the effort to not leave anyone behind, or to not make anyone feel like a failure, to not bruise any ego and to promote a positive attitude towards one’s self.  No one is punished for doing wrong, and everyone is rewarded whether they achieved or not. Everyone is made to feel like they are right (even when they are not).

The opportunity that is missed in the educational process in an assignment like this is truth.  It is a fantastic moment of teachability to our youth about how to properly prioritize our lives.  It is a grand moment where death, and what comes after, can be discussed.  It is a perfect time where different world views can be compared, analyzed, and scrutinized.  Yet, the powers that be in the educational world deny this wonderful learning moment in favor of teaching the kids that the only truth is whatever they feel is truth; that there are no absolutes.

In the Bible, we are given a bucket list to live by.  It starts with love the Lord your God who created you and to serve Him alone, believing upon His son Jesus who God sent to reconcile mankind to the Father.   It ends with loving your neighbor as yourself.     It is filled with great and noble works such as feeding the poor, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned.  It lists as good, things like taking care of widows and orphans; helping strangers in need.  Also on the list the difficult tasks of loving your enemies and doing good to those who are not good to you.  We could learn the great value in forgiving others and turning the other cheek.  Even perhaps the hardest thing of all, and one which shows no greater love, laying down ones life for another. 

We can only barely even imagine what life would be like were those things were on our bucket list.  I can scarcely imagine the great joys and peace that would be felt in a world where everyone is looking out for his fellow man and the best interest of others is the first priority on everyone’s mind.  Nor can I totally imagine a world completely devoid of any of them.  What a dark and horrid place this world will be when the full force of evil is unleashed and the spirit of God is removed.

Number one on the Biblical bucket list is to share this good news.  We are to tell others of how Jesus has made it possible for us to be forgiven of our selfish, lustful, evil ways and being reconciled to Father God through His precious shed blood; how Jesus rose again on the 3^rd day defeating death and clearing the path that through Him we might pass from death unto life.  That through the Holy Spirit that indwells us when we believe, that we will be capable of living out the Bucket list given to us in the God inspired words of the Bible.