Intolerant Love

Tolerance, nowadays, seems to be the highest of moral virtues.  This world is full of over six billion people and counting.  These people are diverse in language, culture, appearance, religion, interests, philosophy.....  In fact every discipline, theory, idea taste etc. is a point where people differ from one another.  This idea of tolerance, therefore, appears to be noble in character and indeed necessary for all of us to get along in this world without completely obliterating ourselves.  But as is regularly the case the "virtue" of tolerance is a deception of the enemy.
Christians are called to "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19, 22:39, Mark 12:31,33 Luke 10:27-37, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14 and others verses all testify to this law, which is the second greatest command according to Jesus!  This "love" is the agape love of God.  Jesus said that we will be known as his disciples when we show this kind of love toward each other.  But does this concept of love include tolerance?  Does God ever look down and tolerate any of us, from Billy Graham to Charles Manson?  No indeed!  Praise be to God.  What we have from God through his love is not tolerance but grace and mercy.  Two people can have vastly differing views on musical tastes, but they can both be gracious toward the other and the person God has created them to be.  And in cases where one is in error, perhaps over something of great importance, there is grace to love that person mercifully in their error.
Tolerance has been brought to you by post-modernity and most particularly by the rise of "relativism."  No doubt this post-modern mantra is familiar.  "That may be "truth" for you, and that belief may work for you, but for me it doesn't."  These words, or words close to them, are to say ultimately that there is no truth at all (a topic for another discussion), and, therefore, there is no right way.  This concept has spawned the virtue of tolerance, which the enemy has sugar coated so that it would seem good, but it stands in opposition to the love that Christians are called to.
Today, due to the "virtue" of tolerance the great sin in Western Culture is the sin of offending someone.  People should be quite happy to "live and let live."  If you want to inject yourself with chemicals and go off the deep end, then that is fine just so long as it doesn't effect my life."  Think about that statement!  What a loveless unloving attitude bereft of any Godliness. Yet this is the prevailing sentiment in the modern world.
The Greek word translated as church in the New Testament literally means 'called out."  Romans 12:2 exhorts Christians to not re-assimilate themselves back into the world, but to diligently work to be transformed through renewing the mind.  The Church is not called to be unoffensive or tolerant, but to boldly "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching" in II Timothy 4:2 and to speak the truth in love in Ephesians 4:15.
The Church has been duped by the enemy, who has confused the reality between Love and Tolerance.  Tolerance really is the opposite of love, which isn't hate, but indifference.  Tolerance says I don't care.  You do what you want to.  Whereas love says I definitely care, and care enough to save you from whatever darkness.

This post is due, in part, to the preaching of my pastor.  So thank you Mike Glenn for your leadership and dedication to God's word.