Mike McQueen


Tolerance



Introduction

I. What is tolerance?

A. definitions:

1. "negative" or traditional tolerance: recognizes & respects others beliefs and practices without sharing them, or, to bear or put up with something not liked.

2. "positive" tolerance: every single individual's beliefs, values, lifestyles and truth claims are all equal. there is no hierarchy, no truth greater than another
-example: Ronald McDonald is the son of God.

B. origin

1. philosophically
   a. the historic reversal of the roles of God and man
   b. the loss of objective truth

2. practically: "love" without truth

C. the virtue for a man with no convictions – Chesterton
1. ironically it's those who preach tolerance that may actually be the least tolerant
   -usually those who preach it usually already agree with it.
2. tolerant of everything but "intolerance"


II.
What is judgment?

A. definitions:

  1. Funk and Wagnells Dictionary: to hear and decide; to examine and pass judgment; to hold as opinion, consider; a decision reached after evaluation; Legal: a sentence passed after deliberation.
  2. Greek: krinite to judge, condemn, decide, determine Jesus doesn't come down on the decision process, it's the carrying out of the sentence he says stop.
B. What does Jesus expect of believers?
   1. no condemnation – humility
   2. self examination – honesty/truthfulness
   3. confrontation – love


C. What is it the world often sees in Christians?

  1. anger – James 1.20:
    "for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires.
  2. words but no actions – 1 John3.17:
    "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."


D. What should they see?


III. What is Love?

A. definition:
1 Corinthians 13.4: "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails"

  1. phileo
  2. agape
  3. the fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23:
    "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."


B. actions

1. God?

  1. tolerant?
  2. loving?
  3. judging? John 3.16:
    "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

2. the "doctor" analogy –
Ephesians 4.15: "but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ"

3. inside the church...and outside –

1 Corinthians 5.9: "I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. 11 But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves"
a. moral purity in the church, but then discipline for restoration
b. testimony outside the church?
   1) example only?
   2) prophetic?
   3) legislative?