Should CHRISTIANS be tolerant???

I felt this had interesting timing. It made me stop and think. If I will prayerfully be willing to be the donkey that the LORD may speak through, tolerance, in its proper way, and place, will shew forth. Unless I allow God to speak through me, I am not an Ambassador properly representing my King.

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Settle It
November 19, 2005

"Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist" (Luke 21:14-15).

How many times have we thought or even said aloud, "I wish I had said that?" Our verses today are like that, only there is one big difference. We, too, can speak that appropriate word, and it will come out just right.

This rightness is because the message, while it forms in our minds (hearts) and emanates from our lips, originates from God. The "I" of verse 15 is further explained in Matthew 10:19-20: "But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." And in Mark 13:11, "for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost."

What a formula for being right all the time! We should let the Author of all truth speak through us. This is probably the fastest way to approach Solomon in all his wisdom. The setting for these powers, however, is one of persecution of the saints. It was an assurance by Jesus to His disciples that when they were confronted by adversaries they were to settle down, not get stirred up. They were to empty their minds of strategies, and not meditate on a great rebuttal.

Testimony to the lost is like that. It takes a committed Christian, submitted to the Lord, knowledgeable in the Word, and available to be used at a moment's notice to make a difference in someone else's life. John 14:26 reads: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." KBC
 
And of some have compassion, making a difference:
And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Jude 1: 23, 24
 
What do you think about the verse in Ephesians 4:2 GNB

"Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant
with one another."
Click to expand...

When I looked at this verse in the Strong's...it showed as the following...

:2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

with forbearing meaning
# to hold up
# to hold one's self erect and firm
# to sustain, to bear, to endure

It doesn't seem that tolerance really reflects the correct meaning for the words
 
The answer is quite simple:

If you aren't tolerant of others' religious opinions, you can't expect others to be tolerant of your religious opinion.

It's just that simple.

Example: If you want people to be open minded about choosing Christianity, you should, in turn, be open minded about other religions, or the lack thereof.
 
Agreed.
2nd greatest commandment and golden rule.
What the problem is I think is HOW tolerance is presented to others. As I always say, it's about presentation and motive...
 
So, I think we've answered our question, haven't we?

There are many intolerant hypocrites in the Christian faith today - and they are in breach of scripture. They are acting in an un-Christian manner.

The true Christian doesn't get drawn into speaking in an argument from a position of pride to defend his beliefs. He approaches the debate in a tolerant manner, open, speaking only truth and eschewing Hypocrisy in his arguments.
 
I also have encounted a lack of Christians "turning the other cheek", instead, they have a tendancy to become irritant and defiant.
 
Well guys, since it seems that you have a handle on Christianity, why haven't you accepted it?

There is only 1 thing that Christians need to be intolerant too...
SIN

God hates it (not the person) so should we.

HOWEVER!!!

We are not to hate the person doing it.
Ephes. 6:12 (KJV)
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (emphasis added)

Yet there is many cautions in scripture as well, that even this tolerance goes to only a certain extent...
False Teachings,
Fake Gospels,
People TRYING to teach lies,
2 Peter 2:1 (MsgB)
But there were also lying prophets among the people then, just as there will be lying religious teachers among you. They'll smuggle in destructive divisions, pitting you against each other—biting the hand of the One who gave them a chance to have their lives back! They've put themselves on a fast downhill slide to destruction,
2 Peter 2:10-22
we are NOT to tolerate these things at all. Infact, we are to combat these with the Gospel.

The Gospel is a Christians hand book in life and gives PERFECT examples of things we should and should not tolerate.

The Gospel is also part of a Christian's "spiritual weaponry," designed and given so that we can do combat.

Tolerance is to be exercised with EXTREME caution, for we are to be aware of what we do...
Matthew 10:16 (MsgB)
"Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.

So follow the Master and He will give you complete and incorruptable guidance in tolerance.
 
Allrighty:

DV and Eon- of course there's a lack of people "turning their cheek": even though we're Christians, were STILL sinners! *gasp* :eek:

So, if you will, bear with us because we're no worse than you.
 
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and innocent as doves.
33 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
34 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.
35 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another:
36 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
37 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear whispered in the ear, that proclaim ye upon the housetops.
38 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

So that says beware of Satan, I suppose. He's the only one that can destroy your soul and body in hell, isn't he?
 
Eon said:
So that says beware of Satan, I suppose. He's the only one that can destroy your soul and body in hell, isn't he?
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"In Hell," he can't touch you outside of hell, unless you let him. And, Christians don't go to hell when we die, so he'll never touch us there.

:D
 
Dark Virtue said:
Considering how few "true" Christians there seem to be, I hope there's room in hell.
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Wow DV, when did you get such spiritual insight???
:D
 
Eon said:
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and innocent as doves.
33 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
34 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.
35 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another:
36 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
37 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear whispered in the ear, that proclaim ye upon the housetops.
38 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

So that says beware of Satan, I suppose. He's the only one that can destroy your soul and body in hell, isn't he?
Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with satan having the power to destroy souls. Satan has no such power in or out of hell. Hell will be just as tormenting to satan as it is to non-christians, it is not his domain.

This Bible passage is telling Christians not to fear men who can only destroy your body. Fear God who can destroy your body and your soul.

Do not shrink from God's work from fear of men.
 
Tolerance should be a point of concession for Christians, least we impose on the Mental, Physical, or Emotional heath of a person.

It is the Right of every person to choose for themselves their religious views, whether those views conflict with our own. To each his own.

The biggest challenges Christians have is that I am right you are wrong mentality. As soon as a person hears that; you have just lost them and slapped them in the face. It’s a hard win after that.

But some people never understand that.
 
Didasko said:
This has nothing to do with satan having the power to destroy souls. Satan has no such power in or out of hell. Hell will be just as tormenting to satan as it is to non-christians, it is not his domain.

This Bible passage is telling Christians not to fear men who can only destroy your body. Fear God who can destroy your body and your soul.

Do not shrink from God's work from fear of men.
Click to expand...

No, no - it really ISN'T saying that at all. It is saying to fear him who can destroy your body and soul in hell. I thought that by definition, God wasn't IN hell (it does say that hell is eternal seperation from your creator) so how can he be destroying your body and soul?

And if Satan has no dominion in Hell, what about others such as Abaddon?
 
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