I Believe in God, but Christians Are So IntolerantSýnishorn

NOT A MATTER OF INTOLERANCE, BUT OF SIN

These verses tell us that sin is the normal human condition. As Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned.” If we refuse to acknowledge our sin problem, the result is spiritual death. Rather than covering up our sin with tolerance and refusing to admit we have a problem, we need to take the cure in 1 John 1:9. We need to confess our sins and ask for God’s forgiveness. Our tolerance for sin is actually dangerous because it keeps us from recognizing our root problem and asking for the forgiveness we need. Our present culture still agrees some things are evil but has a hard time agreeing fully with biblical morality in all things. Thankfully, it’s still considered evil to kill your neighbor, yet it’s not so bad to sleep with your neighbor’s husband or wife, especially if you’re not happy with your own. Moral relativism can often masquerade as tolerance and keep us from admitting or revealing sin.

Ask Yourself:

-Is tolerating sin an act of love?

-How do we love people as they are while still pointing them to Jesus?

-What sins have you come to tolerate in your own life, and how can confessing them to Jesus be the cure?

Pause to Pray: Jesus, I confess that I often tolerate sin in my own life. Search my heart and show me what I need to ask You to change in me. Help me know how to stand firm in the Bible’s truth while still loving those around me. Amen.

Take a Next Step: Use a concordance (a word index in the back of many Bibles) or Google “Bible verses about sin” to study what the Bible says about the effect of sin in our lives.