Tolerance is NOT Wisdom

Scripture: You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 2 Corinthians 11:19-20

Observation: In his lecture about being careful of false gospels and messages about Jesus, Paul offers up a sarcastic warning. Some people may consider themselves wise or enlightened when they can tolerate false messages. However, toleration of false messages is actually a way Satan enslaves believers, convincing us not to be firm in the truth about Jesus.

Application: The worst bumper sticker in the world is the "Coexist" sticker. The completely unsubtle message is that kindness and tolerance toward others is obviously good, therefore anyone who disagrees with other religions is bad.

We are called to be tolerant of others but ALWAYS in the context of only one absolute truth: Jesus Christ is the son of God, crucified for our sins, resurrected to heaven, and anyone who believes in him will live forever basking in the love of God.

Any other message is a lie, that's easy enough to believers to accept. However, Paul goes a step further ... tolerating those lies, and showing "wisdom" by allowing people around you to express those lies does four things to the church:

1) It enslaves believers by creating a scenario where we cannot serve Jesus as he has commanded and thus start down the path of losing out on our salvation.

2) It exploits believers as we become fearful of offending others and thus give into them in conversations.

3) It takes advantage of believers if we attempt to remedy that offense through forms of guilty compassion.

4) It allows others to boast as if better than us, as they declare their openness to multiple truths is an example of greater intelligence and kindness.

5) It slaps believers in the face, as we then become the ones declared to be in the 'wrong' because we don't accept the lies.

No believer should EVER accept ANY gospel other than the true gospel, even as a temporary expedient in a conversation. We must profess truth at all times. God will honor only that, and Jesus will acknowledge us before God because we have acknowledged him before man. And THAT is the point, after all.

Prayer: Lord, we know the truth. Most of the people around me do not. Give me courage to never, ever hedge or waiver when it comes to the truth of Jesus, at any time, under any circumstance.