Introductory Thoughts
One of the nicest things some people think you can say about a man is that he is tolerant. Tolerance is a highly praised attribute in our society.
One of the meanest things you can say about a man in our society is that he is intolerant—an intolerant man is thought to be just plain ignorant, bigoted, and stupid.
As with most lies, there is a degree of Truth in this concept of society. We should be gracious and tolerant in small things, and we must make allowances for people in some cases and in some areas. We need to be ever ready to be merciful and compassionate.
However, there are several problems here. One is that the definition of “tolerance” has been subtly changed in the perception of most people.
Tolerance used to mean that, if you don’t bother me, I will leave you alone. I won’t burn your house or shoot at you, and I won’t spit in your eye when I see you on the street. However, I don’t have to approve of you, I don’t have to affirm you, and I might just tell you that you are wrong.
Now tolerance means I must affirm you, I must approve of you, and I can never object to your actions at all. That is modern society’s idea of tolerance.
1. Who knowing...
a. Who?-- Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;---- those who suppress the Truth—which includes those who hide the Gospel instead of proclaiming it in the full counsel of God.
(1) Who? Lost people who tolerate wickedness because they want their own wickedness tolerated.
(2) Who? Lost Church members, who want a little hell insurance, and who won’t take a stand because they have nothing to stand on.
(3) Who? Saved people—Saved people who have not been properly taught, Saved people with no leadership, Saved people who are just plain being disobedient toward God.
b. Knowing—
(1) The voice of conscience, not totally quiet even in a degenerate society—Rom 2:15
(2) The Bible—many unbelievers are fully aware of what the Bible teaches about sin, yet they do it anyway, and reject the Gospel anyway.
(3) Believers—we certainly should know, and our silence and suppression of the Truth is inexcusable.
c. The Righteous Judgment of God—God’s judgment is right—He is always right and just in whatever He does
(1) The Satanic impulse—to challenge God’s authority—Is 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer… 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
(2) This is the same temptation Adam and Eve succumbed to—to be God, to have their own way.
d. Those who commit such things....
(1) "Commit" = Practice--(prasso, pras'-so: to "practice", i.e. perform repeatedly or habitually
(2) "Such things"--"...do those things which are not fitting;" (NKJV) unrighteousness--(legal) injustice, wrongfulness (of character, life or act):--iniquity, unjust, wrong.
(3) "...Are worthy of death..." The death penalty for backbiting? Yes, the ultimate death penalty!
2. The Sin of Toleration of Evil -- "..., not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them...."-- For the Bible-believing Christian, toleration of evil is friendship with the world, which is sin.
a. James 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
b. Not only do--those who tolerate various kinds of evil usually have something in their closet too.
c. Have pleasure in them--approve of them—the sin of toleration.
d. What I do NOT mean—Condemnation of persons, Violent behavior or unloving confrontation, Pettiness
e. What I do mean:
(1) Loving the sinner, but hating and rebuking sin—John 4:15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." 17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,'18 "for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."
(2) John 8:10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
(3) We not only are allowed to take a stand on moral issues, we are commanded to be salt and light in this world.
(4) Taking a stand on moral issues, Taking a stand on wickedness, Not being quiet and going along to get, along. Not wishing people well in their sin—this is what we are supposed to be.
3. Tolerance Of Evil is Heresy
a. This stress on toleration is a lie—when it comes to the Christian being tolerant of sin and of societal disintegration, we are NOT to be tolerant of evil, and we may make no peace with evil.
b. If we take no stand, we really have taken a stand—we have declared to the world that we do not care, and we have tacitly approved wickedness.
c. As this passage in Romans 1 has condemned the sin of mankind, as this passage has told us of the wrath of God revealed from heaven against the sin of man, as God has specified in detail the sins with which He is most displeased, we come now to the saddest sin of all—toleration of sin by people who know better.
d. How do we tolerate sin?
(1) We tolerate sin when we speak in favor of it, or at least tolerantly of it.
(i) “Well, that’s just the way they are, it is not mine to judge whether that is right or wrong.”
(ii) “Well, I know what they are doing is wrong, but it isn’t my place to tell them.”
(2) We tolerate sin when we say or do nothing—
4. The Bible’s Hall of Shame of Toleraters
a. Adam —Gen 3:1-6
(1) The tolerance
(2) The Results
b. Abraham with Hagar
(1) The tolerance—God had never told Abraham nor Sarah to take the direction they did with Hagar
(2) The Results—4,000 years of civil war—and the whole world is now suffering from this family feud
c. Lot
(1) The Tolerance
(a) First, he pitched his tent “Toward” Sodom
(b) Then He was a resident of the city
(c) Then he was the mayor.
(2) Result—total ruination of his family and his testimony.
d. Eli’s weak and tepid rebuke of his own sons
(1) A prophet had come to Eli to warn him, but he had done nothing.
(2) Even after the grossest of sins of his sons were revealed to him, he gave a mild rebuke and did nothing—(1 Sam 2:22-24) "Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 23 So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. 24 "No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord's people transgress."
e. Samuel’s Sons were Likewise evil—1 Sam 8:1-5
(1) Amazing, after seeing the same thing happen to Eli’s sons, Samuel let the same thing grown in his household
(2) How could he have done better? It is no shame to have a prodigal son or a son with “issues…”—but it is something else indeed to make them the spiritual and political leaders of Israel!
f. David was tolerant with his own sin (for a season), and the consequences nearly ruined his reign and his family.
g. David with Absalom
(1) Absalom was a rebellious, vain, evil man.
(2) David loved him above his other sons
(3) Even when Absalom rebelled and David defeated the conspiracy, during which battle Absalom died, and David mourned, not for his supporters who died to defend his reign, but for his rebellious son, who had publicly humiliated him, and who would have gladly seen David dead—1 Kings 18:32-19:7
h. Solomon with himself, The People of Isaiah’s day, The People of Jeremiah’s day
i. Many of the good kings of Judah, such as Jehoshophat, who allied himself with Ahab, the evil king of the Northern Tribes.
j. The churches of Asia—Rev 2:12-29—Thyatira and Pergamos.
5. Examples of Those who did NOT Tolerate
a. Moses
b. Some of the kings (Josiah, for instance)
c. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, etc.
d. Our Lord, during His earthly ministry and now.
e. The Holy Spirit, who is grieved at our sins.
f. Paul
g. A couple of the churches in Asia—Philadelphia (The Good Church) and Ephesus (who had leaned on the other direction)
h. But most supremely, it was our God who did not tolerate evil, who does not tolerate evil, who cannot tolerate evil and who will not tolerate evil
(Psa 99:9) "Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy."
(Isa 6:3) "And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!""
(Hab 1:13) "You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he?"
(Rev 4:8) "The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!""
(1) This is why the cross was a requirement
(2) This is why the Lake of fire is real and permanent.
i. The bottom line for believers is that we should not tolerate evil in our lives, our families, our community, our nation, or our church.
(1) Toleration of sin within ourselves, without examination, discovery, confession, and repentance, opens us to attacks from the enemy and chastisement from the Father.
(2) The Family
(a) Personal tolerance of ungodly behavior in ourselves undermines your leadership at home.
(b) Tolerance of evil and rebellious behavior in our children will bring the fruits of misery to those children later on.
(c) Young people, if your parents are tough on you, it is from Godly love for you and a concern for your future.
(3) The community—Christians should be ever-vigilant about the moral state of the community in which they live. In a place like this one, that which the believers won’t put up with, will be changed.
(4) The same goes on a national level. The evidence that most American church goers are truly lost is to be found in what our nation puts up with.
(5) Finally, the church.
(a) A church that has no care for the true spiritual state of its people is a church mired in false tolerance
(b) Believers need to be held accountable for their lives, and the Bible both requires this and tells us how to do it.
(c) If the behavior of the members of the church is a negative witness in the community, it is the fault of the church.
(d) If a church has a small group that messes up life for the rest of the church, it is because that church tolerates that situation.
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