03/18/2026
โTwo definitions today โ Tolerate: โto allow the existence or practice of something one does not necessarily like or agree with, without interference.โ Tolerance: โthe willingness to tolerate.โ Many are using these definitions to conclude that loving well is accepting everything about others โ no questions asked, no other opinions discussed, no changes necessary. Tolerance has become a new โvirtueโ and many say it should be one that defines a Christian. But is that Godโs Truth? Is He always tolerant? In many ways He is; we should all be very grateful He loves us unconditionally. BUT God is certainly intolerant of sin. God loved Adam and Eve but they came to know His intolerance after disobeying His one command given to them and were then banned from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). People were wiped out by Godโs flood in Noahโs day because of repetitive disobedience (Noah 6:9-22). Uzzah disobeyed God (even though some might say what he did seemed to be for a good, logical reason) and God struck him dead (2Samuel 6:6-7; Numbers 4:1-6,15). Even if you arenโt biblically literate, you might remember S***m and Gomorrah โ a city God destroyed because of peopleโs continued sinful ways (Genesis 18:20, Genesis 19:24-25). God unconditionally loved these people BUT He didnโt just look the other way when they disobeyed Him. God wonโt tolerate continued sin; He will punish it in His Justice. Iโve heard people say โThose things are true but that was in the Old Testament. We now have Jesus who took our sins away. We donโt have to worry about that anymore.โ We donโt? What do we do then with what Jesus says in Matthew 10:14-15: โAnd if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the Day of Judgment for the land of S***m and Gomorrah than for that town.โ Jesus warns thereโs a bigger judgment coming than the one He placed on S***m and Gomorrah for those who reject His ways, His teaching, and the preachers of His Gospel. There IS and WILL be Justice. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus warns many will say they knew Him, only to be rejected by Him for not following His ways: โI will tell them plainly, โI never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!โ Luke 13:22-27 says, rather than being welcomed into Heaven, theyโll find themselves in a place of tortuous โweeping and gnashing of teeth.โ The entire Bible tells of our God who absolutely loves people BUT who wonโt tolerate evil doing (sin) BECAUSE of His Love for them. Scripture warns that our loving God is also a โjustโ God (Isaiah 30:18) and a โjustโ God wonโt tolerate evil as tolerating evil would deny His Justice. God must punish evil BECAUSE Heโs good โ if good tolerated evil, good would no longer be good as evil would prevail. Refusing to tolerate sin is a fundamental part of correctly loving others as God loves. A loving parent disciplines bad behavior because they know children are focused on their own desires, unaware of dangers their actions could bring. A good, loving parent protectively focuses on their childโs well-being, just as the Heavenly Father does with His Children. God sent His Son Jesus to redeem us, to pay the ultimate price for our sin, giving us the crucial choice of accepting and following Jesus for our well-being โ or not. My friend, Godโs Redemptive Love trumps all-encompassing tolerance. Loving people as God loves doesnโt accept and embrace their every choice. We truly love people well when we help call them out of sinful choices into a redemptive, mutual, loving relationship with the Savior of the world, Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:14-16, John 3:16-21). Godโs Love might be considered intolerant in todayโs world, not being the worldโs definition of how to love well, BUT itโs the truest form of Love. Itโs Godโs Love (James 5:19-20) and itโs also what Godโs followers are called to do.โ
carol deunsanio