To some the approach to the ills of society is found in their desire to be tolerant of all people. This too appeals to many good Christians. After all, we must be all things to all people in order to save some. Paul gave us this truth in his first letter to the church in Corinth: “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22 NASB)
But this does not mean that we have been given license to do whatever we want, and accept all behavior in the name of tolerance. This same Paul warns us in his second letter to Timothy: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3, 4 NASB)
We become all things to all men in order to see them turn to Christ. This means that while we are being all things we must continue to maintain sound doctrine. People today, in general, do not want to hear sound doctrine. Instead they merely want to have their own desires, their own behavior, given acceptance. They want their desires to be tolerated.
As Christians we are to live by faith. We are in essence free to live as we please, but Paul warns us: “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13 NASB) So we can be all things to all men, but we must always remember the rest of that verse, “so that I may by all means save some.” This freedom we have to live as we please must not be used to satisfy our own desires, but as a means to love and serve one another so that we can lead them to Christ. It is not tolerance that we are told to seek; love is our admonition.
And we are also told by Christ Himself not to judge others lest we ourselves be judged by those same standards. We find this admonition in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount: “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1, 2 NASB)
So tolerance is seen as a something any good Christian should support. Yet using Christ’s words in this way ignores the many other instances in the Bible where we are told it is sometimes necessary to point out the wrongs of others. The Gospel of John tells us that we are “not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24 NASB). In other words we are supposed to judge, but only through the power of the Word of God, and so that those we judge will turn to God.
So, though tolerance on its face seems Christ like, and therefore a political position Christians can feel comfortable in supporting, it is wrong when used as an excuse to overlook sinful behavior. This kind of tolerance is quite the opposite of Christian love. We judge certain behaviors, not because we hate the people who practice them, but because we are called to love them. And we show our love for them by pointing out behavior that will lead to eternity without God. Judgment that leads to repentance is perfectly acceptable, and without a doubt biblical.