I have always considered myself a person who is open minded. In the past few years, I have revised my viewpoints. I’m finding that if I become open-minded over all things then I would be betraying God.  With all the things going on in the world, as a Christian, I feel like I need to show respect and at the same time be cautious when it comes to various things that are against the teachings of Christ. The best route to take is to hold fast to the Truth, while being compassionate. Jesus states in 1 John1:14 that we should be like Jesus, we must be willing to offer mercy and grace.

A friend of mine posted what they feel when it comes to tolerance that I wholeheartedly agree with. Pastor Bernie Larson said:

A lot is said today about tolerance. People plead for broad-mindedness,tolerance and charity. In some sense we need understanding and charity.In the Christian experience, there is a need for intolerance in certain areas.
In some things, Jesus Christ was the most tolerant Person who ever lived-but in other things, He was the most intolerant. He was intolerant toward hypocrisy,selfishness and toward sin. He was tolerant toward the sinner, but intolerant toward the evil that enslaves the sinner.
He was narrow about the way of salvation. See Matt.7:13,14.” Enter by the narrow gate…. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life.” Only the way of the cross leads home to heaven! Bernie

Some have wondered how Jesus can be loving and truthful and at the same time be intolerant.

We live in a world that has all forms of religion and faiths. While we must live in harmony with those of other faiths, we must also remember that our eyes and hearts are focused on Christ alone. I have friends and family members that aren’t Christians and they come from many different viewpoints. When I am around others that don’t worship or believe God, I try to make sure to not be hateful or judgmental.  As a Christian, I am committed to following Jesus Christ and the truths that have been revealed by God.  There are many religions that have been deceived by faiths that are corrupting our hearts and minds. It is as if mankind has been infected by a virus that’s deadlier than Ebola.  I have found that I pretty much have no problem letting others know what I believe.

I get rather ticked off when people worship another god instead of the God in the Bible. They say they are worshiping the same God, but in reality they are far from God. They say we needed to be united no matter what the differences are is pure hogwash and dangerous thinking. I know they have free will. But! When I hear pastors or church leaders say that we must accept all people for who they are no matter what they believe has me cautious of that pastor or church leader. There are a few church leaders that are OK with the “Everything is OK as long as we come together and unite as one thought”.  There was a time when I had no problem dealing with other religions organizations. I figured it was a good thing to work together for a higher purpose for the sake of community. Reality hit me smack dab in my gut and I’m not at the same place mentally or spiritually any longer.

We are told that we need to love our neighbors and our enemies. I have a tad bit of a problem with that one. In reality hating them won’t get me far.  I don’t think we should be tolerant if what they are believing doesn’t line up with the Bible. When it comes to false teaching and doctrines,  we shouldn’t  just say, “OK, you can believe that.” When people believe in false gods, they are lost. There comes a time when you need to talk to the person/group about who God really is and what the Bible has to say. Just because someone may have good intentions or they are a good person, it doesn’t matter if you don’t accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

As I close out this blog post, I just want to say that as Christians, we aren’t suppose to accept or support false religions. There is no fence sitting. When it comes to being a child of God and a child of the devil, there is no common ground. You cannot worship God and Satan at the same time. You either are or your not, no in betweens. While I respect other peoples view points, I will somewhat respect their free will since anyone has the right to worship whoever they choose or not at all. But and this is a big but, I will not compromisee when it comes to my faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only way. When it comes to my faith in Jesus Christ and the Bible being the inspired Word of God, I would say I am narrow minded. I will not allow false teaching and doctrines to enter my brain or heart. My pastor did a pretty awesome sermon on this topic recently. This sermon has got to be one of my favorite ones that Pastor Ray shared with us. Pastor Ray was spot on…

When it comes to tolerance in the Bible it means to allow sin and evil to exist without doing anything to stop it. Look at what the Prophet Habakkuk said about God, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong” (Hab 1:13).  Sin can be forgiven, but it is never tolerated. God commands us to forgive, but He never encourages us to tolerate sin. There is a clear difference.