Tolerance and Love

I recently was struck by the fundamental difference between tolerance and love.  Tolerance, to endure or allow what is not wholly approved, to bear or put up with, can be done with love as the motivation.  But tolerance in itself can be merely external and with effort can be accomplished politely whilst hatred is concealed within.  From a young age we learn to comply with directives from parents, teachers, bullies, rules or laws we think are silly, and we are conditioned to be tolerant of differences.  Tolerance has its place in a diverse society to be sure yet should never be confused with the love of God which is to mark the lives of Christians.

Love which is produced by the presence of the Holy Spirit is a defining characteristic of followers of Jesus Christ.  Paul exhorted in Romans 13:8, "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."  Those who have been born again through faith in Christ are empowered to love others, and this is practically experienced through divine power and personal choice.  I freely confess many times I unwittingly substituted tolerance for love and good manners for kindness and compassion.  The irony is we can be proud of our tolerance of other people when our efforts fall woefully short of the grace and mercy God has shown us.  Because of God's love due to His goodness--not our worthiness--He gave Himself for our salvation and deliverance from the death we deserve.

In a world which touts tolerance as a great virtue, in a society which idolises individuality that conforms to their passions (and ironically savages who they deem intolerant), God's love transcends all the selfishness, fear, and pressure of this age.  The world tolerates those who conform to their ever-shifting standards, but praise the LORD He brings transformation of our hearts through the Gospel which is true and endures.  As Christians in a secular world there is a degree of tolerance required to navigate this world peaceably (as much as depends upon us according to Romans 12:8), and at the same time ensure we do not tolerate the sin of putting up with people instead of loving them like God does.  Believers walking in love towards people who share little to nothing in common is a way God has made for His love to be revealed.

If we will obey the numerous "one another" commands in scripture, it means we must walk in God's love as we spend time with other people who have different personalities, convictions, and perspectives.  In one local church alone there is a shocking amount of diversity between the various members because of backgrounds, beliefs, age, and interests, yet all are united by faith in Jesus Christ.  As unique members of the body of Christ it is fitting the hand should love the foot as they work together as part of the church.  It is not the Law of Moses but the love of God which unites and governs us, and walking in love is to be a primary aim as is written in 1 Peter 1:22-23, "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ²³ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever..."

Tolerance has its place in our world, but it is never an adequate substitute for God's active love.

The Price of Neglect

God can use things like simple yardwork to convey spiritual truth.  I spent the morning chopping down a rogue jasmine vine which had taken over several plants in the vicinity.  I realised the lush green which blanketed the area was a jasmine vine which quickly spread.  Most likely it wasn't that the vine that grew so quickly, but a demonstration of the high price of neglect.

Truth be told, I am a low-maintenance gardener.  My focus had been on the turf while the vine slowly crept, twisting around other plants, choking out light and nutrients.  The result of passing glances without closer inspection resulted in not realising how prolific the jasmine vine had become:  the fresh green looked healthy but hid problems.  Attacking the jasmine brought my attention to a hollowed out bottle-brush tree and a bush which was also overgrown.  It was easy to chop off the shoots but the root stock is a solid mass.  Because of the limited size of my bin trimming and removal of the plants and roots will take weeks.

The high price of neglect doesn't only present itself in a garden but in the health of our body, soul, and relationships with God and others.  The dangerous thing about neglecting these attributes of life is how subtle they can be and how extensive the damage can be when all seems well.  It is good for us to realise regular effort of maintenance is far less costly and labour intensive than working to overcome neglect.  And sometimes neglect can inflict damage so severe no amount of work can reverse it.  Neglected homes, marriages, and physical health can be ruined beyond repair.

God is gracious to teach us lessons through overgrown vines to work on marriage or physical fitness.  Assuming green growth was a healthy signal caused neglect of what needed serious attention underneath.  Our intentions and habits need to be cleared away often to examine the condition of our hearts.  Thankfulness to God for all He has provided directs us to best maintain the things of life which matter most.

The Unpurged Sin

Unlike men who can be all talk with decent intentions, God always finishes what He starts.  He explained this in His revelation to Samuel concerning the judgment He would bring upon Eli and his house in 1 Samuel 3:12:  "In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end."  God's Word is true concerning judgment but also our sanctification and glorification as partakers of God's grace in Philippians 1:6, "...being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ...".  God is the first and last, the beginning to end, and our only Way to eternal life with Him.

If we desire to experience eternal life in heaven, we must have our sins atoned for whilst on earth.  Consider the far-reaching implications of sin concerning Eli in 1 Samuel 3:13-14:  "For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. ¹⁴ And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever."  That is a most heavy statement because the weight of sin's guilt is eternal.  Eli would be judged according to his knowledge, and though he knew the sinfulness of his sons he did not restrain them.  God said for this reason the iniquity of Eli's house would not be purged with sacrifice or offering forever.  This is the place all sinners share in common, for without repentance there is no atonement possible.

This flies in the face of humanistic philosophy which says there must be something good or acceptable in us.  It is viewed as offensive and unfair to claim there is absolutely nothing a person can do to earn good standing with God, yet God has spoken.  God also done the miraculous, having provided the Way of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour.  There was atonement possible for Eli under Law, but God knew his heart.  He did not ask to be forgiven; he did not humble himself before God in confession.  There remained hope of forgiveness and deliverance for Eli and his house if they would put away their sin and seek the LORD in humility:  if God would relent from destroying the wicked of Nineveh wouldn't He hear the cries of the high priest?

What was true of Eli the high priest is also true concerning all people:  without repentance and atonement there can be no forgiveness.  But if we will confess our sins we can be forgiven on the basis of God's justice as is written in 1 John 1:8-9:  "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Repentance and seeking the LORD is a good work God enables us to do by His grace.  We all started our lives born into sin, and let us seek to finish them walking in humble agreement with our God.  Isaiah 55:7 says, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

Better Than Grapes of Eshcol

I hadn't planned on posting today, but sometimes things God reveals are too amazing and exciting to keep to yourself!  I am always delighted to discover new things in what was familiar like when Jesus spoke from the cross, "My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?" and I learned He was reciting the first line of Psalm 22.  Realising Psalm 22 was connected to Jesus the Messiah who suffered on Calvary deepened my understanding of the pointed statement Jesus made to orthodox Jews which was previously lost on me.  He spoke in the hearing of people who fulfilled the word verbatim written by David a thousand years before in their accusations against Him.

After God brought the children out of Egypt with mighty wonders, at His command Moses sent one ruler of each tribe into Canaan to spy out the land God had given them.  After surveying the land for 40 days, taking stock of strongholds, fortifications, and the people, the spies brought back ripe fruit of the land.  Numbers 13:23-24 says, "Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there."  The 12 spies returned with good fruit of the land but 10 of them gave a bad report because they were afraid of the mighty people who dwelt there.  Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes, exhorting the people to trust God and enter in.  Tragically unbelief prevailed and God swore that generation would not enter in.

Fast forward 40 years later after the death of the high priest Aaron, Moses the servant of God, and the entire generation which did not believe.  Joshua sent two spies to spy out the land--especially Jericho.  These spies went to the house of a harlot named Rahab, a residence where the coming and going of men was like clockwork.  The king was alerted to the presence of these foreigners and he commanded Rahab produce the men.  It turned out Rahab was an unexpected ally despite being an alien of the commonwealth of Israel and a harlot:  she protected the men and hid them because she feared God, convinced the God of the Hebrews was the only God and would overthrow Jericho.  After sending the king's men on a merry chase in the wrong direction, she said in Joshua 2:16:  "Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way."

Before she let the spies down through the window by a scarlet cord to escape, Rahab begged she and her family would be spared when the Hebrews stormed the city.  The safety of Rabah and her family was agreed upon by the spies on three conditions:  she was not to discuss the business of the spies, was to continue to hang the scarlet rope from her window, and all who would be saved needed to remain in her home.  If these conditions were broken so the spies would be free of their promise to save her and her family.  Joshua 2:22-24 says, "They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them. ²³ So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. ²⁴ And they said to Joshua, "Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us."

Joshua 6 tells of the fall of the accursed city Jericho and how Rahab and her entire family was indeed spared.  What we are not told in Joshua is the woman who was once a harlot and without child in Jericho later married a man of Judah named Salmon and gave birth to a son.  We read in the New Testament of the lineage of Jesus Christ Matthew 1:5 says:  "Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse..."  Not only was the life of Rahab spared but she joined together with the Jewish people in the fear of God and was the great-great-grandmother of King David.  Can you fathom the depths of God's grace, to reward faith in Him with such fruitfulness?

Moses sent 12 spies and they brought back the fruit of the land:  only two brought a favourable report.  Joshua sent two spies and they brought back word of good fruit of another and more enduring kind.  In an accursed place fit for destruction they discovered a harlot who heard of God's mighty works and believed Him--unlike the 10 faithless spies who refused to enter in.  A Gentile woman exhibited faith in God, protected them, and begged for salvation.  It is no coincidence they were told to wait in a mountain three days, even as Jesus after His crucifixion and death remained buried in a tomb and rose on the third day, bringing life and salvation to all who trust in Him.  Do you see it?  Better than the grapes of Eshcol was the report of the faith of Rahab and the gracious God who is victorious and able to save those under the curse of sin and death.

The grapes of Eshcol were bountiful and refreshing, but infinitely more fruitful is faith which moves us to love and obey God.  Those who ate of the grapes were soon hungry and thirsty for more, but those who abide in the Vine Jesus Christ bear much lasting fruit for the kingdom of God.  The life of Rahab is a testimony of the overcoming victory of our faith through Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 11:31 says, "By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace."  Those who receive the Prince of Peace Jesus will not perish but have eternal life--life that can be retained and passed on to others by the power of the Gospel.  Like Rahab our sins have been many, and we who have been forgiven much ought to love God much.