Is Tolerance A Burden? What Does The Bible Tell Us About It? Sometimes it feels like being tolerant takes so much out of us as human beings. Therefore we must understand what the Bible teaches us about tolerance.
Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: John 12:47 And if any man hears my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
Ephesians 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. The Bible tells us that we must be tolerant and do so in love irrespective of our personal beliefs.
2 Timothy 4:1-2 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company if any man called a brother and be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no not to eat. Here the Bible clarifies those we should not exercise tolerance among.
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to answer every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine you have learned; and avoid them. Although tolerance is essential to God, he also gave us instructions on not being tolerant.
Revelation 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them, liars:
Ephesians 4:30-32 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Matthew 5:44-45 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
1 Corinthians 6:1-4 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if you shall rule the world, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How many are more things about this life? If then ye have judgments of things about this life, set them to consider who are least esteemed in the church.
Proverbs 12:16 A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame. Matthew 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Tolerance is not a burden; it is how God gave us the ability to love our fellowmen. It also gave us specific information in which we shall not exercise tolerance, and if we follow the words of God, we will know when and how to be tolerant with our fellow human beings.