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In twenty-first century society culture might be defined as “tolerant” or “politically correct.” When pushed this mindset affirms that someone short should be called “vertically challenged” and a garbage man should be referred to as a “sanitation engineer.” And even a thief isn’t actually a thief (that might offend someone!), he is merely “ethically disoriented.” Tolerant ideology shows its cracks when traffic signs are produced in Braille so as not to offend the blind!

Politically correct extremes can even creep into the evangelical Christian church under the scriptural banner of “judge not lest ye be judged.” That is, it’s easy to think that Christian “love” excludes intolerance. Though no Christian should desire to flippantly judge, when we tolerate what God does not we have imbibed the culture we ought to affect.

Many Christians oppose divergent moral behavior (at least in theory). In the name of “grace” or “mercy,” however, these believers will tolerate doctrinal divergence. Though the apostle Jude admonished first century Christians to “contend earnestly for the faith” perhaps most of us prefer to comfort rather than to contend. In tune with Jude, however, Paul also implored the church to be intolerant toward doctrinal divergence:

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (Rom 16:17-18).

Regarding the term mark them in the preceding passage esteemed expositor James Strong notes that the phrase means “to take aim at.” Is it possible that Paul, the gentle apostle of grace, wanted believers to “take aim at” leaders within the Christian faith? When considered through the lens of modern “tolerance” notions such an idea does indeed seem offensive. Paul, however, demonstrated the lost Christian virtue of intolerance when he cautioned Timothy regarding Hymenaeus and Philetus whose doctrines “will spread like gangrene.”

Can you imagine the reaction a preacher today might receive if he said that another Christian leader’s doctrine “will spread like gangrene?” It’s easy to believe that Paul’s intolerance was probably always directed at some fringe teacher. Kindly consider, however, another example of Paul openly rebuking the most prominent church leader of early Christianity:

When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs (Gal 2:14).

In Galatians 2:14 Paul critiqued Peter because when trusted preachers proclaim errors others are mislead. Being intolerant toward doctrinal deviations isn’t sympathetic with modern live and let live ideology, but it is biblical. Even the Christians at the church of Pergamum in Rev. 2:15 did not need to guess about whose teaching to avoid. “You have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam,” warned the Lord, “who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality.”

In contemporary Christianity gracious tolerance at the expense of doctrinal integrity is often held as a virtue. In the bible, however, Jesus insists that His church test its leaders and practice the virtue of intolerance toward those who err. Tolerating an errant leader in the church of Thyatira the Christians there garnered the believers there a reproof which echoed through the generations:

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols (Rev 2:20).

As Jezebel (and even Peter) were tolerated though they misled many early Christians, teachers who occupy mainstream, popular pulpits today are tolerated though they too lead the children of God astray. And in contrast to the just coexist secular slogans which can seem so “Christian” the only item on the menu is biblical intolerance as our modern pulpits are polluted and our spiritual cisterns are dry.

Last 5 posts by Daniel LaLond Jr.

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