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An Intolerant God February 28, 2009 • By Ed Wrather 02.27.09
"Just as I determined to punish you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath," says the Lord of hosts, "and I would not relent, so again in these days I am determined to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear. These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace; let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; and do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate," says the Lord. - Zechariah 8:17.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. - John 3:16.
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:13-16.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. - Hebrews 12:1.
We hear it more and more often that we must be tolerant. We are told we should be tolerant of alternative lifestyles and non-Christian religions. In the United States we appear to be headed toward court orders and legislative directives to enforce this tolerance. In Dunbar, West Virginia the First Baptist Church was having a "Haunted Hollow" at the Wine Cellar City Park. During a 45-minute tour short skits were performed demonstrating the hazards of sin. The church dropped one of the skits negative to homosexuality because of the complaints of some citizens. However, the Wiccans were still upset threatening to go to court because of what they called a negative portrayal of their religion (This all happened several years ago and the environment for Christians has continued to deteriorate.). It does appear to be proof that you cannot please everyone.
The fact is that our God is intolerant. The One True God is intolerant of homosexuality and witchcraft. But it is unfair to single those two sins out because our God is intolerant of all sins. Actually, God hates sin! "For all these things I hate, says the Lord." God hates sin so much that He "spared not His own Son (Romans 8:32)." What terrible thing caused God’s Son to die an excruciating death on that cruel, cold, Roman cross? It was sin! God hated sin so much that He sent this One who knew no sin to become sin for us. God knew that it was only through His Son, Jesus, that we might have Victory over this terrible disease of sin.
Yes, God loves us (John 3:16) but He still hates sin. As His children we love the sinners, but we too should hate the sin. We should hate the sin so much that we should oppose it at every turn (Matthew 5:13). We should hate sin so much that we tell others about God’s love of sinners and hate of sin (Matthew 5:14-16). We should hate sin so much that we "lay" it "aside" (Hebrews 12:1). We should hate the sin so much that when we sin, we immediately confess it to our Lord so that we may be forgiven and cleansed of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).  Visitor Comments (0) Be the first to post a comment! Are you a Christian gurner, mentally distorting the Word of God to fit your life, and your circumstances? Those who are not led by the Spirit of God will dig up evil. The works of the "flesh" and the "works of darkness" could be compared to weeds. Instead of weeds in a flower bed, they are weeds in our lives. |
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