WHEN IS TOLERANCE WRONG?

Must Christians Accept Everything in Order to Love Everyone?

TEXT B4 TRADITION — Read First. Conclude Later.

Tolerance is often described as a virtue. We are encouraged to respect differences, accept other people's choices, and avoid judging those who disagree with us.

There is much to appreciate in that advice.

Christians should not mistreat people because they believe differently. We should listen before speaking, treat others fairly, and remember that we, too, can be mistaken.

But does tolerance mean that every belief must be accepted as true? Does loving someone require us to approve everything that person does?

And is there a point at which tolerance itself becomes wrong?

The answer depends on what we are being asked to tolerate—and what Scripture actually teaches about it.

But there is another question we must consider throughout this study:

What does genuine love require us to do?

1. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY TOLERANCE?

The word tolerance can describe several different attitudes.

We may tolerate someone's presence, respect that person's freedom to disagree, or patiently endure behavior we find unpleasant.

But tolerance can also be used to mean approval: that we must regard every belief and practice as equally acceptable.

These are not the same thing.

A Christian can respect another person's right to believe something without agreeing that the belief is true.

We can treat people with dignity without approving every decision they make.

Consider how Jesus treated people.

He ate with tax collectors and sinners. When religious leaders criticized him, he explained:

"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." — Mark 2:17, WEB

Jesus welcomed people whom others rejected.

But his willingness to associate with them did not mean that he approved of everything they believed or practiced.

Consider Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1–10.

Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector. When Jesus announced that he would visit his home, the crowd complained that Jesus was associating with a sinner.

But what happened?

Zacchaeus declared that he would give half his possessions to the poor and repay fourfold anyone he had cheated.

Jesus then said:

"Today, salvation has come to this house." — Luke 19:9, WEB

Jesus did not refuse to associate with Zacchaeus because of his reputation.

Neither did Zacchaeus conclude that his former conduct was acceptable.

His response demonstrated a willingness to change.

Jesus demonstrated compassion without abandoning truth.

He accepted people whom others rejected, but he also called people to repentance.

2. WHEN DOES THE BIBLE REQUIRE TOLERANCE?

Before asking when tolerance is wrong, we should recognize that Scripture sometimes requires Christians to accept differences.

Romans 14 provides an important example.

Some Christians believed they could eat all kinds of food. Others believed they should eat only vegetables.

Some regarded particular days as special. Others regarded all days alike.

Paul did not tell them to divide into competing groups.

Instead, he wrote:

"Now accept one who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions." — Romans 14:1, WEB

And later:

"Who are you who judge another's servant?" — Romans 14:4, WEB

Paul recognized that Christians could disagree about certain practices while remaining faithful to the same Lord.

Neither group had authority to make its personal conviction a requirement for everyone else.

This raises an important question:

Are we defending something God has commanded, or are we demanding that others accept our own judgment?

That distinction matters because a practice may offend our customs, upbringing, or religious traditions without violating a command of God.

We should not call something sinful merely because it makes us uncomfortable.

Romans 14 teaches us to recognize the difference.

Sometimes tolerance is not a compromise with wrongdoing.

Sometimes it is obedience to God's instruction to accept one another.

3. WHEN DOES TOLERANCE BECOME WRONG?

The New Testament also describes situations in which tolerance was condemned.

Consider the church at Corinth.

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul addressed a man living in a sexual relationship that violated God's standards.

Rather than confronting the situation, the congregation had become proud.

Paul wrote:

"Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump?" — 1 Corinthians 5:6, WEB

Paul was not discussing an honest disagreement about food or special days.

He was addressing conduct that he identified as serious wrongdoing.

The congregation's failure to act was not a demonstration of love. It allowed the situation to continue without correction.

Notice, however, that Paul distinguished between those inside the church and those outside it.

In 1 Corinthians 5:12–13, he explained that the church's responsibility for correcting its own members was different from its relationship with people outside the church.

Christians are not authorized to police the lives of everyone around them.

The passage concerns accountability among those who claim to follow Christ.

That is an important limitation.

Paul also explained the purpose of corrective action.

In 1 Corinthians 5:5, he described a severe measure intended ultimately for the man's salvation.

And in 2 Corinthians 2:6–8, Paul urged the congregation to forgive, comfort, and reaffirm love toward a disciplined person. The passage does not explicitly identify that person as the man in 1 Corinthians 5, so we should not assume they were the same individual.

Nevertheless, the principle is clear.

Correction must not become an excuse for cruelty.

Its purpose should be the spiritual good of the person involved and the faithfulness of the congregation.

4. JESUS REBUKED A CHURCH FOR TOLERANCE

Revelation 2 contains another example.

Jesus addressed the church at Thyatira. He praised its love, faith, service, and perseverance.

But he also said:

"But I have this against you, that you tolerate your woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess." — Revelation 2:20, WEB

The woman was teaching and misleading Christians into practices Jesus condemned.

The problem was not simply that someone held a different opinion.

The congregation was allowing teaching that led people away from faithfulness to Christ.

Jesus did not praise that tolerance.

He rebuked it.

But we must recognize something important: Jesus knew that the teaching was wrong.

When we confront teaching today, we must demonstrate from Scripture why it is wrong rather than simply declare that it is.

Our certainty does not make our interpretation correct.

5. DOES CORRECTING SOMEONE MEAN WE ARE JUDGING THEM?

Some people respond to any moral correction by quoting Jesus:

"Don't judge, so that you won't be judged." — Matthew 7:1, WEB

But what did Jesus mean?

In Matthew 7:3–5, Jesus described someone trying to remove a speck from another person's eye while ignoring a beam in his own.

He condemned hypocritical judgment.

Yet after instructing the person to remove the beam from his own eye, Jesus said that he would then see clearly enough to remove the speck from his brother's eye.

Jesus did not forbid all correction.

He required us to examine ourselves first.

Elsewhere, Jesus said:

"Don't judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment." — John 7:24, WEB

These statements are not contradictory.

Jesus condemned careless, hypocritical judgment while requiring righteous judgment.

We must judge teachings and conduct by God's revealed standards—not by appearances, personal dislike, or assumptions about someone's heart.

6. HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS CORRECT ERROR?

Even when Scripture establishes that something is wrong, it does not give us permission to treat people badly.

Paul wrote:

"The Lord's servant must not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient, in gentleness correcting those who oppose him." — 2 Timothy 2:24–25, WEB

Notice what Paul requires.

Correction should involve teaching, patience, and gentleness.

It should not be an opportunity to humiliate someone or prove our superiority.

Peter gave similar instructions:

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear." — 1 Peter 3:15, WEB

The Christian's responsibility is not merely to reach the right conclusion.

We must also communicate that conclusion in a way consistent with Christ's teaching.

An insult is not an argument.

Ridicule is not evidence.

And speaking more loudly does not make our interpretation more biblical.

7. WHAT IF WE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE WRONG?

Here is a question that every Bible teacher should consider.

What happens when we condemn something God has not condemned?

Jesus confronted religious leaders who treated human traditions as though they were divine commands.

He said:

"You have made the commandment of God void because of your tradition." — Matthew 15:6, WEB

Their mistake was not a lack of religious conviction.

They were deeply committed to their beliefs.

But they had confused their traditions with God's authority.

Christians can make the same mistake today.

We may inherit a teaching, repeat it for years, and become so convinced that it is correct that we stop examining the Scriptures.

That is why the people of Berea provide such an important example.

Acts 17:11 says they examined the Scriptures daily to determine whether Paul's teaching was true.

If Paul's preaching could be examined against Scripture, surely our teaching should be examined as well.

Before condemning someone for disagreeing with us, we should be able to demonstrate that our position comes from Scripture.

And we should be willing to reconsider it when the evidence requires us to do so.

8. DOES LOVING SOMEONE REQUIRE APPROVAL?

No.

Love does not require us to pretend that everything is right.

But neither does disagreement give us permission to stop loving.

Paul wrote:

"Love is patient and is kind." — 1 Corinthians 13:4, WEB

He also wrote:

"Doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth." — 1 Corinthians 13:6, WEB

These statements belong together.

Love is kind.

Love rejoices with truth.

If we abandon kindness in the name of truth, we have neglected part of God's instruction.

If we abandon truth in the name of kindness, we have neglected another part.

Christians are not required to choose between them.

AGAPE LOVE: WHAT IS BEST FOR THE OTHER PERSON?

There is a principle that should govern every decision about tolerance.

Agape love seeks what is genuinely best for the other person.

Sometimes love requires patience. We must tolerate differences that Scripture permits, even when those differences make us uncomfortable.

Sometimes love requires correction. We cannot pretend that destructive behavior is harmless simply because confronting it may be unpleasant.

Consider Zacchaeus again.

Jesus willingly entered the home of a man whom others despised. But Zacchaeus did not conclude that his former conduct was acceptable. He announced that he would give to the poor and repay those he had cheated.

Jesus then declared that salvation had come to his house.

Jesus' willingness to associate with Zacchaeus did not encourage him to remain as he was.

It opened the way for repentance.

Paul expressed the same principle when he wrote that love does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth.

We sometimes tolerate what we cannot change. But when we have an opportunity to help someone change for the better, love may require us to act.

That does not mean forcing our will upon another person.

It means teaching, encouraging, correcting when appropriate, and sometimes refusing to participate in behavior that causes harm.

Love does not always mean saying yes. Sometimes the most loving answer is no.

But whether we tolerate or correct, our purpose must never be to win an argument, embarrass someone, or demonstrate our superiority.

Our purpose must be to seek that person's good according to God's will.

We must also remember that loving correction does not guarantee that another person will change.

We can teach the truth. We can offer help. We can refuse to encourage wrongdoing.

But we cannot force another person to repent or believe.

Each person remains responsible for responding to God's Word.

The question is not merely, "Should I tolerate this?"

The better question is, "What does genuine love, guided by Scripture, require me to do?"

9. SO WHEN IS TOLERANCE WRONG?

Tolerance becomes wrong when it requires us to approve, encourage, or knowingly overlook what God has clearly condemned—especially when we have a biblical responsibility to address it.

But tolerance is right when it means treating others with dignity, respecting their freedom to disagree, patiently listening, and accepting differences that Scripture does not forbid.

The distinction is not always easy.

That is why we must ask:

What does Scripture actually say?
Does the passage address this situation?
Am I defending God's command or my own preference?
Do I have a responsibility to correct this person?
Am I acting with the patience, humility, and love Scripture requires?
Am I genuinely seeking what is best for the other person?

These questions can prevent us from making two opposite mistakes.

We can become so tolerant that we refuse to recognize wrongdoing.

Or we can become so intolerant that we condemn people for disagreeing with our traditions.

Neither approach is faithful to Scripture.

CONCLUSION: TRUTH AND LOVE BELONG TOGETHER

Jesus never taught his followers to approve everything people believe or do.

Neither did he authorize them to mistreat those who disagree.

The New Testament calls Christians to recognize error, correct it when appropriate, and treat people with patience, gentleness, and respect.

We must not confuse accepting a person with approving every belief that person holds.

And we must not confuse defending God's truth with defending our own interpretation.

Agape love provides the guiding principle.

Sometimes love requires us to tolerate what we cannot change. Sometimes love requires us to work toward changing what should not remain as it is.

But in either case, we must seek what is genuinely best for others according to God's will.

The question is not simply whether we should be tolerant.

The question is whether our tolerance—or our intolerance—is governed by Scripture and motivated by love.

That is where every Christian must begin.

TEXT B4 TRADITION

Read First. Conclude Later.

CONTINUE EXPLORING SCRIPTURE

Who Decides Right and Wrong?

https://text-b4-tradition.com/who-decides-right

Can Society Rewrite Morality?

https://text-b4-tradition.com/can-society-rewrite-morality

Coming Next: Can Love Ignore Truth?

Does genuine love sometimes require us to say something another person does not want to hear? And can we speak the truth in a way that fails to demonstrate love?

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