Originally posted on August 18, 2013
I am sitting in a booth at the annual fair today for the birth center of which I am a participant. The booth next to me is for Falun Dafa, a Chinese philosophy that involves Godless peace and exercises (like tai chi).
I just heard a man say he was attracted to it because he was raised as a Christian but he wanted something ‘more tolerant.’
More tolerant than God?
The thing is, that God is sovereign and makes the rules. We follow them and He graces us with abundance. There is no negotiating–God simply knows what is best for us and gives us His Laws and commandments to follow. God has a plan for each of our lives and we can choose to follow it completely, not at all, or anything in between. He gives us the free will to do this! What is not tolerant about that??
I guess he is talking about Christians who do not validate people’s choices in their own life, but judge them according to God’s Law and Word. Thing is, as believers, we are commanded to rebuke our brethren when we see them committing sin, and are in a special role whereby we can educate people and point them in the right direction. However, as Jesus taught, we become hypocrites when we go beyond that and judge each other, and allow our notions to put distance between us and our neighbor, whom we should always love, no matter what. One of the Great Commandments is to love your neighbor as yourself. It doesn’t say to love them with conditions. Unless someone harms others, they should not be judged, and only then by the proper adjudicator or Priest. And God, as we know, is the Ultimate Judge, and is perfectly capable and able to punish and reward His flock.
If God allows them to choose their path, who are we to judge them? I made all kinds of Godless choices and I have reaped the consequences of them. No one rebuked me at the time, but even if they had, it is doubtful I would have listened. It is only by the grace of God that I can hear Him now. Once you are born again (and I literally was–I underwent a psychophysiological rebirth)–you want to share the Good news with everyone!
Personally, I believe if our choices do not line up with God’s Law and divine will for us, we are not going to live up to our fullest potential. But that is also our choice! We have a gracious God that allows us much wiggle room (as long as we do not break the greatest commandments), even when He knows we are hurting ourselves. That is what I call tolerant.
~Song of Mary~ 