“Judge Not”- The Issue of Tolerance
Matthew 7:1-2, John 8
March, 2000
Introduction
A few years back I had to take a second job stocking groceries. During one shift I was able to strike up a conversation with one of my co-workers that eventually drifted to the subject of the recently deceased Princess Di. He was of the opinion that she would be in heaven because of her humanitarian work.
I answered, “In spite of the fact that she was an adulteress, right?” His response was that we should not judge someone unless we have walked a mile in his or her shoes. I answered that regardless of Prince Charles’ treatment of her, it is no excuse for sin. He didn’t like that answer, but it needed to be said.
His attitude is reflective of the mindset of a growing number of people here in the US and abroad. That mindset says that we are to be “tolerant” of other viewpoints, religions, and lifestyles, including lifestyles clearly prohibited by Scripture.
When talking with people they perceive as being “religious,” they love to quote the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1 – “Do not judge, or you, too will be judged.”
Well, how do you respond to that? Are we really being judgmental and intolerant?
Today, we look at tolerance and judgmentalism in light of God’s Word. My purpose today is to show what the Bible really says about tolerance, and how to answer the charge of intolerance.
It’s my hope that we will leave better prepared to meet this challenge to our convictions.
There are two things we need to do in all this. And the first is to…
I. Know the Issues.
Know what you’re talking about when confronting a challenge to Biblical teachings and convictions.
No one likes to be considered an air-head, so do your homework before entering the fray.
And the first step is to…
A. Know what they mean by “tolerance.”
To begin with, we need to define the term. The word, “tolerance” does not appear in Scripture. So by defining it, we will see the principles involved.
Tolerance, according to The American Heritage Dictionary is “the capacity for or practice of recognizing and respecting the opinions, practices, or behavior of others.”
When you talk about “tolerating” something, what generally comes to mind?
I think of things like brussel sprouts. Or blueberry pie.
I don’t like these, but I tolerate them if they’re offered to me.
I tolerate other people’s opinions about me, but that doesn’t mean that I agree or accept them at face value.
When you tolerate something, you’re putting up with something you don’t necessarily like.
But that’s not what the world means. The world doesn’t see it that way. It would have us not only respect or recognize a different opinion, practice, or behavior, but it wants us to embrace and celebrate it.
And if we don’t, we’re accused of being intolerant and judgmental. And as mentioned, they throw Jesus’ own words in our face. I tell you folks, that really burns my toast.
Folks, tolerance does not mean acceptance, and it certainly does not mean celebration.
And if someone tells you that you have no right to believe as you do, remind them that they are not being very tolerant, according to their own definition.
Next, in knowing the issues, we need to…
B. Understand the term “judge.”
Let’s turn to that passage real quick, shall we? Matthew 7:1-2, which is on page 685 of the Bibles in the seats.
-“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”-
Is Jesus really telling us not to judge at all?
No. In fact, just a few verses later, He calls some people wolves in sheep’s clothing, and evildoers. Sounds judgmental to me!
Listen to Jesus’ words in John 7:24 -
Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."
Here’s Jesus telling us to make judgements!
The point in Matthew 7 is to avoid judging with an inappropriate sense of moral superiority over another person because of that person’s moral failures.
In other words, we are not to look at someone who has fallen short with some smug “holier-than-thou” attitude. Jesus rebukes that attitude when he describes the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18.
Remember that story? The Pharisee was at the temple praying, “God, thank You that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers- or even like this tax collector.” But the tax collector could not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
What Jesus condemns is a critical and judgmental spirit, an unholy sense of moral superiority. Jesus commanded us to examine ourselves FIRST for the problems we see so easily in others.
So we don’t see Jesus denouncing all judgement, but rather telling us to make right judgments.
And where do we get the standard for those right judgements?
That’s right! The internet! No wait, that’s not it. Oh yeah, it’s Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh, right? No, that’s not right either.
I got it, I got it. It’s our denominational handbook! No?
Billy Graham? Mother Teresa? Me?
No. The standard is the unchanging, totally reliable, inspired and inerrant Word of God, the Bible.
If the Bible condemns it, it is to be condemned. If the Bible commends it, it is to be commended.
And even in areas where the Bible is silent, we can find principles to apply in those areas.
The person who uses Matthew 7:1 as a cure-all for judging doesn’t know the context, and therefore commits one of the very acts they condemn us for – taking a verse out of its context and using it for our own purposes.
You see why this gets under my skin?
Here is a very interesting contradiction about this criticism of Christians. When they say they are not “judgmental” about something, what they are really saying, whether or not they know it, is that they really ARE being judgmental.
They are judging that thing to be acceptable, and judging our opinions to be unacceptable. See the problem with their viewpoint here?
The principle to keep in mind is this: when applying God’s Word to the issue, WE are not judging. God is. We are merely communicating God’s judgment.
And if you keep this in mind, and communicate that to other’s you can help them to see that their argument is really with God and not really with you.
But make sure your position is built on Scripture, not just on personal opinion and preference.
And a quick note here: Tolerance of different doctrines held by Bible-believing, born again Christians is a good thing, as long as it’s not heresy.
It should cause us to make sure our own beliefs and convictions are based on solid Scriptural ground.
I’m not talking today about doctrine or denominationalism. I am focusing today on tolerance of sinful lifestyles and ideas.
Know the issue. Know how to define tolerance and judgmentalism. When you know these things, you can move on to the next point, and that is…
II. Know How to Respond.
So how do we respond to those who accuse us of being intolerant and judgmental? Let’s look at two ways. First…
A. Respond with truth.
The first thing to remember is that truth will ultimately win over error, even if not immediately. So, our responses must be grounded in truth.
Remember the words of Jesus in John 14:6 – “I am the way and the TRUTH and the life.” Earlier in John 8:31-32 He says, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
When speaking the truth, we need to remember the instruction of Eph 4:15 to speak the truth in love. We need to have firmness of conviction with civility and respect.
Ask the person, “Just what do you mean by ‘intolerance?’ If they say’ “not being accepting of another’s beliefs,” mention the fact that they are not accepting of YOUR views, and that isn’t being tolerant.
Point out to the person that to remain consistent, they cannot legitimately criticize another’s point of view, including yours.
These people also love to quote Jesus in John 8. You remember the story of the woman caught in adultery, where He says, “If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
What they conveniently forget is that Jesus said to the woman when it was over: “Go now and leave your life of sin.” Obviously He didn’t condone her sin, just the hypocritical condemnation by sinful men.
Also, I would point out that many people sincerely hold false beliefs, but that sincerity doesn’t determine truth. If Jesus is really the truth, as He claimed, then those outside that truth are wrong, no matter how sincere they are.
Linus’ sincerity didn’t bring the Great Pumpkin to his pumpkin patch, although no one could question the depth of his belief.
Respond with truth. Next,…
B. Respond with love.
As mentioned, we need to speak the truth in love. But we also need to extend love in other ways as well.
We show love by remembering that disagreement does not equal stupidity.
Many of these people are extremely intelligent. Acknowledge their intelligence and invite them to investigate the writings of other intellectuals such as C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer.
Reach out with love and compassion. Remember what compassion is – taking action in the best interests of someone?
Denounce violence against those we disagree with. My heart broke when I heard of the beating death of Matthew Shepherd, a gay college student in Wyoming, for two reasons:
First, it was a needless and horrible murder, no matter the sexual preference of Mr. Shepherd.
Second, it fueled hatred and mistrust toward heterosexuals, especially the church.
Our very real and deep disagreement with the homosexual community is no excuse for violence against them. They need our love and our help.
Respond in a reasoned and reasonable manner.
You get nowhere screaming and yelling, except to make the rest of us look bad. If you can’t have a reasoned discussion with someone, than just move on, okay?
The Bible says in 2 Timothy that the Lord’s servant is not to quarrel, but to gently instruct those who oppose us.
And by the way: don’t be too quick to give up someone to the flames of hell – pray for them and love them.
The church needs to embrace people, not reject them. Remember, we were all sinners, and Christ died for their sins just like He died for ours.
We don’t have to embrace their ideas in order to embrace them.
Let me tell you the story of a friend of mine I’ll call Maria. Maria was a student at SDSU in Brookings, part of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and attended Brookings Wesleyan Church. She went through a couple relationships, at one time was engaged to another fella at the church.
But somehow, Maria became disillusioned with things, particularly the church and its stance on homosexuality. She dropped out and became involved in a homosexual lifestyle. She went so far as to join the homosexual student group on campus, eventually becoming its president.
Through it all, certain people in the church kept praying for Maria. When we saw her, we would affirm our love and concern for her. We didn’t mention her lifestyle – we just said we loved her and were praying for her, and that we were available for her.
Some time later, she left that lifestyle, due in no small part to the love shown her by the church. However, and here is the kicker, she faced persecution from the very people who preach tolerance – her homosexual friends. They threatened and harassed her.
Apparently, tolerance is only a one way street for some people. She saw that the people who truly loved her were the followers of Jesus.
The love of Jesus is powerful, amen?
There is a time when we are to not welcome certain people into the church. Paul describes these people in 1 Cor. 5:9-13 as people who call themselves Christians and practice what is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a swindler. They are to be expelled.
But we are to reach out to those who are outside the Body, so they can hear the truth.
Remember, they aren’t going to be breaking down the doors of the church, so we need to be ready to take the truth to them, in love.
Conclusion.
Well, there you go. We are to be tolerant, but not accepting of false teachings and lifestyles. We are to be loving, not hateful, remembering that the church is a hospital for sinners, not just a sanctuary for saints.
We are to treat people with respect, though we may disagree with their ideas.
When confronted by the world and its unbiblical ideas, we need to show pity and compassion.
So what are we saying in all this? We are to be like Jesus to these people. Our response will be the filter they look through when look at the claims of Christ.
If that filter is clogged by a hateful response to them, it will be hard for them to recognize the powerful and transforming truth of the gospel. If that filter is enhanced by loving, thoughtful responses, it will be easier for them to recognize the truth.
Ask the Lord to give you a heart that sees beyond the error to the SOUL, and the love of Jesus will shine through you.
Be the kind of person who can be approached by someone struggling with these issues, and they will be much more receptive to the gospel.
If the church would stand as a whole in this manner, we would not bear the brunt of the attacks leveled against us, we would be the ones they turn to first, because they would know that we wouldn’t condemn them, we would love them. Not agreeing with them, but showing them the love God showed us sinners, and inviting them to know salvation and freedom.
Let it begin here.
Let’s pray.
