1 Corinthians 13 "Intolerant Lovers"

          Since the beginning of the last century, it has been considered enlightened to believe that there is no such thing as sin. By the end of the last century and into this century, we have come to assume that when people do wrong -even when people do outright evil -they have been victims of some circumstance outside of themselves. It is assumed that they have been the victims of poverty or too much sugar or bad education or even bad toilet training. It's assumed that people are basically good, so if they do wrong, it must be attributed to some outside factor.

           With this social history, it really is not surprising that our non-Christian neighbors are stunned when we talk about sin. They are outraged when we say that abortion is wrong, that adultery and pornography and sexual relationships outside of marriage are immoral, that lying and cheating are unethical, that homosexuality violates God's law. 

 

           They immediately assume that if we believe in moral absolutes, if we believe in absolute truth, if we believe in sin, that we hate all the people we consider to be sinners. To the average person, the absence of tolerance simply means hatred. And since by definition to be a Christian means to accept God's law as absolute truth, we are by cultural definition intolerant and therefore we must be hate-mongers. But nothing could be further from the truth. 

 

           True Christians don't hate sinners. In fact, in order to be a Christian, in order to receive God's gift of salvation, in order to be forgiven and cleansed and made right in the sight of God, we must first acknowledge that we are sinners, and that it was our own personal choices and sins that nailed our Savior, Jesus, to the cross. We don't hate sinners -we love sinners and we hate sin. Although this idea is often mocked by those who don't understand, it is the reality that true followers of Jesus live in. 

           When we say that certain conduct is immoral, we aren't setting ourselves up as moral superiors. We believe that every one of us is guilty of immoral conduct and in need of God's forgiveness. We believe that God loved us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to redeem us and provide forgiveness. We believe that since God has forgiven us and because God loves us so much, we must share this spiritual blessing with others; we must forgive others and we must love others.

 

           In fact, it is because we love others that we want them to realize that the sinful behaviors they are participating in are harmful and destructive and lead to death. It is because we love others that we want them to experience the forgiveness and the peace of heart and soul and mind and the joy and the wholeness that comes from being in right relationship with God through Jesus.

 

           When we say that certain behaviors are sinful, we may be intolerant, but we are not hateful or small-minded, or bigoted, or mean. It is God who set the standards for right and wrong. We are simply communicating what God has said to be true. 

 

           Real love is not demonstrated by tolerance. Real love is described in 1 Corinthians 13 where we are reminded:

 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

 

           Real love does not indulge or tolerate or ignore immorality and sin. But real love has compassion and hope and forgiveness for sinners -even when they are intolerant of us.