Tolerance? No way man...

 And Jesus said unto His disciples, “Go into all the world, teaching all men to live any way they want, and urging each to find his or her own path to God. Let not any one of you make someone feel inferior or victimized because of their beliefs. Above all, be tolerant. Verily, verily, I say unto you that what you believe and how you live do not matter, so long as you are sincere.”

Leaving that place, Jesus led His disciples to Jerusalem where they broke bread at Club Upper Room. There He addressed them again, saying, “I am one of the ways, one of the truths, and just one possible life. If you are basically a good person, you’re okay in my book. And if you choose to come to the Father (or Mother, if you prefer) through Me, that’s cool. Now go forth to live according to whatever feels good to you.”

And there was much rejoicing. 

     That isn’t found in any Bible translation, but it is how many people think it does read. In these times, its hard to be living for Jesus. Lately my life has taken a turn; I’ve realized its time to get off the fence. “Jesus didn’t say he was ONE of the ways to get to God; He said HE was the ONLY way. When it comes ot being intolerant, Jesus is the leader of the pack. He will not let you stay on the fence. 

The reason I am bringing this discussion to light, is not because I love debating. And I don’t talk about right and wrong to be a jerk or a “judgmental bigot”. I am doing this because I care. If I didn’t, I’d just let it go by, sitting down and shutting up. Jesus doesn’t give me that option. 

The Art of Tolerance.

    Moral relativism, when you think that what is right or wrong depends on what YOU think is right or wrong. Everything is relative to YOU. And that’s what not ok about it. It’s the, what’s-wrong-for-you-may-be-right-for-me attitude. Moral relativism and Christianity don’t go together. It’s like oil and water. 

    First off, it’s broken.

 “Tolerance is the virtue of those who believe in nothing. Rather than stand up for what is right or wrong, the voice of tolerance says we should just let everybody be, that we’ll better understand each other and other beliefs and cultures if we accept them as they are. I can buy that concept- to a point. Where do you draw the line then?” What about Hitler? Was he wrong to kill every living Jew? Of course. Although Hitler believed he was doing the right thing for him, even the most tolerant among us would speak out against his reign of terror- if only because he was the very model of intolerance. Its an intolerant kind of tolerance. There’s no right or wrong- except its right to believe his way, and wrong to believe any other. Its in complete opposition to what their central belief is. It says: We’re tolerant of all- except you, you and you. There is no standard of right and wrong- except for when you violate what we say is right, You can follow any religion you please, as long as it’s on our list of accepted ones. We love to hear alternative voices- but if you try to talk to us about Jesus, we will silence you. It consistently violates its own central pillar of belief. What is that? Broken. Unstable. False. In other words, WRONG.”

And about the “there’s no absolute truth” statement. Its is, of itself, claiming to be absolute truth. It’s self-refuting. 

Jesus isn’t just “one way or another” HE IS THE WAY. That’s not my idea. It’s what HE said. 

“ I am the way and the truth and the life. No on comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

“Christianity isn’t one of many valid pathways to God. It’s your only option. To disbelieve that is to disbelieve Christianity altogether. If that’s where you are, hey, that’s you choice. But don’t call yourself a Christian. Jesus divides people. He unites them, too, but when it comes to what you believe, there’s no halfway with Jesus. You’re either with Him, or against Him. There is no alternative.”

    Why would someone believe in no absolute truth, the whatever-goes mentality? They may not now another way. Its what the media teaches. Its easy. Why would you want to make work for yourself when you can go with the flow? You can kinda-sorta be everything. Like a New Age Hindu/Buddhist. You get to pick and choose the parts you like.  Or If there’s no sense of right or wrong, there’s no condemnation. Its “sin in a toga”.

    Christianity seems gloomy to them. Its all about feeling guilty, rules, and condemnation. What happens when you down though? Who do you lean on? You lack purpose if you’re a moral relativist. What’s worth dying for then?

    Let me know if you find a verse that suggests moral relativism and Christianity go hand-in-hand. Also, let me know if it says its ok with God to sin. Let me know if its biblically correct to reject Christianity and the only way to God and say that all religion are equally valid.

“Only the Christ of Christianity- can take away your sins, fulfill your deepest longings, heal those buried hurts, and bring you into heaven.”

Three absolute truths you need to belief to be a biblical Christian:

1. The Bible is the true and inspired Word of God
2. God exists and is exactly as the Bible describes him to be.
3. Jesus is the only way to get to God.

• “Belief that the Bible is of divine, superhuman origin is the linchpin.”  *in short the key is prophecies and their fulfillment
• Who is He? Love and holiness. He is loving and forgiving. He’s full of grace and loves shower us with gifts. But He’s no Santa Clause. He’s the divine judge. He points at sin and calls it evil. It was holiness that expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden, but love that even in that moment promised a redeemer. (gen. 3:15) 
• Jesus is the only way to God. “That’s as narrow, intolerant, and exclusive as you can be. Its says that all other religions aren’t just inferior, but are wrong. It’s a slap in the face to every Hindu-Buddist-New-Ager-Whatever belief system. If the other two absolute truths are true, you can’t get around this one.” John 14:6, John 11:25, John 6:40, Acts 4:11-12 all say it: no other name gets you to heaven. 

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the fate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter though it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matt. 7:13-14

“Sometimes there really is just one right way to do something. So if the Bible is true, as we’ve seen, and if Jesus is the Son of God, as the Bible says, and if Jesus says that He really is the only way to get to God, then we have to say it’s true. We don’t have any other options. And if it’s true that there’s no other way to get to God but Jesus, then every other way is wrong. If every other way that people use to try to get to God is wrong, then way is the most loving and kind thing to do for them? Is it to just let them go on living in ignorance and misery, even though you know they’re wrong and you have the truth that would save them?” 

That’s what evangelism and spreading His word is all about!

You know the “Jesus was a great moral teacher like Buddha and Gandhi?” That’s likely a tolerant person. He doesn’t want to dis Jesus or any other religion. But Jesus doesn’t leave us that option. If He was just trying to be a good teacher, He did a bad job. He claimed to be the Son of God. (mark 14:61-62, john 10:30, John 14:9) 

“You have two options here, say that His claims were true or false. What would the moral relativist’s answer: His claims were false. He wasn’t God. All right, then your left with only two conclusions, neither of which is that He was a good moral teacher. If a man repeatedly and publicly spouts a major untruth, he can’t be a good moral teacher. You have to say He was either a liar or lunatic. If you say Jesus was a liar, you’ve got some problems. First, you’ve been calling a liar a good moral teacher, so your own thinking has been wrong. Second, if He knew His claims were false and yet you deliberately foisted them on gullible people, that makes Him a hypocrite because He denounced liar in His ministry. The lunatic theory: If he was that fuzzy headed, how could the rest of His reaching be so sane? How could be build a entire theological system is he was deluded? If Jesus said He was God but wasn’t, them He is either a liar or a lunatic. Are you ready to call Him either one? If not, what’s left?  If Jesus said He was God and it’s impossible that that claim is false you’re pretty much forced to say His claims were true.”

All in all, it takes faith. Faith to believe there’s no absolute truth. Faith to believe there is. Christianity however, is a faith that gives purpose. It gives meaning. 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No on comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 

Thanks to the book “Be Intolerant” by Ryan Dobson; it’s where most of this stuff stems from. The longer passages in quotes are from the book- they are summed up perfectly. I encourage you to read it, right along side your Bible!

Do all dogs go to heaven?

If you don’t believe that Jesus is your Lord and Savior and He died for your sins, you are on your way to hell. You may think this is pretty gloomy, but its reality. Ah hell, it’s the real deal, that’s for sure! This brings to mind a quote from Ice Age:

Dodo: Now don't fall in. If you do, you will definitely... ...Burn and die.

1. First off, we deserve to go to hell, for eternity. Cuz we’re a sinners. There’s nothing we can do about, we are NOTHING to God as sinners. And is no way, shape or form, can we “earn” our way to heaven by “being a good person”.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

“All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21)

If we could earn our way to heaven, there would be no reason for Jesus to have died for our sins and there would be no reason for his grace.

2. God’s Holy. We’re sinners. They don’t mix. God’s nature prohibits any fellowship with sin. We’re screwed by ourselves. It’s a fact.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Its set in stone, if you sin, you die. Its God’s law.

3. God’s loves you. Period. Remember John 3:16?

“Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11)

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” ( 2 Peter 3:9)

4. Jesus was your substitution sacrifice, paid for your sins with His life. It’s the free gift of grace, and YOU had nothing do with it, other than accepting it. You must believe Jesus died for your sins and rose again in three days. You can’t just go to church, or be a good person , or even believe just in God. Even the demons believe in God, but they aren’t going to heaven. (First few chapters of Job?)

“If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

5. The Bible is the word of God and in the Bible, God testifies that Jesus died for your sins and was buried; and that on the third day He rose from the dead. You must believe and confess this in order to be saved.

“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

6. We’re sinners and apart from Him we can do nothing. He’s the perfect sacrifice. Unless we believe that, we’re going to spend an awful long time in a pretty nasty place. God is Just, but He's also righteous and merciful. While we deserve hell, He's given us the option to receive His forgiveness if only we ask for it, because he LOVED us enough to provide a way out.

“Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” (James 2:13)

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:8-11)

7. It’s His love for us that allows us to be with Him for eternity. It’s your choice; you just have to accept it.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the light. No one comes through the Father but through me.” (John 14:16)

That means there is only one heaven, one way to be saved, and only one God.

It’s an exclusive club. Either you’re in, or… you’re out. Sink or Swim.