TOLERANCE: AN INDICATOR OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY (1)


By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi.
1 Cor 3:3-4 KJV “… for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
       Definition of tolerance for English Language Learners. :  a willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own. : the ability to accept, experience, or survive something harmful or unpleasant. In the Bible patience, long-suffering, forbearance are closely linked to tolerance with others.
        There are over a hundred thousand tribes and cultures around the world ; each struggling for survival and seeking prominence , therefore, it is no wonder that there seem to be divisions among God’s people because of the clash of traditional values. It is for that reason that Jesus instituted the law of sacrificial love for one’s neighbor even as He loved us as the only law to be followed by all believers of Christ. Any other law will have to put into consideration the customs and traditions of men which are often in conflict with each other and therefore cannot be accepted as a divine moral code. Salvation does not come through the observance of traditional laws and customs; they only promote pride (Col.2:19-23).
     Unfortunately, some Christians tend to uphold traditional values above the laws of Christ. This was the case of the Church in Corinth . They made the word of God of none effect through their promotion of sectarianism and bigotry and became intolerant of each other and this weakened the spread of the gospel thus giving Satan the advantage.    
  Being tolerant requires patience, perseverance and forgiving others, this is easy to accomplish when we consider how patient God is with our sins and errors and that there is never a winner in any fight. All fights results in losses, therefore, forgiveness remains the best option (Matthew 18:21’22,Luke17:4). Great leaders and teachers of the gospel have distinguished themselves by possessing an extraordinary degree of patience and tolerance for others (2Cor. 6:4-6) by seeking for areas of agreement and common grounds they understand with those who are weaker seeking for loving ways to build them up (Rom. 15:1-2, Gal6:1).
   Being tolerant means being considerate and loving others who differ from us except when it comes to doubt and sowing seeds of hatred and discord. (Matt.5:43-47. Rom 12:18, Romans14:2-6.)Intolerance shows spiritual immaturity (1Cor.3:1-5) . Mature Christians are able to influence others through prayer instead of trying to impose one’s idea over another . By asking God to open the eyes of the uninformed  to grey areas of the scriptures, we avoid the disaster that follows seeking to control our neighbor, spouses etc.(Phil.3:15)
 As you receive Jesus Christ as your lord and savior and read this now, receive grace for overwhelming peace and reconciliation in your family in Jesus name.
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