The Truth About Tolerance, Acceptance, and Diversity
The Scriptures proclaim God’s love for all mankind is without exception. God’s inclusionary love for the entire “world” is boundless and accessible to everyone. This love is visibly seen and demonstrated through Jesus dying for the sins of all mankind, no one excluded. The words of Jesus, “whoever believes in Him” are all-inclusive. God’s desire is for no one “to perish, but everyone to come to repentance,” (2 Peter 3:9). Consider Jesus words:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Eternal life through Jesus Christ is offered to all. In Revelation 7:9, John describes seeing a great multitude of redeemed people standing in heaven before the Father and the Son from every nation, tribe, and language on earth. In other words, a very diverse group. Therefore, we understand that heaven will be filled with people of every race and nationality.
It is important to recognize God’s concept of diversity greatly differs from the diversity being propagated by today’s secular social activist. Concepts like tolerance, acceptance, respect, and appreciation for one’s sexual choices, religious beliefs, political beliefs and a host of other cultural and life choices have been incorporated under the banner of diversity. It is here that we must draw the line as believers and speak the truth, though some will find it offensive.
Secular diversity cannot be harmonized with the Scriptures because it demands tolerance, acceptance, respect, and appreciation for behaviors, beliefs, and practices that God strictly condemns or forbids. Christians cannot embrace and accept opinions, viewpoints, or philosophies that oppose God’s truth. This is not to say we are haters of those who practice ungodliness—we are not and neither is God. However, as Christ body proclaiming the truth in love, we must teach Christ-like principles that are consistent with the will of God and clearly expressed in the Scriptures.
As born again believers we are called upon to revere and venerate God, not diversity. Truth must not be sacrificed on the altar of diversity to appease misguided minds void of God’s illumination. Secular diversity seeks an amalgamation of light and darkness, truth and lies, reality and fantasy, clarity and confusion, good and evil, and right and wrong. The outcome of these confluences is an indistinguishable counterfeit truth propagated under the secular doctrines of diversity, tolerance, and acceptance.
God has placed the responsibility of sharing the truth, righteousness, salvation, and eternal life through Jesus Christ with His followers. We, the body of Christ, are God’s authorized representatives charged with the mandate to reach all nations with the message of Christ.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Born again Christians must not compromise the commands of Christ to satisfy the counterfeit truth of diversity advocates and follow these blind guides. They do not know the Lord or the way to heaven. Therefore, I will treat others the same way I would want to be treated if I were lost, deceived, and in need of repentance. In fact, that is exactly how I was rescued from my sin. Someone loved me and cared about me enough to patiently and kindly share the life-changing truth about Christ with me. It was an act of love to share Christ call to repentance and forgiveness. It was love that reached into my darkened, deceived and ungodly life and said Christ loves you and wants you to turn from a life of sin and be born again.
As believers and follows of Christ we can learn from the Apostle Paul’s approach to sharing Christ as the only savior of the world:
As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. (Acts 17:2-3)
Advocates of secular diversity believe it is wrong to regard someone else’s sexual choices, religious beliefs, political beliefs and a host of other cultural and life choices as wrong. To share a differing view or belief will label you a hater. However, we strongly disagree with these diversity advocates opinions and labels. Our love, respect, appreciation, kindness, and acceptance is always directed toward people and not their ideas, philosophies, ungodly behavior or false teaching. Just as God loves us but disapproves of our sins, we can love others while disagreeing or disapproving of their ideas, beliefs, behavior, and choices when they are clearly rejected by God’s word. In fact, we have a moral responsibility to do so.
The moral light in America is growing darker each day. The diversity movement, by and large, is a veiled call for tolerance, acceptance, and appreciation for any and every form of ungodliness. It does not reflect God’s view of diversity but serves as a covering to promote a licentious ideology as normal. Those who disagree with secular diversity doctrines will be labeled as haters, castigated, sued, and possibly violent beaten by zealous diversity advocates or their paid agitators.
The amazing thing about God’s diversity is that he calls repentant sinners from every walk of life, no one excluded and calls them to conform to the image of Christ Jesus.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)
Authentic diversity is only found in Christ. It is a beautiful and supernatural thing to be part of the most diverse group of people on this earth, living, worshiping and fellowshipping as the body of Christ. As one diverse body of believers, we sing in one accord the praises of our God and King.
I am reminded here of an old chorus that we sang back in the seventies. I hope you enjoy it.
You may be interested in this blog: Is God Politically Incorrect?
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