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What Tolerance Isn't

The Protestant Reformation launched Christianity into a whole new era. The accomplishments of the Reformation made God and the Bible accessible to the world, where once this was reserved for the religious elite.

From the Reformation came the idea of tolerance. Rooted in the fact we all must choose for ourselves whom we serve, it never meant approving of wrong choices, only allowing personal choices to exist. We all must decide how we live and what we believe — we know the difference between right and wrong and make decisions daily based upon this knowledge.

Since we are free to choose how to live, we are also free to choose to follow Christ. Christians believe it is Jesus who releases us from the bondage of sin. Once we choose Christ, His Spirit enters us and we leave our old lives behind us. This is a great reformation.

To reform means to change. The Reformation also changed the way we approach and relate to God by putting the Bible back in the hands of the people. Reading the Bible for yourself means no longer requiring a Priest to mediate our relationship with God. We can speak to Him, and He to us, directly.

The old way of serving God meant striving, working, and struggling to be a good enough person to please God and win His favour. This is also known as law.

Paul wrote in Romans 7:6, “But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power.” (NLT) Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way — by the Spirit.

However, the law in itself is not sinful. It merely exposes our sinful natures. It is sin, which takes advantage of the law and arouses all kinds of forbidden desires within us (Romans 7:7-8). When you honestly look at God’s law, you know in your heart you are sinful — and that’s OK! Romans 7:10-12 says, “So the good law, which was supposed to show me the way of life, instead gave me the death penalty. Sin took advantage of the law and fooled me; it took the good law and used it to make me guilty of death. But still, the law itself is holy and right and good.” Where the law convicts us, Christ redeems us.

So don’t stand behind old laws, which were removed by Christ’s death, and claimed freedom from again at the Reformation. Choose for yourself in whom you believe.

About the Author:  Robyn Roste
 

 
Robyn Roste