On Tolerance

The LORD instructed Moses: "Speak to the Israelites and tell them: 'When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow, to consecrate himself to the LORD, he is to abstain from wine and beer. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or from beer. He must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins.'" - Numbers 6:1-3

Have you ever heard the old saying, "Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder"?

Yeah, me neither. That is because there is much debate these days (or so it seems), among ardent Christ-followers over the whole issue of abstinence (when it comes to alcohol, not sex ; I think most agree that sex outside of the marriage relationship is a serious sin). An unfortunate result of this debate has been division and accusations (legalism vs. freedom) on both sides; as if we don't have enough things that divide us.

Well, I have an opinion, too. If I choose to abstain, then love me and help me honor my choice. If I choose to exercise my freedom (and honor God in that choice by not being an offense), then love me, too. Force-feeding another person your deeply-held conviction produces an emotional gag-reflex and repulsion (i.e., division). While we must never tolerate sin, we should tolerate each other.

Be respectful. Be yourself. Be like Jesus.

In the last analysis, our only freedom is the freedom to discipline ourselves. - Bernard Baruch