The difference between cultural tolerance and Biblical unity

We hear so much about being tolerant and inclusive that it’s easy to wonder where unity fits in all of it? Does unity mean that we never say anything that someone else might not agree with? Can we ever speak freely without the fear of offending?

Is there a difference between cultural tolerance and Biblical unity? The short answer is yes. Keep reading for the longer answer.

In order for cultural tolerance to exist, no one can ever say anyone is wrong. You can think that someone is wrong, or that a belief system is wrong, or that a lifestyle is wrong. But you can’t say it, and once you do, the offended party can then say that YOU are wrong. It sounds hypocritical, but it’s simply the way the fragile tolerance of culture is maintained. As long as no one rocks the boat, it works. Once the boat is rocked, the disrupter must be tossed overboard.

Biblical unity is entirely different. Biblical unity happens when we all acknowledge that everyone is wrong. The Bible confirms this over and over again.

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:10-12‬, emphasis mine)

The Biblical truth that we are born sinners in need of a Savior doesn’t pair well with the cultural message that we are born good and need encouragement to be even better.

But Paul understood that the foundation of equality in sin was necessary to build a house of unity. A few verses later, Paul talks about the righteousness that is available to all of us because all of us need it.

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:22-24, emphasis mine) ‬‬

So, why don’t more people run to the saving grace offered by Jesus? Simply because we want to avoid admitting that our way is wrong, and His way is right. Accepting Jesus as my Savior can’t happen if we’re simultaneously rejecting Jesus as Lord, and it’s the Lordship of Jesus that rocks the boat of cultural tolerance.

How can different people with different perspectives and different ideas get along in the same boat? By remembering that all of us were drowning, and none of us were good enough swimmers to save ourselves.

It doesn’t mean that we unify around how bad we were (and sometimes, still are), but rather, we sit in the boat and collectively point each other – and those who are still being pulled from the waters – to the One who saved us.

Photo by Stormseeker on Unsplash

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