“I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate…I will repay each of you according to your deeds. To you who do not [tolerate]…hold on to what you have until I come.” (Revelation 2:18–20, 23, 25, NIV 1984).
My Musings – First, a little context. This is, of course, a letter to a church. To believers. We do, to a certain extent, have to tolerate those who are not believers. We do not and should not, however, have to hold to their beliefs or participate in their behaviors that are contrary to the Word.
We must not, on the other hand, tolerate believers who have been misled by false teaching that have led to false beliefs or sinful behavior. The Scriptures have provided a remedy for those.
“If your brother [or sister] sins against you, go and show him [or her] [their] fault, just between the two of you. If he [or she] listens to you, you have won your brother [or sister] over. But if [they] will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he [or she] refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he [or she] refuses to listen even to the church, treat [them] as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:15–17, NIV 1984).
God will take care of the rest, and “repay each of [them] according to [their] deeds.” But the goal of church discipline, at whatever stage, is repentance and restoration that sometimes only this kind of “tough love” can bring about. If (hopefully when) it does, there must be forgiveness. Not retribution. Again, God will take care of the consequences, as He deems necessary.
We, like Peter, may ask “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother [or sister] when he [or she] sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21, NIV 1984). And what do you think the Lord requires of us? “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'” (Matthew 18:22, NIV 1984). Don’t bother doing the math. It’s not a formula. It’s an attitude of unlimited grace. Freely we have received, freely we should give.
My Advice – “We all stumble in many ways.” (James 3:2, NIV 1984). Some time it might be you. So, stay humble. For, “pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18, NIV 1984). Therefore, stand firm and “hold on to what you have until [He] come[s].”
“Brothers [and sisters], if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore [them] gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1–2, NIV 1984). If restoring “gently” does not work, use the “tough love” prescribed by Jesus. Tolerating or overlooking those “caught in a sin” is not a remedy.
