CHURCH ARTICLE | B. Colton McDaniel | Springfield, Illinois
modified, via Alfonso Cerezo | Pixabay
“I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.” If I were in the church at Thyatira, I would be beaming to hear these words from my Lord. But I would also be slightly skeptical. Ephesus and Pergamum already got hit with some rebuke after the praise (even if Smyrna did get off the hook).
Then the Lord says this, “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel.” There it is—the sting they likely saw coming. They tolerated what they ought not. More specifically, they tolerated someone they ought not; this sinner and prophetess of “the deep things of Satan.”
Tolerance is perhaps one of the most abused values of our day. It’s not sufficient to honor people as precious in the sight of God, we must accept their behavior. Or at least just keep our mouths shut about them. Whether the pressure to do the same with Jezebel was self-imposed or culturally stimulated, tolerance became the norm at Thyatira.
I cannot speak too broadly, but this situation may not be too far removed from current local congregations. Picture this: A congregation that is steeped in love of the brethren. They care deeply for and take care of each other. They have firm confidence and commitment to doing the works of God. They push through even in difficulty. They are the type of congregation all of us hope for today. And yet, they tolerate way too much. Is that still the church we want?
As Christians, we want to be compassionate and merciful. As such, slipping over the line into worldly tolerance can be tempting, but as a holy people, our tolerance must be led by holiness.
Tolerance can lead to sin. It needs to be clear that tolerance is not sinful unless taken to an ungodly extent. Just as wrath cannot justify being hateful and mercy cannot justify a lack of rebuke, so tolerance cannot justify acceptance of sin. There is a fine line between the two!
The temptation to take tolerance too far is not just a modern problem. Besides Thyatira, Corinth seemed to have the same issue. In the name of grace, they considered their resident fornicator not as a cause for mourning but pride! Paul’s reply is pointed. “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven.” (1 Corinthians 5:6ff)
The answer to brazen sin is not grace—and certainly not pride!—but separation. After his convicting list of sins in Romans 1, Paul concludes with a phrase I sometimes think he tailored for the 21st century, “they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.” (v. 32)
Tolerance of the kind at Thyatira and Corinth only leads to sin. I bat my eyes at the sins of others, then at my own. Then the tide turns when our tolerance for sinful doctrine and practices leads to an intolerance for the things of God (2 Timothy 4:3f).
Sin is an affront to the glory of God because holiness is not cheap. It costs us everything. It cost Him everything. To accept and approve of sinful deeds in ourselves or in others disqualifies us from the glory of God. Like yeast in bread, the sin will grow and I’ll grow further from Him.
It’s easy to “tolerate” the bold. What makes the challenge to flee the sin of tolerance even easier to fall into is when someone is bold, charismatic, authoritative, wealthy, etc. That was what was happening in Thyatira. Jezebel was a prophetess! Or at least, she called herself that. By self-declared right, she became a leader in the church. By doing so, she led others after her.
It is hard to resist people when they have the boldness (or resources) to take charge. Deuteronomy addresses this concern. “You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.” (Deuteronomy 16:19) Later in chapter 18, Moses even specifically addresses the temptation to fear the words of someone simply because he (presumptuously) declared himself a prophet.
Any demonstration of strength has the ability to put others in their back pocket. Will we fear men and follow like lemmings? Or test what they say? “Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21f) Eloquence, motivation, and persuasion are valuable tools for teaching, but they do not make the teaching true. Test it. If the word is of God, accept it. If not, do not tolerate it. God is perfectly tolerant.
God’s tolerance is altogether different. While man struggles to decide who is worthy of tolerance and what standards to use in judging, God is perfectly tolerant. Part of the difficulty in understanding perfect tolerance is that we use the word in such a flippant way. In fact, we often use the word tolerance as a synonym of “approval,” which leads many Christians to use the word mockingly without recognizing that tolerance is a biblical value.
Though translations differ, “tolerance” is used in a few passages as a godly trait. We are to be tolerant of our fellow Christians (Colossians 3:12f) and Christ demonstrates tolerance toward the Jewish nation (Matthew 17:15-17).
However, nowhere in these texts is there an indication of acceptance. Christ certainly did not approve of the “faithless and perverse generation.” By definition, tolerance implies there is something wrong; otherwise, the need for tolerance is eliminated. Paul “endured” (or, “tolerated”) persecution, that does not mean he approved of it (1 Corinthians 4:12).
The reason why God is willing to show us tolerance is not because He approves of our sin, but because He wants to bring us out of it. “[The Lord] is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) The two goals of tolerance are holiness and unity. Holiness based off His exclusive truth; unity with all those who conform to holiness (cf. Ephesians 4:1-6). God knows we stumble and that holiness takes time, the divine response is His patient tolerance. “I gave her time to repent…” (Revelation 2:21) And yet…
God’s tolerance expires. We are not given unlimited chances. Limitless tolerance is opposed to holiness. When God’s tolerance is spent, then comes judgment. “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4) Too many waste God’s tolerance.
God even gave Jezebel time to repent, “but she does not want to repent”! God is not going to force anyone into holiness. If you don’t want it, that’s your choice but be prepared for the consequences. God sent severe sickness on those who followed Jezebel. Ultimately, the judgment is the wrath of Jesus on the last day—“who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze” (Revelation 2:18)
When something great and terrible happens against us, we would be well served to not overlook that as chance or coincidence, but as an opportunity from God to repent. It may not be a direct judgment from God, but we ought to take the time to reflect regardless. Am I tolerating something in my life that rejects the holiness of my God?
There is purpose when God judges—“all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.” (Revelation 2:23) When God’s tolerance expires for others, repent, lest it expires for you as well. God sees and knows.
Overcome! After revealing Thyatira’s fault of tolerance and what the end is for those who fall prey to Jezebel, He offers hope. First, that for those who do not follow her teachings, Jesus does not have any burden more for them—except that they stop tolerating her (Revelation 2:24). If they correct this fault, they are overcoming.
Secondly, He gives this simple instruction: “Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.” All those beautiful qualities they possess (love, faith, service, and perseverance) are the foundations for their victory in Christ. They must continually devote themselves to these things so they will not be overcome. This is the encouragement of the entire book of Revelation—hold on! This cannot happen though, unless we hold on to the words of truth (2 Timothy 1:12f).
In our climate of tolerance, holding on to God’s truth may seem a difficult task. How can we have boldness in the truth when intolerance of others is seen as the unforgivable sin? But if we do, and hold fast to all that Christ stands for, then we will reign with Christ and have Christ Himself as our reward (Revelation 2:26-28).
Do we have an ear to hear? Our culture is deaf to all things holy and yet has a God-given desire to be holy. Society wants to think it is ever-improving—even morally—all while slipping deeper into moral decay. To maintain the lie of improvement, tolerance must be the highest value and Greatest Commandment. No longer is it love for God and His will but love for man and his whims.
Tolerance is a godly value when governed by holiness and truth. If someone shows no interest in being holy, God’s word shows them no tolerance. But if someone truly loves the Lord and is given to His word, God is patient with such a one. He demands holiness. We must demand it of ourselves and diligently teach it to others.
Do we have an ear to hear?
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January 2026 | GROW magazine
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