Possible sermon of interest: Vaccinations and The Church - Understanding Wisdom - a sermon by Bill Bradford from UCG Australia
There are times when compromise can be good and right and other times when it is absolutely wrong. We must use Godly wisdom in what and when to appropriately compromise. Compromise is a necessary skill that must be practiced by both husband and wife in successful marriages. In other situations, compromise may be necessary in which keeping the peace is more desirable than getting one’s own way. In other situations, we will be tempted to compromise with God’s way of life. What is compromise? For the purposes of this message, compromise can be broken down into two broad definitions.
The first definition or form of compromise is “an agreement or settlement that is reached by mutual consent of the parties involved.” This form of compromise can be beneficial and is necessary in almost every interpersonal relationship of life for it to be successful and healthy. No one gets their way all the time, nor should one desire to. The Bible instructs us to look out for the interests of others in addition to our own interests (Philippians 2:3). Consider the example of Daniel and his three friends who essentially worked out a compromise with the Babylonian official concerning their diet (Daniel 1:8-14). God blessed that situation, and likewise He will bless us when we remember, “if it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). The apostle Paul later instructs us, “Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another” (Romans 14:19). It may seem odd, however the ability to compromise in this way is a part of being a peacemaker. Being a peacemaker is an active and ongoing process; James 3:18 states, “Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” If we are to sow righteousness in the world, it must be done in a peaceful manner, not in contention, hostility, or conflict; and that requires appropriate compromise.
Being humble puts you in the right frame of heart when trying to maintain current relationships or even restore broken relationships. You can diffuse arguments and break down barriers of defensiveness when you are humble and approach the other party with Godly intent and with His principles in hand. Paul describes this attitude in Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves”. As we consider this we must remember, Jesus noted that conflict is sometimes unavoidable, stating that He did not come to bring peace but a sword to set even families against one another, figuratively speaking (Matthew 10:34-37). When it comes to God’s way, the truth, compromise is never good. Joyful are those who “do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths” (Psalm 119:3 NLT). We must not spiritually compromise, and we must always, only walk in His paths. And that leads us to the dangerous aspect we must always keep in our minds with respect to compromise.
The second definition or form of compromise is “to make a dishonorable or shameful concession.” This form of compromise is always wrong, especially scripturally – then it’s spiritual compromise which always leads to evil. The Bible makes it clear that God does not condone compromising His Word; His commands: “Be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32). Concerning matters that God has clearly addressed, we do not negotiate, bargain, or compromise. (We are not talking here about “Disputable Things” which we addressed in the pastor’s message of July 2nd) What makes compromise so dangerous is the subtle way it approaches us. Spiritual compromise, by definition, doesn’t involve a wholesale capitulation to worldly ways or ideals; rather through reasoning and rationalization, it accommodates them. I suspect that all of us would recoil at the thought of tossing the Sabbath aside, but compromise never asks us to do that. Compromise says that we can keep the Sabbath, just perhaps relax a bit on what we do or how we do it – even perhaps with respect to a Holy Convocation.
Those who progress into compromising often struggle with pride. Although there are exceptions, they become convinced that their heart is in the right place. They “want to do right” and are “trying to please God.” However, they feel they know better than those God has placed in charge, or even the church. They are right and even begin to develop a critical spirit, which is so easy in this society. They can become judge and jury of right and wrong, even in physical matters, often creating standards of righteousness that are not biblical. Paul addressed physical things coming into the church and becoming spiritual issues in 1 Corinthians 8 and Romans 14. We must always trust God’s Word and strive to not add to it with physical standards of righteousness, nor take away from it because some part of it doesn’t sit well with us. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 18:30, 119:105; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 7:24, 24:35) We are instructed to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4) not pick and chose what we will live by. Christ himself said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28) Pride is blinding and our heart is deceitful. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 don’t trust your heart. Guard your heart; protect it from Satan’s devices.
Do you believe God? Do you believe all of His Word? Proverbs 3:5 says: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Another very common way Satan is also able to plant the seeds of compromise is through questions and doubt. He is the master of asking questions to create doubt then supplying the wrong answer to the questions that he encouraged (see Genesis 3). Eve did not completely overlook her respect for God but discounted it enough to give into Satan's persuasion. She did this on the strength of her desire to become wise and God did not intervene to stop either Satan or Adam and Eve from following their desires. We could also ask, who do you listen to? Who are you allowing to influence you? Perhaps even what authors do you read? Proverbs 19:27 (NLT) reminds us “If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.” Too many keep looking to those who have already compromised (those no longer a part of our fellowship) for direction and ideas or to the internet. Once the mind and heart are compromised, actions are sure to follow. If someone has left our fellowship, to believe they won’t try to influence you in a negative way is naïve. God reminds us; “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3)
I have witnessed many good men and women who have spiritually or morally compromised. None of them woke up one day and said, “I’m going to compromise the principles of God’s Word upon which I’ve built my life.” Spiritual compromise is a slow process; one that is almost imperceivable. It is a thousand small concessions in the heart and mind that eventually wear away the truth. King Solomon is a good example of this.
He knew the principles of kings found in Deuteronomy 17. Yet in the end when he was old it was his wives that eventually turned his heart away from God (1 Kings 11:1-7). Perhaps Solomon's reasoning went something like this: "When I imported horses from Egypt, there were no adverse consequences, so what would be wrong with taking additional wives for political reasons?" We do not normally see the results of sin immediately, yet they inevitably come. At some point, he learned this principle, writing in Ecclesiastes 8:11 "Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." In any case, knowing of this did not help him, as 1 Kings 11:4-8 records. Wise King Solomon fell victim to the same temptations that the rest of us so often face. He compromised on what he thought were small concerns, leading him to do things his way rather than God's (consider Luke 16:10. 19:17). The danger of such reasoning is that small compromises weaken character, and over time, they lead to major sins. For Solomon, the results were devastating.
Another example is righteous King Jehoshaphat foolishly entered a compromising situation with the wicked King Ahab, and it almost cost him his life (2 Chronicles 18). King Jehoshaphat made some bad decisions. He allied himself with Israel by marrying his son Jehoram to King Ahab's daughter Athaliah. Ahab and his wife, Queen Jezebel, had well-deserved reputations for wickedness. At first, the alliance appeared to work, (which is often the case with compromise) but Ahab drew Jehoshaphat into a war that was against God's will. The great battle at Ramoth Gilead was a catastrophe. Only through the intervention of God did Jehoshaphat escape. Ahab was killed by an enemy arrow. Jehoshaphat’s weakness was he sometimes followed the world's ways, such as making alliances with questionable neighbors. Jehoshaphat failed to foresee the long-term consequences of his bad decisions.
Long term consequences are difficult to see, and as such we must be sure to always be in accordance with God’s word, even on what we may think is an inconsequential matter. Compromise is a problem that developed within God’s church and Jesus rebuked the church of Thyatira for their theological and moral compromise: “I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols” (Revelation 2:20). There are certain lines that should not be crossed, and the bible clearly shows that spiritual compromise leads to evil.
As we go through life in this world, not unlike what he did with Eve, our adversary will make many attempts to have us compromise. From the “fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25), or “hollow and deceptive philosophy” (Colossians 2:8), to “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). All to tempt us to compromise in areas we likely think are not that critical as what happened with Eve, and likely with king Solomon. Very often, the temptation to compromise is heightened by some type of fear, such as the fear of being rejected or criticized. We must have absolute faith in God (Hebrews 11:6); and trust in His word. It is pointless to know and speak the truth if we do not also act on that truth in the way we live our lives (John 15:1-11; James 2:14-17, 26 and the last pastor’s message). Not compromising includes not being hypocritical. Spiritual compromise is a sinister evil we must be diligent to resist. Philippians 2:12-13 encourages us to, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” The better we know God and His word; the stronger we stay connected to the Body of Christ, the easier it is to resist Satan’s attempts to have us spiritually compromise. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35).