Published by Compromise. I see more than a few posts and messages from Christians that talk about compromise. Compromise is painted as bad but I for one know this is not always the case. All too often I see nothing to define what principles we are compromising and that is the issue. Look at some examples.
I have posted the story before about Evangelist Jim Hilliard of Shenandoah VA who saw revival break out after he pounded on an overage pulpit and it fell to pieces. The congregation was split over whether to replace the pulpit and when it was gone there was nothing to fight over. How much better would it have been if two years before the two factions had come to a compromise? What if they could have moved it to a place in the church that would have made this original pulpit a landmark rather than a stumbling block? This would have been a compromise but one that would have allowed the church to move forward.
I have seen churches expend energy with internal disputes that would have died a natural death if there had been some compromise.
In one church I was in there was discussion on whether we needed to expand. Because a significant number of the members had concerns about it the expansion was deferred for a year. We did agree to purchase the full plot of land adjacent to the church that would be needed for it rather than just enough for the expansion and began to do some of the cleanup that would be needed. We agreed that this land was necessary if the church were to expand and if we found we didn’t need it we could sell it without loss. The church grew in the year and expansion was started. About three months before we started construction a developer offered more than three times what we paid for it for the land. He was unaware we had bought it and went to the original owner to buy it. Had we not moved on what was necessary to build the church would have been landlocked and unable to expand. The compromise allowed us to buy the land, a prudent act while not alienating those who had some legitimate concerns about moving at the time. When we did move, they were with the project one hundred percent. And that large plot of land that was bought in 1972 has been enough to support the ministry thirty years later. Is it possible the compromise was God’s plan the neither group in the church could see?
So is compromise good or bad? Let me answer, “Both.”
Compromise that allows us to move ahead with God is good. The color of the walls of the church, the landscaping, and even at times whether to add a church staff member are things open to compromise. Let me just say that if the issue with the addition of the staff member is a spiritual one, there is no room for compromise.
But if the compromise effects the truth of the gospel, it is bad. If we compromise one iota there, it is an abomination to God. But let us be careful here to not take our ideas and elevate them to the Word of God. Let us not break the commandment by taking the Lord’s name in vain by attributing to Him things He did not say! Ironically some of the worst offenders in this are the Judiazers who would take us from grace to the law yet they break one of the commandments in doing it.
To compromise the facts of the Work of Christ in His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death on the cross, burial, resurrection, ascension and certain return are an abomination. There can be no compromise here. But many of the “major issues” that have been debated down through the years have no value. These include methods of baptism, Sabbath observation, tribulation, structure of the Godhead, methods of worship, use or non-use of music, keeping or not keeping holidays, eating meat, how food is prepared, and all too many others.
Let me show you what the scripture says about this.
As for holidays and the Sabbath:
Rom 14:5
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
(KJV)
Mark 2:27-28
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
(KJV)
As for eating meat:
Rom 14:14-15
14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
(KJV)
Col 2:16-17
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
(KJV)
As for offending my brother, although this refers to only eating meat, I believe we take no license to say that if I offend him with some other thing I am as guilty. If you are not so convicted, ignore this, but for me, I am convinced it is Godly to avoid that offense.
1 Cor 8:13
13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
(KJV)
One of the outstanding Jews of all time said this:
Phil 3:5-8
5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
(KJV)
It is past time for us consider our own ideas as dung and consider our brothers and sisters more important than them. Let me take a little license with Paul’s writing in Romans 14.
“But if thy brother be grieved with thy (insert one – observation of Sabbath, observation of the holidays, application of tongues, prophecy, trinity, baptism, ad nausium) now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy (whatever), for whom Christ died.”
If you feel these are right, hold to them, as Paul said in Romans 14:5, be persuaded in your own mind. Do not let me even suggest that you violate your conscience on these matters. But see the wisdom of the Apostle Paul.
Acts 15:10
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
(KJV)
Be certain that those things you teach as commandments of God are such and not something that some church father of your denomination conjured up and now must be supported because to repudiate it would require that the denomination retract what has been a foundation or brand name.
