Compromise - By Grant Phillips -
Compromising is not always a bad thing. It depends on the subject matter, the parties involved and I'm sure other factors that may need to be considered. So I will not say that compromising is always the wrong thing to do. For example, a good marriage always involves compromises in many situations.
However, when it comes to our relationship to God and His Holy Word the Bible, we cannot compromise. I do emphasize that our stance must be in line with the Bible and not just our own misguided opinion.
I believe one of the greatest failures of the church today is its compromising with the world. Instead of the church going out into the world evangelizing, the world has come in to the church and spread corruption. This has occurred basically because the churches have compromised God's Word.
There is an old saying, "If a man will not stand for something, he will fall for anything." Martin Luther King, Jr., made it even stronger by saying, "If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."
There are many accounts in the Bible, and throughout history for that matter, of men and women who stood firmly upon the Holy Word of God and would not give an inch, often at the forfeiture of their own life. How many of us today have the same tenacity to cling to what God says, regardless of the cost? Obviously those folks are still among us, but they are few in number.
Not everyone who claims the name of Jesus knows Him as Savior and Lord. Satan has slithered into many of the churches and whispered compromising lies in the ears of most of the so-called leadership. Most of the flock has been so dumbed-down; they have no clue of what is from God and what is from man, because they take what is said as 'gospel', never searching the Scriptures; "Well, the preacher says so, so it must be true." Again, it is largely a result of compromising our Lord's Word.
Moses is a man we are all familiar with and also a good example, among many others, of one who would not compromise what God had told him. You recall that God brought ten plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians for refusing to let Israel go and serve God in the wilderness. During these plagues Pharaoh tried five times to persuade Moses to compromise.
These are the 10 Plagues on Egypt and where they are located in Scripture.
Blood: Exodus 7:14f
Frogs: Exodus 8:1f
Gnats: Exodus 8:16f
Flies: Exodus 8:20f
On Livestock: Exodus 9:1f
Boils: Exodus 9:8f
Hail: Exodus 9:13f
Locusts: Exodus 10:1f
Darkness: Exodus 10:21f
Death to Firstborn: Exodus 11:1f
Opportunity to Compromise #1:
After the fourth plague of flies Pharaoh says to Moses, "Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land." (Exodus 8:25)
Pharaoh said in effect, "Sure, sacrifice to your God, but you must do so here, not in the wilderness." Moses rejected this compromise, because that is not what God said.
Satan says to professing Christians today, "You can have your cake and eat it too. The world has changed. You can worship God, and still enjoy all the world has to offer. Claim Christ, but you really don't have to change anything in your life. You're a good person, and God won't mind at all."
Unfortunately, unlike Moses, most today have decided to remain in Egypt and worship with Pharaoh, perhaps thinking that to compromise is the Christian thing to do.
Opportunity to Compromise #2:
Again after the fourth plague of flies Pharaoh says in Exodus 8:28, "I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far."
So now, Pharaoh is saying, "Okay, you may sacrifice to your God, and since you will not do so here, I will let you go into the wilderness, but you can't go very far."
Moses has already told Pharaoh they must go a three days journey into the wilderness to worship their God. Not going very far is not in compliance with God's Word, so Moses rejects Pharaoh's compromise.
There are also those professing Christians who are like Lot's wife. They have left their former life, but they longingly look back with a fond remembrance of all they enjoyed in the Egypt. Sooner or later (most likely sooner) they will be drawn back to Egypt because they decided to serve two masters, but what does Jesus say about that?
"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. " (Matthew 6:24)
Opportunity to Compromise #3:
After the seventh plague of hail Pharaoh has this to say to Moses, "Go, worship the Lord your God," he said, "But tell me who will be going." (Exodus 10:8)
Moses has already told Pharaoh who is going. God said that all of Israel will be leaving. There is no need to name names. This is a waste of time and just a ploy to get Moses mind off his reason for being there.
Satan tries his best, and often succeeds, to draw the unsuspecting professing Christian into a dialogue. Why do so many think they can have a discussion with that old serpent and win? Moses let God do his talking, then left it at that. We should do the same.
Opportunity to Compromise #4:
Again, after the seventh plague of hail, Pharaoh offers up another compromise, "No! Have only the men go and worship the Lord, since that's what you have been asking for." (Exodus 10:11)
Now Pharaoh is trying to twist what God has said through Moses. God has never said that just the men are to leave, He said all of Israel is to leave. Moses again rejects Pharaoh.
"Maybe it would be okay to just have a 'boy's night out' and leave the women and children home. We could get a break from the 'little woman' and the noisy young'uns and have a nice quiet worship time." Moses didn't think so, because that again, is not what God required. How often are families broken up during worship time, each going their own way, when they should be worshipping God together, as a unit?
Opportunity to Compromise #5:
After the ninth plague of darkness Pharaoh comes up with one more compromise. He says, "Go, worship the Lord. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind." (Exodus 10:24)
Notice that the first two times Pharaoh brought up these ridiculous compromises he referred to "sacrifices," but the last three times he changed it to "worship." Regardless, how are the Israelites going to worship without sacrificing, and how are they going to sacrifice without their livestock?
All of that doesn't matter anyway. None of this complies with God's Word. Therefore, Moses rejects Pharaoh again.
This reminds me of countless times I have been in a worship service and noticed that almost no one was carrying a Bible. Would somebody tell me how we can worship God without a Bible? It can't be done! Yet, in most 'worship' services today, the Word of God is only an afterthought, and after hearing the watered down, tasteless dribble coming from the pulpit, it is obvious the speaker isn't interested in the Word either.
Each time Moses had an opportunity to compromise God's Word, but he stood strong on the Word of God against Pharaoh. All Israel, after the tenth plague, left Egypt and went to the wilderness. Our problem today is comparable to those who wanted to return to Egypt. However, those who will not compromise would rather be with God in the wilderness than with Pharaoh in Egypt. Who is your God? Is Pharaoh your god, or is God your God? It is way past time for many to get off the fence.
God is telling us in the following Scriptures that we must not compromise Him or His Word.
"The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1)
"Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." (Numbers 16:21)
"Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "... Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives." (Ezra 10:10-11)
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers ... Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." And, "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14, 17-18)
"Then I heard another voice from heaven say: " 'Come out of her, my people, 'so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes." (Revelation 18:4-5)
The churches today are overrun with sin that flows from the pulpit to the pews and back. There is little if any interest in what God says, and in living for Him as one who is holy (set apart). Only a few have traveled to the wilderness as Moses and Paul (Galatians 1:15-18). Most have remained in Egypt, and in Egypt they will die.
Grant Phillips
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