The Danger of Compromise

by David Weaks

You have always heard that compromise is a virtue. However, this is not always true. One cannot compromise with error.

God’s word is truth (John 17:17). We are not allowed to take away from nor add anything to the word of God (Rev. 22:18- 19). Any attempt to do so would create “another gospel which is not another;” it would be a perverted gospel (Gal. 1:6-7). To change the word of God on any point, or to preach another gospel is anathema to God (vs. 8-9). God does not change (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17), and we should never believe ourselves at liberty to compromise the truth, even once.

Yet, our age is one of compromise. Society has bowed the knee in compromise to every evil thing that humans can invent in the name of “acceptance” and “open mindedness.” We are lectured daily by a liberal world that “love” is the paramount good in life, and that love means you must embrace all that God calls sin. In fact, these people believe it is more important to tolerate people’s sins than to be loyal to God. This view of love is alien to the Bible.

The Bible defines love as showing respect for the word of God and keeping His commandments (John 14:15, 23). How can one say he loves God properly when he compromises God’s word in order to embrace what is unholy? The inconsistency of this position is staggering.

Within the church there is a greater compulsion to compromise than ever before. Gospel preaching must never compromise with error. Paul said that Christians are not supposed to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, we are supposed to expose them (Eph. 5:11). We are supposed to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12). The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God, capable of pulling down strongholds and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4-5). We Christians wield the sharp two-edged “sword of the spirit,” the word of God, which is so powerful it exposes everything it touches with precision (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12).

Unfortunately, aging warriors of the cross who fought the battle for truth in the past are dying out one by one. In their place are men who keep the tip of their sword aimed at the ground for fear of appearing too aggressive. Their grip on the sword of the Spirit is loose, and it is liable to be knocked from their hands by any actual spiritual warfare. Faithful preachers, elders, and brethren of the past kept the sword of the Spirit at the ready, in fighting position, and wielded it against every error that advanced against the truth. Now, the fear of being too militant and too rigid frightens many into silence.

The desire to “find common ground” with those in error has become the most important thing. Statements like: “You make a good point” and “I see where you’re coming from” have replaced: “Have you not read” and “Thus saith the Lord…” (Matt. 12:3, 5; 19:4; 23:31). Have we forgotten the fact that false doctrine destroys like cancer (2 Tim. 2:17)? The apostle Paul dealt sternly with false teachers so that they “might learn not to blaspheme” (1 Tim. 1:20). Jesus Christ, our Lord, challenged the teachers of error in His time. He called the scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites (Matt. 23). Jesus was so bold in His preaching that the hypocritical leaders of the Jews knew that He was talking about them (Matt. 21:45).

Many brethren say they are in favor of firm, resolute preaching on moral issues, but they blanch at making actual applications. They want preachers to preach against immodesty (1 Tim. 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:2-4), but they don’t want preachers to single out specific clothing that is immodest, lest permissive parents and their daughters and sons be embarrassed. We are encouraged to preach against false teachers (2 Pet. 2:1ff; Jude), but folks get angry when we actually tie a man to his false doctrine. Yet, Paul exposed false teachers by name so brethren could avoid their error (1 Tim. 1:20; 2 Tim. 2:17).

Compromise is synonymous with capitulation and concession. We can do neither of these when it comes to the truth.

Is Sin Contagious?

By Jeff Curtis

A person who had the kind of leprosy described in Leviticus 13 was unclean but not sinful. But leprosy provides a good analogy for sin. Just as leprosy contaminated what it touched and eventually killed those it affected, sin contaminates and ultimately destroys those who practice it.

Comparing leprosy to sin raises a question. Leprosy was apparently contagious; otherwise, the precautions taken to isolate one who had the disease would make little sense. We can ask, then, “Is sin contagious?” Can a person “catch” sin, or become infected with sin, by associating with someone who is a sinner? The answer to that question is both a definite “No” and a qualified “Yes.”

The First Answer. The first answer to the question is “No,” in the sense that the guilt is sin cannot be passed from one person to another. Ezekiel 18 teaches that neither the practice not the guilt of sin is passed from father to son. Adam’s guilt was not, therefore, passed to the rest of the human race. The fact that men like Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon could live among sinners and maintain their righteousness proves that a sinful environment doesn’t automatically make an individual sinful. People become sinners because they sin, not because they associate with those who sin.

The Jews in Jesus’ day failed to understand that fact. They criticized Jesus for associating with sinners, as if to say that His relationship with such people defiled Him and made Him a sinner too. We know otherwise, of course; He associated with sinners and even became their friend so that He could save them.

The same is true today. Christians should not be concerned that they will “catch” another’s sinfulness b associating with them. In fact, if Christians don’t spend some time with sinners, they will have no opportunity to lead them to Christ.

The Second Answer. In another sense, sin may be thought of as contagious. It definitely spreads. Individuals, groups, and societies seem to go from bad to worse. Sin multiplies; the sins of some motivate others to sin. Christians should fight this tendency – first by not urging others to sin.

A more serious problem, though, is that sin may be contagious if we allow close friends to and associates to influence us to sin. Paul expressed the idea this way; “Bad company corrupts good morals” (1Cor. 15:33). We need to do our best to lead sinners to Christ, but we need to avoid putting ourselves in situations that allow our friends to lead us into sin.

Finally. Is sin contagious, like leprosy? No, no one becomes a sinner by inheriting sin’s guilt or by touching sinners. The answer however, could become “Yes” if we allow our friends to influence us to sin.

The good news is that Christ came to save sinners. He can take away our sin if we will turn to Him for salvation.Is Sin