What is Spiritual Compromise? God or the World?

Spiritual Compromise Is Divided Allegiance

People often make concessions or compromises so they can accomplish things. Political compromise is often necessary so the government can continue to function. Compromise in marriage is a reality that is necessary so two people can live together without fighting all the time. But there is a kind of compromise that is wrong—spiritual compromise. We cannot love the sin of the world and love God at the same time (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15). We cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).

Elijah's Challenge: God or Baal? 1 Kings 18:21

In 1 Kings 18:21 Elijah confronts this hypocrisy,

"And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word." (ESV)

It seems the people of Elijah's time wanted to hedge their bets as we say today. Was God who He said He was or was Baal, the god promoted by evil queen Jezebel? When people hedge their bets they try to make everyone happy, but when it is spiritual compromise it is God who becomes angry.

The response of the people was even more interesting. They said nothing in response to Elijah's challenge. Perhaps they were struck with the realization of their guilt. What could they say? Maybe they were waiting to see which God was really the most powerful, Elijah's God or Baal.

The Idols of Our Hearts

In today's church where do we see this kind of divided loyalty? Some of us may be trying to serve God and the god of this world. For the most part we no longer have idols made by human hands but many of us have made idols of things God says are wrong. Forgetting God leads us to ruin.

Eating food sacrificed to idols isn't a problem in modern times, at least not in the U.S., but if we apply the principle of this text we can see parallels. We need to look internally to see what is more important to us. What or who do we put on the throne of our hearts? Is it God or is it money, sports, sex, or power?

Think about what is most important in your life. Luke 10:27 explains what should be our priority.

"And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

If we aren't doing these things then we may be guilty of trying to serve two masters.

Paul plainly tells us to "put to death" our idol of greed. But not just greed should be put to death; all sins that serve desires of the flesh instead of God's desires. These include "sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed" (Colossians 3:5 NIV). Clearly Paul recognized that idols were not merely things made with human hands but the desires of our heart that place sin above God. Where in Scripture do we see this trade-off between God and sin?

Compromise in the Early Church

In Revelation, John's messages to the churches give us examples of spiritual double-mindedness. The church at Pergamon was accused of tolerating members who accepted sexual immorality. They even ate food that had been sacrificed to idols (Revelation 2:12-17). Now Paul had said that was not a sin (1 Corinthians 8:4-13), but it is sin if we believe that perhaps those idols have some truth to them. Sinfulness lies in the worship of idols, not the eating of the meat. Christians in Pergamon had shown themselves to be faithful even under persecution, but there were some members who still wanted to have it both ways. They were "limping between" the world and God.

Again, the church at Thyatira, although known for its love, faith, service, and endurance, had some members who were also participating in sexual immorality and pagan feasts (Revelation 2:18-23). Both of these churches received stern warnings of judgment to come if they did not stop what amounted to spiritual adultery. They were participating in idolatry and compromising with pagan practices. That is what we do when we try to serve our God and sinful practices at the same time. We are not being faithful to God.

When the Church Compromises with the World

What does it look like when we profess allegiance to Christ, while accommodating the values and practices of a culture that opposes His commands? Some churches today are guilty of moral relativism. They believe that morality is subjective. It is based, not on biblical principles but on social, cultural, historical, or personal situations. They view the Bible more as a book of suggestions based on the times we live in. But Scripture tells us not to be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2). They compromise what the Bible says about sin.

Churches that teach this are accommodating the world in an attempt to look less "judgmental." When the church doesn't speak out against named sins in the Bible, it won't have to deal with the consequences of being called bigoted, intolerant, or hateful. The church can become the "nice place" where no one has to feel convicted of sin.

When Christianity Becomes Self-Help

Another place where compromise shows is when the Bible is turned into a self-help manual for leading a better life instead of teaching that we are to die to self. According to these churches God wants you to be wealthy, healthy, and feel good about yourself. The reality of true repentance and living a transformed life for God, which includes suffering and trials, is dismissed. If we change the message of Christianity to make it more attractive to the world, we may be presenting the benefits of Christ while minimizing the call to surrender to Him.

When we become a Christian, we are making a choice. Our choice is for God and to follow Him. Our churches should not present a Christianity that promises people a better life while avoiding the question of who will rule that life. We serve one Master and it should be clear to everyone which Master that is.

What Are We Really Calling People To?

The church should ask itself this important question. Why do we want people to become a Christian? What does that really mean to our lives? Becoming a Christian allows us to have a relationship with God and because of this we are inspired to love Him and others in service. We become forgiven people, who have eternal life, because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We are freely given grace, something we don't deserve, but for a purpose. That is to glorify God with our lives and the good we do because of that.

God then promises us His peace, guidance, and help in times of trouble. He offers us a home in Heaven eternally with Him because He is our God and we are His people. He promises to never forsake us. Because of Him we are never alone.

But is this the message we are really sending to our members? Or have the compromises we have made with the world so diluted our voice that it is difficult for people to know who we really serve? Perhaps our compromises have led us to sound like we are wavering between two masters: Christ and the world.

A Call to Endurance, Not Compromise

Revelation continues its call to the saints in Revelation 14:12,

"Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus."

This is not a call for compromise but a call to endurance. It is a call to patience because no matter what we face, God desires for us to obey Him. We must never give up our faith in our Savior. Standing for what is right in the eyes of God will not be easy but we endure and obey Him. We do this, not because we have to, but because we are the children of the one true King.

We return to Elijah's question, "If the Lord is God, follow Him." Whom do we follow?