I do not know who said it. But is it true? A good compromise is when both parties are dissatisfied.
May I modify that? A good compromise is when both parties, and God, are satisfied. We should seek win-win-win solutions to impasses.
But what about situations where to compromise would be to go against God’s Word? That would be a losing option because God would not be pleased.
What does the Bible say about compromise?
James 4:4 sets a limit on compromise: “Friendship with the world is enmity with God.” If we are asked to do something contrary to God’s Word, then that is out of bounds for the friend of God.
Psalm 119:3 says, “They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.” The NLT paraphrases that: “They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.” Any compromise cannot include disobedience to God’s Word.
The apostle Paul sets boundaries on compromise in courtship. Say you are attracted to someone who does not believe in the promise of everlasting life to the believer. Could you marry her? Paul said that believers can marry whomever we wish, but “only in the Lord” (1 Cor 7:39).1 A believer cannot marry an unbeliever without violating God’s Word.
What about if he or she is a believer but is active in an unbiblical church? Yes, you could marry her, though that would be an unwise decision. But what if she required you to agree that your future children would be raised in that church? No.
Daniel was asked to compromise and cease praying to God for thirty days. He refused and was cast into a den of lions (Daniel 6). Daniel’s three friends were commanded to bow down and worship an idol. They refused and were cast into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3).
I like the song, “Dare to Be Like Daniel.” The stanzas include the lines, “Dare to be a Daniel; dare to stand alone…Heeding God’s commands; honor them, the faithful few; all hail to Daniel’s band… Hold the Gospel banner high; on to victory grand; Satan and his hosts defy; and shout for Daniel’s band.”
Of course, if you are in a church, there must be tolerance for disagreements on non-essential issues. But allowing for disagreements is not the same as compromise.
GES allows those who teach and write for us to hold views on non-essential issues that we do not agree with. But we insist on unity in the essentials.
Gotquestions.org makes a helpful suggestion: “It is vital to know when compromise is appropriate and when it is not. In general, we could say that we can compromise on preferences but not on principles” (see here). They give the example of churches compromising on the color of carpet.
Here are some areas where GES compromises on preferences and even on principles to a degree:
- Preference: We would prefer all songs were Scripture set to music, but we allow topical songs to be sung if they are doctrinally sound.
- Principle: We would like all churches on our church tracker list to have the Lord’s Supper every week. But we do not require that.
- Preference: We strongly prefer the NKJV translation. But we allow authors to use other translations from time to time.
- Principle: We would like every church on our list to practice elder rule. But we do not require that.
Compromise is a big problem in Christianity today. Many Evangelicals are far too ready to compromise about far too many issues. While some may not compromise enough, they are surely in the great minority. It would be better to compromise too little than too much.
Here is the bottom line for me and the GES board. We are unwilling to compromise on our core values. If we knew that continuing to teach the clear Free Grace message would mean our revenue would drop in half, we would keep on and adjust. If it meant our revenue dropped ninety percent, we would keep on and adjust. If it meant we lost all support, we would keep on with things we could do for free like blogs, YouTube videos, and articles on the internet. Here is our commitment: We stand on clear doctrine and Biblical principles even if it means financial reversals and ministry contraction.
1 Paul was speaking specifically about widows in 1 Cor 7:39. However, the principle applies to any believer getting married.
