NO COMPROMISE

2 Kings 9:14-10:31; Acts 17:1-34; Psalm 144:1-15; Proverbs 17:27-28

“When Joram saw Jehu he asked, ‘Have you come in peace, Jehu?’  ‘How can there be peace,’ Jehu replied, ‘as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?’”

“And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.”

“O Lord, what are human beings that you should notice them, mere mortals that you should think about them? For they are like a breath of air; their days are like a passing shadow.”

“A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.”

There are very few times the Bible talks of compromise in approving terms. There’s a reason. God’s laws are written in unsettling black and white. We either love the Lord first.., or not. We covet…, or not.  We honor our parents…, or not. With commands this clear, there’s hardly room for interpretation or shades of gray. Where, then, did the idea that tolerance is a virtue come from? Oh, I know, tolerance avoids bigotry and other forms of prejudice. Rules can be overemphasized, to the point they frustrate the freedom and creativity God created. But nevertheless, there is a point at which right still must be right, and wrong still must be wrong. If we are to do the will of God, we have to know where to draw the line. More important, we have to have the courage to be willing to draw the lines between right and wrong, good and evil and acceptable vs. unacceptable, whether popular or not.

Several weeks ago, our church faced a major crossroads. Discontent had already reached its pinnacle, and the tide had turned, except for a relatively few remaining malcontents who vowed to take one more shot at disrupting church operations through the budget process. Their target was apportionments, the assessment our conference charges each church to fund the greater missions and ministries of our denomination. Unhappy with the way the Conference had handled their complaints about church leadership, this now much smaller group of no more than approximately 10-15 individuals decided to make Conference pay. It quickly came out that the apportionment budget had already been cut, but that was not enough for the malcontents; they wanted more. Then, from the back of the room, a lone voice spoke out. He questioned not only the proposal of the protesters, but also the decision to cut apportionments at all. What good is a promise that will not be performed? Who are we as a church if we cannot be relied on to do what we have committed to do? What example does our moral laxity provide for our children? Many in the group began to squirm with his first words. By the time he finished, a small lynch mob was forming. Until another voice spoke up: “He’s right! We need to stand by our word, or we will stand for nothing!” Suddenly, the mood shifted. The protesters lost their voice completely. The Finance Committee’s recommendations were revealed as the rationalizations and compromises that they were. While the transition was neither immediate nor without controversy, by the end of the meeting, the people had voted a mandate that the full apportionments be paid, whatever the effect on the rest of our budget. I feel pretty sure Christ left smiling. Very little about the decision made economic sense. Virtually no part of it made political sense. But it made perfect sense in the Lord’s eyes. Because it was just the right thing to do. It also represented a leap of faith that proved we gave more than lip service to our reliance on the Spirit. We chose to live it, even when there were several other options that would undoubtedly have been more comfortable.

Neither Christianity nor “right” have much to do with “comfortable,” at least, not at first glance. Obedience has nothing to do with what feels good. “Holy” is a completely different breed altogether from “popular.” None of them suggest compromise. But holy, obedience, right and Christianity do have one thing in common. They all are tools that would turn us to Christ, if we would but adopt them as principles to live by and allow them to change us from the inside out.

We will never be right with God as long as we are still arguing with God or each other. If we give up our arguments and decide to foster relationships instead, we not only will be able to articulate the difference between right and wrong, we will have the strength and courage to stand up for right, even when those around us falter!