Question 1

When is compromise appropriate and how can I effectively compromise?

Accepted Answer

Ezra 10:3-4“Let us now make a covenant with our God to divorce our pagan wives and to send them away with their children. We will follow the advice given by you and by the others who respect the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law of God. Get up, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight. We are behind you, so be strong and take action.”1 Corinthians 7:12-13If a fellow believer has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. And if a believing woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him.Within the will of God and the commands he has given in Scripture, it is healthy to agree to give up something for the common good. But never give in if it means acting against God’s Word. It is never appropriate to compromise the will of God as revealed in Scripture. In some cases, much spiritual guidance is needed to evaluate a proposed compromise.Romans 14:15If another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.Romans 15:1We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves.In order to maintain unity in the body of Christ, a Christian must be willing to compromise personal preferences, but never essential Christian beliefs. Sometimes you must compromise so that you don’t offend others or cause them to stumble in their faith.Philippians 2:2Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.Sometimes you should compromise for the sake of unity in the church. Agreement may mean giving up something you want for the sake of what “we” want.

Question 2

When is compromise inappropriate?

Accepted Answer

Romans 6:12Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.Compromise is inappropriate when it causes you to sin in any way, or causes others to sin so that you can have what you want.Judges 16:1One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night with a prostitute.Trading away your integrity and your values for an act of pleasure is a terrible compromise. Trading the freedom of a godly life for slavery to sin is an incredibly foolish choice. If you make this kind of compromise a way of life, you risk your life on earth as well as your eternal future.Exodus 23:2“You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.”1 Samuel 15:24Then Saul admitted to Samuel, “Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded.”3 John 1:11Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good.Compromise is inappropriate when it is motivated by peer pressure or following the bad example of others.

Question 3

What is a danger of inappropriate compromise?

Accepted Answer

Exodus 34:12“Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped.”Proverbs 25:26If the godly give in to the wicked, it’s like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring.Compromising with evil causes you to sin.

Question 4

How do I live in today’s culture without compromising my convictions?

Accepted Answer

Daniel 1:8, 12-14Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. . . . “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.Never be afraid to take a stand for what you know is right and true, but do so in a respectful manner. You will be surprised how often you will be admired for sticking to your beliefs, even if others disagree with them. But if you meet resistance, you must not compromise by going against God’s Word.Exodus 34:12“Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped.”Hebrews 3:12-13Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.2 John 1:9Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.Revelation 2:14“But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.”You must always be on the alert when living or working with those who don’t see sin as something wrong. You can easily find yourself compromising and agreeing to do “little sins.” This will eventually dull your sensitivity to sin. A little sin now and then can lead to a life defined by sin.Judges 16:15-17Then Delilah pouted, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong!” She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it. Finally, Samson shared his secret with her.You are most likely to compromise in areas where you are spiritually weak. Bad influences, and your own rationalizations, will often play on your emotions in order to sway you. Learn to recognize where you are vulnerable so that you are prepared when the temptation to compromise comes.

Question 5

When I am negotiating a compromise, how do I know if I’m about to make a bad agreement?

Accepted Answer

1 Samuel 8:4-7Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer.”The people were willing to move further away from God and lose personal freedoms to be similar to other nations and win military might. Compromise is a bad deal when you trade eternal loyalties for temporary ones.Daniel 1:8Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.Daniel was able to negotiate an agreement to avoid compromising his convictions—both the king and Daniel got what they wanted. Whenever you negotiate, never give up your Christian convictions.2 Kings 15:3-4[Uzziah] did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done. But he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there.Bad compromise doesn’t always involve a trade; sometimes it is failing to take the action that you and God know is right. Doing nothing when you know God wants you to do something is a compromise of your convictions and commitments.

Question 6

Are there relationships, partnerships, and alliances that can quickly lead me to compromise?

Accepted Answer

2 Chronicles 18:1, 28; 19:1-2Jehoshaphat enjoyed great riches and high esteem, and he made an alliance with Ahab of Israel by having his son marry Ahab’s daughter. . . . So King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah led their armies against Ramoth-gilead. . . . When King Jehoshaphat of Judah arrived safely home in Jerusalem, Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. “Why should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?” he asked the king. “Because of what you have done, the Lord is very angry with you.”Ezra 4:1-2The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel. So they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders and said, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do.”Romans 12:2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.2 Corinthians 6:14-15Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?Partnership, in business or marriage, is teaming up with another to act as one. God warns against a partnership in which one loves God and the other doesn’t, for how can these two different belief systems act as one? Scripture offers many examples of unwise alliances and gives warnings against them.

Question 7

How should I respond when I am tempted to compromise God’s ways?

Accepted Answer

1 Chronicles 22:13“For you will be successful if you carefully obey the decrees and regulations that the Lord gave to Israel through Moses. Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or lose heart!”Careful obedience—backed by strength and courage—will help you resist temptation and remain steadfast.1 Corinthians 10:13The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.1 Corinthians 16:13Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.Ephesians 6:11Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.It is never beneficial to compromise your Christian convictions. When temptations come, the only appropriate response is to resist, and sometimes to literally walk or run away. God promises to give you the strength to do so.