Commitment or Compromise!

By Dr. James Woods, Sr.

Looking at the Church in the United States today reveals a startling situation!  Unfortunately it appears the Great Commission, Matthew 28:19-20, is viewed as the great suggestion.  Additionally, the emphasis on “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” (1 John 2:15), is being replaced with “name it and claim it” and “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Romans 6:12ff) is being ignored in favor of a half-hearted assertion of 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”, without the attendant repentance.  The ills that are wide-spread in our churches today may be best  characterized as complacency, compromise, and concession.

Complacency should not be the Christian’s choice. Today we hear very little preaching on the responsibility of the church regarding the Great Commission. Individual Christians are not responding to the fact that we all are “Ambassadors for Christ”, 2 Cor. 5:20.  As ambassadors we are chosen, and Christ has chosen each of us to be His representative.  That is, we are not to represent ourselves, we are to represent Christ: “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord…” (2 Cor. 4:5).  Our message is the Gospel Christ has committed to our trust: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16).  As ambassadors we are citizens of the land we represent, that is, citizens of heaven – (Phil 3:20) “For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  The ambassadors’ home country stands ready to supply their every need and to protect them as is evident by the following scriptures: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19) and (Heb 13:5-6)  “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. {6} So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”  All ambassadors are held accountable in that they are to represent their Sovereign and do what they are assigned to do.  With this in mind, we all  should be keeping in mind that we must one day give an account of our service.  As is clearly stated in 2 Cor. 5:9-10: “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. {10} For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad”.  Is complacency your choice?

Compromise should not be the Christian’s choice.  All too much attention is being placed on “health, wealth, and prosperity”.  For many Christians, seeking the “good life” has replaced the abundant life Jesus speaks of in John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”.  It appears that many have translated “more abundantly” to “more abundance”.  Have we taken the following scriptures out of our bibles, or do we just ignore them because they do not support our desires: Matthew 19:24 “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God”; and 1 Timothy 6:10-11 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”  The shift for commitment to the Faith to compromise with the culture may not be a conscious choice, but a coerced change influenced by the world’s culture creeping into the church: 1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils”.   The current secular culture encourages covetousness and greed by promising prosperity and success.  The current secular culture arouses our pride by claiming that we are in complete control of our own destinies, and that we can even create our own realities.  The current secular culture promotes idolatry by encouraging us to seek after our own concept of God, thereby avoiding any accountability to Christ.  The current secular culture rationalizes moral infidelity by promoting a relative ethical system called situation ethics.  It is a system that is centered on man’s personal desires and his wants in opposition to God’s standards and His plan And purpose for our lives: Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Is compromise your choice?

Concession should not be the Christian’s choice.  How often do we take the path of least resistance by conceding to our sin nature by saying “I’m only human”?  How often do we presume upon God’s grace and mercy by saying “God knows my heart and He will forgive me? After all He is a good God!  Have we so conveniently forgotten that God says in Romans 6:12-14 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”  Do we then say, “Yes, I know all that, but look at what Paul says in Romans 7.  “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” (Romans 7:14-20 NIV).

Countless times we have read and heard noted Bible teachers, Theologians and Christian personalities say, ” We (Christians) are all sinners saved by grace”.  To those who concede to this line of thinking, I direct you to the following Scriptures:

• “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (Romans 8:5-14 NIV).
• “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16 NIV).

Yes, Christians sin, Christians are not sinless.  But all Christians are provided the means by which we may “sin less”.  This means is the Indwelling Holy Spirit.  As we submit to the urging of Paul, who through inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1, 2 ESV).  Is concession your choice?

Commitment to Christ should be the Christian’s choice.  Let us not concede to the world, the flesh, or the devil, but let us commit to our God – “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20, 21 KJV).