West Point Road Church of Christ
Compromise With God's Will

  • What is Compromise?

    In reality, a compromise is when both parties give up part of what they want in order to reach an agreement.
    It may be incorrect to even use the word “compromise” when referring to God’s will. God, as an omniscient, omnipotent being, has no need to compromise. God, as a holy being, will always do what is right and will never compromise with evil.
    However, for the purpose of this lesson, we will look at times when man “compromised” with God’s will or made concessions with God’s will in order to achieve what they wanted. While God’s will remained the same, man gave up some of what they had in order to make an agreement.

    Joshua and the Israelites

    The children of Israel were told to wipe out the inhabitants of Canaan. The reasons for this were at least twofold:
    The inhabitants were evil and God was bringing judgment upon them.
    The inhabitants were evil and would be a bad influence upon the Israelites and cause them to forsake God.
    Joshua and the Israelites did not follow God’s will correctly. Men in Canaan were afraid of Joshua and the Israelites after what had been done at Jericho and Ai. Therefore, they decided to try and make a treaty with them.
    Joshua 9:3-15
    Joshua 9:3–15 KJV 1900
    And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the Lord thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
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    God would later give a message to the Israelites making it clear that they had disobeyed God.
    Judges 2:1-2
    Judges 2:1–2 KJV 1900
    And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
    In order to make peace with men they should have destroyed, the Israelites did not obey God’s commandments. Instead of following God’s truth they followed a lie and they lost their peace with God.
    Judges 2:3-4
    Judges 2:3–4 KJV 1900
    Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

    King Saul

    King Saul was told to destroy the Amalekites.
    1 Samuel 15:2-3
    1 Samuel 15:2–3 KJV 1900
    Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
    However, Saul and the people spared King Agag and things that they thought were good.
    1 Samuel 15:7-9
    1 Samuel 15:7–9 KJV 1900
    And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
    Saul went further by stating that he had fulfilled the commandment of the Lord when he had not. Samuel was not buying it.
    1 Samuel 15:13-14
    1 Samuel 15:13–14 KJV 1900
    And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
    1 Samuel 15:20–21 KJV 1900
    And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
    1 Samuel 15:20-21
    Samuel responded that Saul should have obeyed God’s commandments, even if it meant not performing his seemingly noble sacrifices.
    1 Samuel 15:22-23
    1 Samuel 15:22–23 KJV 1900
    And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king.
    Saul admitted that he had compromised God’s commandments because of fear of man.
    1 Samuel 15:24
    1 Samuel 15:24 KJV 1900
    And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
    Saul feared the voice of the people over the commandment of God. In order to make peace with men Saul did not obey God’s commandments. Even though he tried to sell it as a noble gesture to God, God rejected the idea of a sacrifice over obedience to Him. Saul lost his peace with God and ended up losing the kingdom.

    Peter

    Peter was a follower of Jesus. He claimed that he would die rather than deny Jesus.
    Matthew 26:31-35
    Matthew 26:31–35 KJV 1900
    Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
    But after Jesus is arrested, Peter was willing to distance himself from Jesus in order to avoid trouble with men.
    Matthew 26:69-75
    Matthew 26:69–75 KJV 1900
    Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
    Peter feared the people over his loyalty to God. In order to have peace with men, Peter denied Jesus. Peter lost his peace with Jesus.

    Compromise Today

    Keep in mind that the word “compromise” requires concessions to be made on both sides. God does not make concessions to man’s whim if it means violating His own will.
    Numbers 23:19
    Numbers 23:19 KJV 1900
    God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
    Therefore, when man compromises with God’s word, only man is giving something up in order to have peace with man. God is not compromising. In the end, what man is giving up is peace with God.
    When we become Christians we have peace with God.
    Romans 5:1
    Romans 5:1 KJV 1900
    Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
    The rebellion and sin caused us to be separated from God. That separation from God is now resolved.
    That peace with God does not give us liberty to continue sinning.
    Romans 6:1-2
    Romans 6:1–2 LEB
    What therefore shall we say? Shall we continue in sin, in order that grace may increase? May it never be! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
    If we compromise with God’s commandments we might obtain peace with man, but we lose our peace with God. We forfeit following God’s commandments and fall back into sinning.
    2 Peter 2:20-21
    2 Peter 2:20–21 KJV 1900
    For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
    There are different ways that man might compromise with the will of God in order to have peace with other men, or even peace within themselves:
    Offering a “traditional” and “contemporary” worship so that everyone can worship the way they want to.
    Telling yourself or others that it is possible to go to Heaven without obeying God’s Plan of Salvation because you want to have peace with the fact that a loved one died without obeying the Gospel.
    Forbidding the preacher to preach on certain Biblical topics that might upset certain members living in sin.
    Compromising following God’s commandments in order to have peace with your own desires. This may be passed off as “God’s grace will cover me,” or “God knows my heart.”
    Luke 18:18-23
    Luke 18:18–23 KJV 1900
    And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
    The ruler was willing to follow God, except for obeying one commandment. How did Jesus sum up the ruler’s response? Did Jesus say that He knew the man’s heart and that was good enough? Did he say that His grace would cover him even if the ruler did not want to obey?
    Luke 18:24-25
    Luke 18:24–25 KJV 1900
    And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
    The truth is, Jesus knew his heart. He knew that the ruler’s heart was in love with his own possessions. That’s why he told the ruler to sell his possessions. Jesus knew also that His grace gave him an opportunity for salvation and entering the kingdom of Heaven, but the ruler still had the freewill to reject it. Jesus knew that this man was in danger of never entering the kingdom of God if something didn’t change. The ruler was willing to follow a lot of God’s commandments, but when it came to riches, he did not want to give them up. He may have maintained peace with his own desires, but he lost peace with God.
    If there is one being you do not want to lose peace with, it is God. Once this life is over, you won’t need to make peace with man. Your eternal destiny will depend upon whether or not you have peace with God.
    What is the outcome if we have peace with God?
    Romans 5:1-2
    Romans 5:1–2 KJV 1900
    Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
    What is the outcome of men who do not have peace with God because they do not obey His commandments?
    Romans 1:18
    Romans 1:18 KJV 1900
    For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
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      • Joshua 9:3–15ASV

      • Judges 2:1–2ASV

      • Judges 2:3–4ASV

      • 1 Samuel 15:2–3ASV

      • 1 Samuel 15:7–9ASV

      • 1 Samuel 15:13–14ASV

      • 1 Samuel 15:20–21ASV

      • 1 Samuel 15:22–23ASV

      • 1 Samuel 15:24ASV

      • Matthew 26:31–35ASV

      • Matthew 26:69–75ASV

      • Numbers 23:19ASV

      • Romans 5:1ASV

      • Romans 6:1–2ASV

      • 2 Peter 2:20–21ASV

      • Luke 18:18–23ASV

      • Luke 18:24–25ASV

      • Romans 5:1–2ASV

      • Romans 1:18ASV

West Point Road Church of Christ
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