"A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes they got the biggest piece." Ludwig Erhard
"Tolerance is the vision that makes one see things from any others' viewpoint." Anonymous
When Rome had been humbled by Carthage, some members of the Roman Senate suggested that Rome seek some compromise. An old senator leapt to his feet and cried, "Stop! Remember this - Rome does not go to battle. Rome goes to War."
At first glance what possible problem would anyone have with compromise or tolerance? These seem to be noble traits that help keep peace between people. But what if compromise or tolerance for someone else's standards actually causes you to undermine your own standards? What should we do as Christians when the two come into conflict? How do we know when to be gracious enough to see things from another's point of view and when we must "go to war" and stand firm for our own beliefs? Let's see if the following Scriptures can shed some light on this matter. Enjoy!
1 Corinthians 10:23-33
Acts 5:17-32
1 Corinthians 5:9-11
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
PSSSST! Here is a sneak peak into next week's topic - Faith and Doubts
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I think it's important to be able to make the distinction between the times you can compromise without undermining your own values and the times you can't. Of course, the distinction is easier to make in some cases than others.
ReplyDeleteAs an example of a time when it's OK to compromise, in Romans 14 Paul talks about eating with someone who considers certain foods to be unclean. "If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died...All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall" (15; 20-21). So in this case, even though I believe all foods are clean, choosing not to eat "unclean" foods around someone who would be offended by my doing so is a good compromise, because choosing not to eat a certain food isn't offensive to my own beliefs.
On the other hand, some beliefs, like having multiple wives or worshipping idols (in whatever form that may be), DO conflict with my own beliefs, so those I'd have to take a stand against. Of course, I'm sure there are grey areas I'm not thinking of where it'd be harder to decide.
By the way, for anyone who might not have a Bible handy, a good resource for looking up scripture is biblegateway.org. They even have a drop-down menu where you can choose from a variety of translations. Here are the scriptures from this week:
1 Corinthians 10: 23-33
Acts 5: 17-32
1 Corinthians 5: 9-11
1 Corinthians 9: 19-23
Thank you for providing this opportunity to study the Bible and consider questions which are of interest to all Christians.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of compromise a Christian should not compromise on key issues of the faith such as the diety of Christ, salvation by faith, to name a couple. On doctrinal issues which don't affect a person's ultimate standing with God it is better to not let these issues cause dissension.
As always, thank you to everyone who is reading and responding to the topics.
ReplyDeleteThe basic issue at point here is indeed the "what" is being compromised/tolerated and for what reason.
If the what includes the basis of our faith, then compromise undercuts that base and the result is the destruction of faith. But if we are compromising/tolerating issues of how that basis of faith is lived out in everyday life, then surely there must be room for grace, evidenced in toleration/compromise for the spiritual benefit of another.
Obviously the intentional use of the words compromise/tolerance requires definition in the spiritual sense that is probably different from the secular/political/social/etc.. sense.
At the bottom line, I believe, is the authority of Scripture as the guide for what is tolerated or compromised and what is not. If the Lord can tolerate us as sinners, then shouldn't we focus on the toleration of people but not necessarily their ideas or actions?
Great work again by everyone. I hope you enjoy our next offering! Blessings. Pastor Damon