Why do churches compromise? Why do entire denominations move away from biblical faithfulness toward theological liberalism? Why did preachers in the 19th century so easily allow themselves to stop believing and proclaiming the miracles of the Bible and change the message they brought to the people?
Interestingly, the change of message is not often motivated by the kind of evil that one might think. Those who face the greatest temptation to compromise on either part of the message or the entire gospel itself are seldom tempted that way out of a desire to destroy the faith. In truth, if you look at those who have changed the message most, the desire they proclaim is that of wanting to protect Christianity more than to weaken it.
The thing that we must realize, however, is that we cannot protect the faith by destroying it. WE cannot make Christianity relevant to a modern age by denying miracles. WE cannot make Christianity popular in the 21st century by changing the moral laws of God to fit the sensitivities of modern rebels against God.
Paul faced the same frustration that many modern Christians face—the frustration of seeing people deny the faith for the sake of making it more pleasing to outsiders.
Galatians 1:6-10 – 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Look at the uncompromising passion with which Paul writes in that section. If you know Paul’s writings, there are passages of such mercy, grace, and beauty that this one rings solidly against our ears. Paul says that if any person, man or even angel, comes preaching a supposed gospel that is different than the original, that person should be accursed. That is the strongest language that I think he had available to him. Paul basically just said that a person who changes the gospel should be consigned to eternal hell immediately. Then Paul backs up his statement by repeating it.
Why such a passionate statement? I think it should be obvious. To change the gospel message is to destroy it. Imagine that you are driving and you reach a fork in the road. To the left is a road that ends suddenly with a drop off a cliff. To the right is a road that leads to safety and to a place of great happiness. To change any part of the gospel would be the same as switching the road sign so that travelers would think it safe to turn left and head for the cliff. To change the gospel moves it from being a message for life to a false message that leads to destruction. Such, in Paul’s inspired mind, is a damnable offense.
Then, in verse 10, Paul showed us that somehow, in the midst of all this, the preaching of the gospel message is compared to attempting to please men. The alteration of the gospel message from many is a message intended to please those who do not know the gospel. Many out there who preach the faith have been tempted to compromise on the gospel message or the ways of God inn order to make the message more alluring to those who are outside of the faith. But Paul tells us in verse 10 that to attempt to please men in such a way is to let go of pleasing God. We must not do such a thing.
So, let us never compromise, even if we think that such a compromise will please men and draw them to our cause. To win people with a compromised gospel is to win them to something other than genuine Christianity. Such a victory is of no value, and it puts us in a very dangerous spiritual place.
Pastor Travis Peterson 