Marks of a Compromising Christian – Part I

There are many people in the world who call themselves Christians yet continue to live as if they were not. In many cases, they study the Bible to figure out how much they can get away with instead of conforming to the standard of God’s way, God’s truth, God’s law. They discredit the truth of God for their own desires and find themselves on a subtle, slippery slope to decadence, embedding themselves in the sinful mire of the culture attaching Christian references or meaning to behavior that God forbids and calling it acceptable. From homosexuality to tattoos, they have become compromising Christians.

Excuses Not Reasons

I personally know people like this who make excuses for sin. I’m sure every Christian knows some. They give statements like, “Well I’m at peace with it in my heart.” or “I really don’t see anything wrong with it.” or “I did some research on the Internet and…”

All of these are part of what I call the Saul complex.

In the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 15, Samuel tells Saul to go and destroy the Amalekites as a direct command from the Lord. His mission was to destroy everything: man, woman, child, ox, sheep, and camels. Everything. However, Saul decides that keeping the best of the sheep, camels, and oxen was a good thing as well as taking the king prisoner. He gave the supposed reason being that the best was saved for sacrifice to the Lord. Today, we would say, “Oh man. Saul was for real about following the Lord.” Yet, it was the exact opposite.

Samuel says:

Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of Jehovah, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah?

Saul’s response?

And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of Jehovah, and have gone the way which Jehovah sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

In one sentence, he contradicts himself and tells a lie. God said to destroy everyone yet he admits he kept king Agag alive.

God’s ultimate response to all of this, and a very popular verse in all of scripture is this:

And Samuel said, Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? 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 idolatry and teraphim.

Partial obedience is full disobedience. They are excuses, not reasons.

Profession Without Submission

Saying you’re a Christian, gathering with a church, and listening to Christian radio doesn’t make you a Christian. Obedience to God’s word does. To say that you’re a Christian yet disobey what the word of the Lord says can only mean one of two things:

1. You are a Christian in disobedience to God and you need to turn away from your sin and stop giving excuses for it.

Or…

2. You think you’re a Christian (meaning you’re not) when in actuality, you have never prayed to have your sins forgiven, never repented, and neither have you sought to follow the Lord with all your heart. You need true salvation from the Lord because you’re deceived and on a path to hell.

Profession without submission is self-deception. Eventually your sin will find you out.