HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 73
page A71
• R O MA NS 1 4 :1 5 | And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting
in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.
• R O MA NS 1 5 :1 | We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about
things like this. We must not just please ourselves.
To maintain unity in the body of Christ, a Christian must be willing to avoid or give up doing
certain things. This may require compromising personal preferences, though never essential
Christian beliefs. Sometimes we must compromise so that we don’t offend others or cause
them to stumble in their faith.
• MAT T H E W 5 :2 4 | “Leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that
person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.”
Seeking God’s approval first requires reconciliation with God’s people. Reconciliation
means giving up lesser things to gain greater things.
• PH I L I PP I A NS 2 :2 | Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each
other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
Sometimes we should compromise for the sake of unity in the church. Agreement may
mean giving up something “I” want for the sake of what “we” want.
What’s wrong with just a little sin if it could help me accomplish something bigger?
Compromise can dull our sensitivity to sin. A little sin is just as bad as a lot of sin. Sin is
sin, and sin is wrong.
• J U DG E S 1 6 :1 | One day Samson went to the Philistine town of Gaza and spent the night
with a prostitute.
Trading morals, national leadership, and allegiance to one’s people for a night of pleasure
is a bad compromise. It is giving up too much to get too little. Trading the best of life for a
moment of pleasure is a foolish choice.
How do I live in today’s culture without compromising my convictions?
• DA NI E L 1 :8 -1 4 | Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food. . . . He
asked . . . permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. . . . “Please test us for ten days on
a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. . . . The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion.
Stand up for what is right and true, but in a respectful manner. Sometimes, as in Daniel’s
case, we are respected for our beliefs; other times we are not.
• H E B R E W S 3 :1 2 -1 3 | Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own
hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn
each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin
and hardened against God.
Always be on the alert when living or working with those who don’t see sin as something
wrong. You can easily find yourself compromising and agreeing to do “little” sins. This will
eventually dull your sensitivity to sin. A little sin now and then can lead to a life defined by sin.
• DA NI E L 1 2 :1 3 | “As for you, go your way until the end.” (See note on page 785.)
Keep your eyes and heart focused on God’s Word, and live according to what it says.
How can I learn to recognize the areas in which I am most likely to compromise?
• J U DG E S 1 6 :1 5 -1 7 | “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets
with me?” . . . She tormented him with her nagging day after day until . . . Samson shared
his secret with her. (See note on page 232.)
We are most likely to compromise in areas where we are spiritually weak.
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(See note on page 1144.)
• R E VE L AT I O N 2 :1 4 | “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among
you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of
Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.”
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• E X O DU S 3 4 :1 2 | “Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the
land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped.”
• 2 J O H N 1 :9 | Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God.