Jesus Did Not Preach Compromise

By Pastor Joe Green

Many people have opinions about Jesus Christ. Even people of other faiths acknowledge that there was a person by the name of Jesus who lived and walked on the earth around 2000 years ago. I have heard Jesus described as a wise man, a great teacher, a revolutionary, and even a prophet. It seems like most people like to focus on Jesus as just being very nice to people and that He loved everyone. Many people even acknowledge that He started His own belief system and they will accept Him as savior, but few people acknowledge Him as Lord.

Let’s dispel some of the myths; let’s talk about the real man named Jesus that was called by some as “The Christ”.

First of all, Jesus never taught nor believed in compromise. It is sad to say that most people that claim to be Christian are not really committed to their faith. Jesus was very clear in who He claimed to be and that there was no other way to the God of the Bible except through Him. Only through faith in Jesus Christ can a Christian be saved. Throughout the gospels Jesus repeatedly told all that would listen that there was no other way to the father except through Himself. As a matter of fact, in the scriptures Jesus calls all others “thieves and robbers” (John 10:8) who claimed to be a way to God.

It is sad to say, but many people who say that they are Christians or followers of Jesus haven’t grasped that concept. As a matter of fact, the Bible says that Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith. You either have to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior or not at all.

The compromise comes because many people who say that they are believers openly except wrongdoing. We, as a supposedly Christian nation, allow unborn babies to be murdered legally and the majority of people who claim to be Christians are not doing anything about it. Homosexuality is a clear ‘no-no’ to God, yet some ‘Christian’ churches ordain gay Pastors and even marry same-sex couples. We even have regular church goers who cheat on their spouses or simply sleep around, yet no one in the church lifts an eyebrow. This is clearly against everything Jesus stood for, yet we have the nerve to go to church and sing songs of praise to God as if everything is ok.

Let me make something clear, we are all sinners saved by grace. No one is perfect and it is only by the blood of Jesus that we are forgiven of our sins. Stop using that as an excuse to do whatever you want! You hear compromising Christians stand firm on the issue of God’s grace and His love, but they are not obedient to His Word. God says if you love Me you will keep My commandments, not you will do whatever you want and think it’s ok.

The key ingredient to salvation and forgiveness of sins is repentance. The word “repent” comes from the Greek word “metanoeo” which means to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider (morally to feel compunction). Jesus was telling us that in order for us to be forgiven of our sins and be true followers and Christians, we have to turn away from sin and to change our mind to conform to God’s ways. We want to live this life the easy way by doing whatever we want to and then think it is ok with God. We want to make Jesus our Savior and accept His grace, but we don’t want to live up to our end of the covenant.

Jesus said that we are to be salt and light to the world. We are supposed to bring light to dark places. We are supposed to preach the truth of God’s Word so that all who will accept it will be saved from eternal death. Instead of this we have compromised our faith so much that now the world dictates to us what is true and what is not. We think that we have to get with the times or that morality is outdated.

God is a God of love, grace and mercy, but He is also a God of justice. He is very clear what He expects from all of those who claim to be His people. There is a harsher judgment to people that claim to follow Jesus yet openly go against His Word.

Jesus hated compromise. As a matter of fact Jesus said that He would rather you be cold or hot than lukewarm for Him. The Word of God says that if you are lukewarm it makes God sick to His stomach. Looking at the level of compromise that we have in Americans claiming to be Christians, I just can imagine the stomach ache that God has!

One of the many myths about Jesus that I want to dispel is that Jesus was always nice to everyone. Liberals would have you to believe Jesus was some type of hippie that just loved on everyone no matter what they did. This is simply not true! As a matter of fact Jesus was very vocal on His stance against sin. Because of His uncompromising ways and how he held the ‘church folks’ of His day to a higher level of accountability, they plotted to kill Him. It was not the sinners but the people who claimed to be God’s people.

I write this article not to condemn or to judge anyone, God will do that. The Bible asks the question; how will they know the true gospel unless it is preached to them? There are a lot of people that are living outside of God’s will for them because of compromising Christians who are afraid to tell the truth! That is not a judgment, that is a fact.

I always like to share a story that happened to me many years ago. I once came across a 2-year-old that was about to stick a fork into a wall socket. I could have walked away and told everyonethat I did not say anything to him because I know that he really wanted to put the fork into the outlet and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. I could have even walked away and simply said that he wasn’t my child. Of course I didn’t do any of that, I yelled at him to stop what he was doing and to never do that again. Because I realized that what he was doing would kill him and that it was my responsibility to tell him the truth. I did it because I loved him and I did not want to see any harm come to him.

As a Christian and a minister of the gospel, we have the same obligation. We are to tell the world the truth about the gospel. We are to let them know that by rebelling against the Word of God they will surely die. That is what Jesus did. Although it led people to hate Him, mock Him, and eventually crucify Him, He told them the truth no matter what. He did not compromise and He wasn’t always nice.

Let me give you 2 biblical examples of when Jesus wasn’t nice:
1. When Jesus came across a woman that was living in sexual sin, He told her to get her husband. When she said she didn’t have a husband, Jesus told her that she was telling the truth because she was sleeping with someone else’s husband and had done so in the past. That was not very nice, but it helped the woman to get her life right and to tell others about Jesus (John 4:16-18).

2. When Jesus was talking to the religious leaders of His day He openly called them hypocrites. He also told them that they were not getting in to heaven and that they were going to prevent others from getting there as well because they said one thing but lived another (Matthew 23:13).

That is the true Jesus. He was bold and He was outspoken against wrongdoing. He told people the truth because He loved them. He not only told them He loved them, but showed them by giving His life as a sacrifice for anyone who would except Him and His gospel message.

That is what we are called to be as Christians. We are to be bold and outspoken against evil in the world. We are not to except everything the world says is right. The Bible says that God hates hands that shed innocent blood and that the land is cursed when innocent blood is shed. That is what abortion is, but most Christians are silent about it. God says that marriage is between a man and a woman but, not only have Christians not acted to protect marriage, they have allowed some so called Christians to even sanction same-sex marriages and ordain gay clergy.

If we as a nation hope to survive we have to have an awakening of the saints of God. God is going to raise up a generation of Elijah’s that is not afraid to tell the truth in love to all that will receive it. We cannot make anyone take heed to the true gospel, but it is our responsibility to at least tell them the truth without compromise so that they can know the truth for themselves.

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, all power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Amen.

That is the great commission! This is the real Jesus!

Pastor Joe Green is a husband and a father of four. He is a published author and a radio station owner. He travels the world as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Joe shares his story of how he went from being homeless, a drug dealer, and a heavy drug and alcohol abuser to being the first African American owner of a Christian broadcast radio station in Central PA. For more information regarding Pastor Green’s ministry visit his website at www.jgministries.net or call (717) 425-9205.