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Let
me first of all say that in matters of the faith -- such as in
God's plan of salvation, the elements to be used for the
Lord's Supper, or the proper view toward stealing, for
examples -- there is no room for compromise; but in some
matters of indifference, one must be willing and able to
compromise at times.
I
read a little illustration recently about two children who had
been in a squabble. The mother, trying to put an end to their
commotion, said, ``Hush! You two children are always
quarreling. Why can't you agree once in a while?'' In
response, her wrangling son explained, ``We do agree, Mama.
Joan wants the largest piece of cake and so do I.''
Undoubtedly,
Joan and her brother were in need of learning a lesson about
compromise -- to have the willingness to give in to the
other's wishes.
I've
often heard people say to others, ``You always must have your
own way.'' When the real irony to this is that those who say
such are usually totally unaware of all the times in which
that person had respectfully bowed to the whims, plans, or
desires of others. I would imagine this often happens in
the marriage relationship --but how often is it overlooked?
We
must realize that it isn't the nature of a true Christian to
always be ``demanding one's rights'' or to be inflexible in
all matters of indifference. Jesus taught this principle when
He said, ``And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with
him two''
(Matt. 5:41). As we come to understand the background
for this statement, we are made aware that the Romans, of whom
the Jews were then in subjugation (and often with loathing and
great reluctance), had the right, by law, to command a Jew to
perform certain tasks, such as to carry the Roman's military
baggage upon demand. Jesus, on the other hand, wanted His
people to be willing to go beyond the bare essentials of what
the law demanded of them: He wanted them to be willing to go
``the extra mile''; and, by doing this, the Jew would also
show by his actions that he was being compelled by a power
beyond that of the Roman law; rather, he was being motivated
by a power of love -- a power which also prompted humble
servitude and continual faithfulness toward that ultimate
object of the Christian's obedience, the Almighty God Himself.
In
similar fashion, Jesus instructed, ``And if anyone wants to
sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also'' (Matt.
5:4). Again, knowing the historical and cultural
background of this will help us to better understand the
application; and that was that, generally speaking, the Jew --
even the poorest of them -- would have more than one change of
``shirt'' (``tunic'' or inner garment); but only one ``coat''
( ``cloak'' or outer garment); and, according to the law, this
coat could not be kept over night by another who had received
it as a surety or pledge. Exodus
22:26, 27 reads, ``If you ever take your neighbor's
cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun
sets, for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his
body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about
that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am
gracious.'' So, by right, this cloak could not be permanently
taken away; but Jesus is saying that the Christian needs to be
willing to forgo some of his rights -- to be able to give up
at times even those things which both God's Law and man's
would allow.
This
certainly was the attitude of Paul. He said, ``Therefore, if
food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat
again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble'' (1
Cor. 8:13). The apostle was willing to give up that
which he technically had the right to, lest it caused another
to fall.
One
way in learning to compromise in matters of indifference is by
striving to truly apply what Paul writes in Philippians
2:3: ''...let each of you regard one another as more
important than himself.'' If we are esteeming one
another the way God's word demands, it should be much easier
to yield to another's plan, wishes, or appeals, out of
deference for that individual. For we are to ``not merely look
out for'' our ``own personal interests, but also for the
interests of others'' (v. 4); and ''...we who are strong ought
to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just
please ourselves. Let us each please his neighbor for his
good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please
Himself; but as it is written, `The reproaches of those who
reproached Thee fell upon Me''' (Rom.
15:1-3).
Paul
strove to be ''...all things to all men'' that he might
''...by all means save some'' (1
Cor. 9:19-23). In other words, as he states in the
beginning of this passage: ''...though I am free from all men,
I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the
more.''
But
this certainly does not mean that Paul was ever a man-pleaser
in the sense of compromising the truth of God's word, for to
this he was adamantly opposed (Gal.
1:10; 2:5).
We
need to remember, as someone once said, real ``joy''
means putting...
Jesus first,
Others second, and
Yourself last.
Even
Jesus did not come into this world to be served, but rather to
serve -- and to give His life as a ransom for all (Matt.
20:28). May we each strive to follow in His footsteps,
to never compromise in matters of faith; but to be able to not
always be so insistent on our own ways in matters of
indifference. For as Christians, we are to ``If possible, so
far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men'' (Rom.
12:18). And as Paul also writes to the Ephesians, ``I,
therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a
manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing
forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace'' (Eph.
4:1-3).
Yes,
this is the way in which we need to yield to one another.
Tom
Edwards
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