Study inGalatians

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The Danger Of

Compromise

Chap 2v11-14

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IntroductionCompromise isn’t always unhealthy. For example if we decide to meet together and you want the meeting to begin at 6.00 p.m. and I would like it to begin at 7.00 p.m. we may both end up agreeing to the time of 6.30. That is an acceptable compromise, no principle has been violated.

However, if I see you steal a car if your family pleads with me not to give irrefutable evidence against you and I agree to meet them halfway. If in court I say that it was dark and the thief just looked like the accused but I couldn’t be sure then a principle is violated - the principle of truth. It is always an unhealthy compromise to try to take a middle route between truth and pleasing others.

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IntroductionWinston Churchill once wisely said, “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile - hoping it will eat him last.” Now compromise and appeasement are close relatives.

Compromise is the issue before us in these verses. The refusal of Peter to behave in a manner that he knew to be right, led to a public confrontation with Paul. We begin by examining the background of this incident, and secondly we will ask, what it is which promotes compromise? Finally we will explore how best to deal with the pressure to compromise.

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The Background To CompromisePeter had come to Antioch to visit the Gentile church. In the course of his stay he had gladly associated with the Gentile converts taking his meals with them. A thing which a Jew of that age would never do, lest he be contaminated by uncircumcised Gentiles. Indeed, the early disciples had initial difficulty in accepting that God wanted Gentile converts in his church. And in order to break through this prejudice Peter had received a vision early in his ministry cf Acts 10, in which a great tablecloth of ceremonially unclean food was lowered to him. He was told by God to ‘rise and eat’. Peter’s initial reaction was that of the orthodox Jew, “I’ve never eaten any of these unclean foods and I’m not about to begin now”.

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The Background To CompromiseGod’s response was clear, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean”. The significance of this vision became apparent to Peter when immediately thereafter a messenger from a Gentile, Roman Centurion, asked Peter visit his home and share the Christian gospel. God’s vision had been sent to deal with Peter’s Jewish prejudice.

On arrival at Cornelius’ house no sooner had Peter begun speak about Jesus when the Holy Spirit fell upon that household just as he had upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost. They were swept into the kingdom of God. And Peter was obliged to conclude that God was no respecter of persons and that these Gentiles shared the same gospel benefits as Jewish converts.

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The Background To CompromiseThe great principle established was that Jew and Gentile are together one in Christ. Gentile believers were to be accepted as equals. A group of legalists arrived in Antioch from the Jerusalem church. They were rigorous adherents of the Mosaic law who still considered the Gentiles to be second class citizens. How did Peter react? Did he stand by his conscience and defend the principle that God had taught him? No. He decided to follow a policy of appeasement. He separated himself from the Gentiles causing an unnatural division in the church. It was not that Peter denied the teaching of the gospel. His offence against the gospel was his conduct. His behaviour was a contradiction of the truth of the gospel.

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The Background To CompromiseClearly, our behaviour does not operate in a vacuum. It influences others. And Peter, a leading apostle was in a position to influence others more than most. The other Jews resident in Antioch would say, well if that is what Peter has done it must be O.K. to follow his lead! Even Barnabas was influenced and joined those who by their behaviour contradicted the Gospel.

If Paul had not taken his stand against Peter at that time, the whole Christian church would have failed to become a united whole. There would have developed a permanent rift between Jewish and Gentile churches. The body of Christ would have been torn in two.

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The Promotion Of CompromiseWhat made Peter react in the way he did? We’re told that “he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group,” v12. His compromise was associated with what others would think about him. He obviously placed great store upon the opinion and applause of this group of Jerusalem Jews and wanted to continue to be well thought of by them. He did not want to act in any way which might offend them.

So many compromises are hammered out upon the anvil of public opinion. We often care too passionately about what others will think about us and in what esteem they will hold us and give little thought to the opinion which God has of us.

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The Promotion Of CompromiseWhat happens is other people become our conscience? The result is the atrophication and death of our own moral compass of our God-given and scripturally calibrated conscience through its disuse. The man who is concerned most of all about his reputation before men is unlikely to be overly concerned about his private attitude towards God. There is much to be said for the old proverb, and I quote,

“People who bend over backwards to please others soon weaken their spine.”

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The Promotion Of CompromiseOh it would certainly have cost Peter to maintain the new position to which the Spirit of God had called him. Does his failure to do so suggest he was only half-heartedly committed to the truth that God had so evidently poured into his mind and heart? Was it no sooner in than allowed to lea out again?

Whenever our commitment to what we know to be right is half- hearted and fitful then compromise becomes so much easier. This challenges each one of us to consider how much we are committed to the truth that God has revealed to us.

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The Promotion Of CompromiseI imagine that if you had in your possession a family heirloom like a centuries old beautifully embroidered silk handkerchief with special associations, you would be very attached to it. Were you to lose it you would search for it everywhere.

At the same time no one in their right mind would become attached to a Kleenex tissue. It would be an absurd waste of time looking for it if you lost it. We would have no attachment, no commitment to it, after all its disposable, it Has been made to be thrown away.

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The Promotion Of CompromiseHow do we treat the biblical principles which are forged in our conscience by the influence of God’s word and reinforced by his Spirit? Are they treasured possessions to which we are committed or, paper tissues which we easily discard?

There are many today who want to advocate holding a theological position which is middle of the road, but the middle of the road is where the most accidents happen.

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The Promotion Of CompromiseAs we probe more deeply into Peter’s behaviour we can discern a flashback to his old weakness, his old refusal of the cross [Mark 8v31-38]. Peter was simply unwilling to die to his stubborn ingrained religious prejudices - it was this same uncrucified self which caused him deny his Lord.

And here once again, this dangerous tendency is reasserting itself under pressure. The same cowardice Peter displayed in the courtyard of the High Priest reappears. The old, carnal, uncrucified Peter moves into action.

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The Promotion Of CompromiseThe challenge of the cross is radical. It costs us to remain true to it. It is easy to slip back from its total demand and seek some compromise! But the bloom of our spiritual life fades and we begin to have a chilling effect on others. Our Christian service looses its cutting edge. Have we lost the zeal and commitment that was once ours? Are we presently dying the deaths we used to die, and denying self in the way we used to deny it or has the subtle spirit of compromise begun to spin its alluring web within our hearts? Resulting in lives which no longer make the same fruitful impact for God? If so then what compromise have we made?

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Dealing With CompromiseThankfully, Paul was prepared to rebuke Peter and he did so publicly. He would not have listened to those who counselled him to be cautious and to avoid washing dirty, theological linen in public. He made no attempt to hush up the dispute or arrange a private meeting, “an in camera session” that would ensuring the exclusion of the press and the public gaze. The showdown had to be public because the behaviour of Peter had caused a public scandal. And so Paul’s opposition was to Peter’s face v2 and before them all v14.

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Dealing With CompromiseFar from apologising for his faith as one of lesser authority than the other apostles - remember that was the picture of Paul portrayed by his opponents in Galatia - he is so sure of his own authority that he can rebuke even Peter when he slipped from the true message of the gospel.

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Paul recognised that Peter had taken a retrograde step when he withdrew from fellowship with Gentile believers. Peter had slipped away from what he knew was commanded by the Holy Spirit and he was taken to task for his compromise of the truth.

Dealing With CompromiseIt is not enough to believe the gospel and to preserve the gospel we must be prepared to apply the gospel - this is where Peter failed. In order to apply the gospel we must be able to identify the compromise that is dangerous to our spiritual life. First, intellectual compromise, of which one writer says:“How many are there whose minds have been secretly loosened from what once seemed convictions, who have been intellectually estranged from the gospel, who would create a sensation if they stood up in the midst of worship and revealed their whole thoughts about God and Christ, about the Church and Bible about prayer and the sacraments”

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Dealing With CompromiseSecondly, there is spiritual compromise which draws men away from their first love, and makes things like the spiritual discipline of earlier days and indeed, the practice of earlier days matters of embarrassment now, because other things have crowded out the earlier priorities. Are we cooling towards God?

Thirdly, there is moral compromise by which standards and patterns of behaviour are now accepted and taken for granted which, even a few years ago, would have been unthinkable.

It is in precisely in these three areas that the gospel needs to be applied afresh.

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ConclusionHowever painful and embarrassing it might be, we should be thankful to God for a faithful Christian brother or sister who is prepared to risk losing our friendship by rebuking us, as Paul rebuked Peter. The goal of rebuke in the face of compromise is to restore a brother or sister to living their Christian life at the highest level.

In the same way we must be prepared with God’s help to do as Paul did and faithfully and fearlessly minister rebuke – hard as that might be. In this way others will be encouraged to say of us, “faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Prov. 27v6

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