On This One We Will Never Compromise

2 John 1:10-11
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

To compromise is to go for something lower out of pressure or to get an easy way out. To compromise is to make a painful decision to accept what you know you should not accept, but you are forced to just accept it in order to address an issue at the present moment. To compromise is to accept to sell your goods and services at a cost that does not give you any profit, just because you are under pressure to please a customer you are in love with or admire or is highly placed and may do you falsely imagine that they will do you favors in the future. To compromise is to know the right and wrong and choosing the wrong because you are under a short term present pressure.

Apostle John writes to the church his second letter. This letter is just one short chapter. In our text today, John tells the church that they should not compromise on the core teaching about Jesus Christ. John tells the church that if anyone challenges the core teaching for any reason, they should be so firm, that they should not show hospitality to such a person. They should not allow such a person to live with them, eat with them, and interact with them. To be hospitable to a person who opposes the core teaching would be a compromise of their faith. On this one, we will never compromise!

During John’s time, like even today, there were people who were questioning whether Jesus really came in flesh, 2 John 1:7. People who questioned the authenticity of Jesus as God. People who questioned the divinity of Jesus. People who questioned the humanity of Jesus. People who questioned everything about God. They did not question in order to know but in order to plant doubt about the church and destroy the Christian faith. These people focused their attention on the church and targeted church people in order to mislead them. The teaching about Jesus was and still is so basic and fundamental to Christianity, that to doubt the existence of Jesus or to doubt if Jesus is God would be tantamount to rejecting everything else about Christianity. On this teaching, John asked the church to be firm and not even allow a person who believes, on the contrary, to visit and eat with them. This teaching is too important to be open to a discussion that challenges it. On this one, we will never compromise!

There is a difference between teaching someone about the basics of Christianity and allowing them to express doubt about them. We can discuss the basics of Christianity but we cannot allow anyone to continue expressing doubt about them. The aim of planting doubt in human minds is not to liberate the mind but to divert the people into following something different. There are things so basic that to compromise is to destroy the whole. On this one, we will never compromise!

Profit is so basic to any business that to compromise on profit threatens the entire business. On this one, business people will never compromise. Business people can compromise on marketing methods, branding, etc. But they will not accept a situation where they are not making any profit. On this one, they will not compromise. Learning and excelling in studies is so basic to the school system that to compromise would render the whole system irrelevant. On this one, school managers will never compromise. School managers can compromise on the color of the uniform, the menu of what is served, new games to introduce, etc. The school management would not accept a situation where learning ceases and excelling is no longer important. On this one, we will never compromise!

You can compromise many things in Buddhism but not on the core belief that Buddha was the enlightened one. To reject Buddha is to destroy the entire Buddhism concept and belief and religion. On this one, there is no compromise. You can compromise and argue many things in Islam, but not on the fact that Allah is the only God worth worship and Muhammad (PBUH) is an important prophet. To compromise on this is to destroy everything else about Islam. There are teachings that you can be taught if you want to know, but you cannot be allowed to plant doubt among believers. It was such teachings that John told the church not to compromise. On this one, we will never compromise!

In the Christian world, some of the core beliefs that would not accept compromise are the belief in the Bible as the word of God. If the Bible is not the word of God, that marks the end of Christianity as we know it. Therefore on this teaching, we will never compromise. Belief in Jesus as God who came to save us is critical to Christian faith. The nature of God, that He is one, He is eternal, He is all-knowing, He is all-powerful and present everywhere, is core to Christianity. A God less than that would weaken and destroy the Christian faith. The belief that God is good is fundamental to the Christian faith. On such teachings and many others, we will never compromise!

When there are things you cannot compromise, you are a person of integrity and reliability. Everybody must have things that they cannot compromise. It has been otherwise put, that if you have nothing to die for, you are not worth living. Having something to die for, is having something you cannot compromise. The most reliable people are those who have something they can die for. Something they can’t compromise. No amount of money can cause them to compromise. No amount of profit can cause them to compromise. No amount of threat to their income and life will cause them to compromise. They have made up their mind to live in abject poverty or even die, rather than compromise. On this one, we will never compromise!

What can’t you compromise in your studies? What can’t you compromise in your workplace and in your business? What can’t you compromise in your relationships and marriage? What can’t you compromise in parenting? What can’t you compromise in your faith? What can’t you compromise in your health? If you have nothing that you can’t compromise, it means so far, your life is a waste. You must be firm on something, live for something, stand for something, choose something you cannot compromise. Declare and be firm that you cannot compromise on this, and let it be known that you cannot compromise. Freedom fighters could not compromise. Martyrs could not compromise. All great and successful people could not compromise. Have things you can’t compromise. On this one, we will never compromise!

Stories of successful men and women show that they had visions that they could not compromise. They focused on the vision. Lost friends rather than lose the vision. Lost money rather than lose the vision. Eventually, they became great when they attained their vision. For Microsoft windows, Bill Gates could not compromise, he even dropped out of a prestigious university to go for his vision. No one succeeds in anything by compromising. Compromise may give you short term gain, but it destroys the entire project permanently. On this one, we will never compromise!

Success is made out of a refusal to compromise on certain things that are core to the vision and eventually success. If you compromise you will date anyone and get married to anyone, only to regret later. If you compromise, you will be corrupt and profit yourself at the expense of the organization or poor people who deserve better lives from your choices. If you compromise obedience and discipline, you will let your children have their way and they will be spoilt brats who will be incorrigible and troublesome in the future. If you compromise, you will tolerate wrong behavior from your spouse that will enslave you in marriage or make life a living hell. If you compromise, you will enjoy life in school but in the end, be stressed during exams and fail eventually. If you compromise, you will enjoy now but suffer a permanent loss. On this one, we will never compromise!

John tells the church not to compromise their faith by socially interacting with people who plant doubt on fundamental beliefs. We should not compromise our faith by enjoying wrong movies, songs, and books whose objectives is to destroy faith. Movies, songs, and books subtly introduce Homosexuality, Lesbianism, etc. To consume them is to begin a journey of compromise. What are your fundamental beliefs? You should not compromise. On this one, we will never compromise!

Dear God, same me, save us from compromise. Help us not to compromise our faith. Help us to have things for which we cannot compromise in every aspect of our lives. Save us from compromise with evil, in Jesus’ name, Amen!