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When I was in college, I had a roommate who responded to complaints that he was not being nice by saying, “You don’t get to heaven by being nice.”
Not only is it true that “being nice” cannot merit God’s favor, it may be a hindrance to the progress of God’s kingdom. God’s Word tells us that He has established an antithesis between His kingdom and the kingdom of this world. He requires His people to maintain and emphasize that antithesis in thought and life as the mechanism for discipling the nations. However, in an effort to be inoffensive, modern evangelicals tend to wimp out in proclaiming the Christian faith and to compromise in an effort to make the Gospel more palatable. The bold proclamation of God’s prophetic Word is often abandoned as soon as some timid soul suggests that it might not be nice to say such things. While the goal may be laudable, the result is that the church becomes like the world. Christians should not be intentionally abrasive, but they must believe God and do what He says regardless of whether society considers it nice or not.
Chapter 1 of Judges records a sad, but familiar, course of events. Israel begins well but becomes progressively unfaithful. Judah captures Bezek and destroys its king and people. In faithfulness, the tribe then subdues the intellectual and philosophical headquarters of that culture, the library city of Debir, or “Word,” formerly called Kiriath Sepher, “City of Books.” Then failures begin to occur. Judah conquers only three of the five cities occupied by the Philistines (v. 18). It then prevails in the hill country but meets frustration in the valleys (v. 19). Then the record of other tribes documents the further decline of Israel’s influence. First we see the Canaanites living in the midst of occupied Israel (vv. 27, 29). Next we see the Israelites living in the midst of the Canaanites (vv. 32–33). Finally we observe the Canaanites driving out the Israelites (v. 34). Though there were occasions when God’s people were able to control their enemies, the Canaanites were able to maintain a distinct national and cultural identity until the time of David. The reason? In short, Israel did not obey the Lord.
God had given very simple instructions to His people. He commissioned Israel to occupy the land and bring it into subjection to Himself. He required His people to wage war against His enemies until they were completely eliminated by death or conversion. He forbade Israel to make covenant with the Canaanites or to leave any of their altars standing (Judg. 2:2). And He warned of the consequences of disobedience (Josh. 23:6–13; cf. Judg. 2:15).
The parallels to our own experience must not be ignored. We have the promise of God upon which we may rely. He has armed us with the Gospel, by which we are to subdue the earth under King Jesus (Matt. 28:18–20). He has blessed His people when they have faithfully prosecuted the battle without compromise. Yet we quickly grow timid in faith and obedience, and begin to make excuses for our failures. Doubting that the Gospel is God’s power for salvation, we broker deals with the Canaanites of our age to live together in a sort of spiritual detente. Instead of insisting on the crown rights of our Sovereign, we settle for multiculturalism and pluralism.
As with Israel, the problem lies in our disobedience. We allow the abominations of the Canaanites to exist in our spheres of influence. Then we find ourselves attempting to survive in cultures dominated by pagan influences. Finally, we are driven to the fringes of culture, where we have no influence at all.
Compromise creates danger for our generation. Because believers have not insisted on and worked for the domination of the Gospel, anti-Christian thought and conduct dominate our culture. Until God’s people are ready to submit to and proclaim the exclusive rule of Christ, we had better get used to it. Compromise guarantees that what was unthinkable 10 years ago will become the prevailing opinion tomorrow.
Compromise creates dangers for future generations, as well. Though saddened at the prospect of pagan influence, the Israelites did not train their children to maintain the antithesis between faith and unbelief. While Joshua lived and provided godly leadership, there was progress in the exercise of dominion. Even after Joshua died, true worship and service of God continued for a time. However, their worship and service were not rooted in principle, only in sentiment and tradition. When the next generation arose, they did not acknowledge God’s claims upon them or the great works He had done. They turned aside to worship the gods of the culture in which they lived. Israel became like the nations it had been commissioned to destroy.
In an effort to be nice, believers often think it necessary to compromise obedience to God’s Word. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas warns of this error in the political sphere in words that are applicable to believers: “In the effort to be civil in conduct, many who know better actually dilute firmly held views to avoid appearing judgmental. They curb their tongues, not only in form but also in substance.… This is not civility. It is cowardice, or well-intentioned self-deception at best.”