Uncompromising

by Sewell Hall

Generally speaking, our generation has an aversion to authority, yet those who heard the Lord’s great sermon observed that “He taught them as one having authority.”

• We prefer sermons that deal in generalities; Jesus dealt with specifics.
• We prefer preachers who praise rather than condemn; Jesus condemned not only wrong conduct but also wrong motives.
• We object to “name calling”; Jesus unabashedly named unfavorably the leading religious party of His day.
• We favor motivation by promising rewards, but Jesus, while offering rewards, did not hesitate to threaten “hell fire.”
• Our society seeks instant gratification, while the promises of Jesus are primarily for life hereafter.
• We tend to think of everything as relative, but Jesus spoke in absolutes.
• We criticize any preaching that “makes everything black and white” as simplistic, yet Jesus repeatedly divided His subjects into just two categories: right and wrong.
• We applaud broad-mindedness and seek the easy way, but Jesus warned that His way is narrow and the gate is difficult.

Jesus knew that in every generation, those who would follow the heavenly way would be few compared to the many who would reject it. His concern was not with quantity but with quality. Consequently, He compromised His standards, not one iota to accommodate the weaknesses of men or the peculiarities of His generation. Had He made any compromise at all, the resulting kingdom would not have been the kingdom of Heaven.