The Uncompromising Spirit*

There are several instances in the Bible when truth is upheld in spite of threats from the enemies of God.  Such is the case of the Three Hebrews Youths who refused to bow to a golden image, and were thrown into a fiery furnace;  Also, Daniel was seen praying (toward Jerusalem) in defiance of the decree that prohibited anyone to pray to anyone except the King, and was thrown into a den of  lions. These men would rather die than compromise their beliefs.

The Uncompromising Spirit* 

'When it comes to sin'

There is an uncompromising spirit founded on the faith of Biblical Truth that transcends understanding; That is the spirit of the Prophet Jeremiah.  The Prophet Jeremiah was instructed by the Holy Spirit to give warnings to the Kingdom of Judah just before the Babylonian Captivity.  In Chapter 26 of the Book of Jeremiah, the Prophet was instructed to go to the House of God and speak the words the Lord commanded him:

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the Lord, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord; Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:
3 If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.
4 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
5 To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;
6 Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.
7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.
8 Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.
9 Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the Lord, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house.
11 Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
12 Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.
13 Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.

When Jeremiah spoke what the Lord had commanded him to, he then expected the multitude to kill him;  But, he was not afraid of what they might do to him, instead he stated:

14 As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.
15 But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.

The uncompromising spirit is a manifestation of a faith fully committed to doing the will of God, an unflinching conviction to being loyal to God until the end of one's life. Jeremiah trusted God so much, that he would rather die than disobey Him.  This same spirit of conviction to the Truth was also present in Germany in the Sixteenth Century.

Martin Luther was a German Roman Catholic monk and a professor of Theology, who became aware of the apostasy of the system of pardon of sins (for the living  as well as the dead ) called 'indulgences' sold by Johann Tetzel, a Dominican Preacher. Luther confronted Tetzel with The Ninety-Five Theses.  Eventually, Martin Luther continued to study the Bible and began understanding the concept of Justification by Faith. As time went by Martin Luther understood that the Pope was the Biblical Antichrist; His observation became a personal confrontation with the Papacy and the Roman Catholic Church;  This lead to Luther's excommunication from the church and an order to appear before the Diet of Worms, where he was asked to retract the statements against the Pope (and the church) contained in his Nine-Five Theses.  Luther refused to recant his writings and stated:

Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.

 Just like Daniel and his three Hebrew friends (Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah), Jeremiah and Martin Luther, were all faithful to God Almighty; I want to be like them.  I would like to have that unwavering faith that is not compromised when challenged.  Lord help me not to ever apologize for speaking the words you place in my heart.  The Lord is the same everyday, He does not change.  Why should I not be the same?

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.  Hebrews 13:8

As I conclude, I am reminded of my favorite Spirit of Prophecy passage:

The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. - Education, p.57

Arsenio.

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