The Danger of Compromise in Preaching Evangelism



The Rev. Kenneth A. MacRae was minister of the large Stornoway Free Church from 1931 till his death in 1964. He was a man who knew what he believed and contended earnestly “for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). The trends which he witnessed in the Free Church worried him. His lecture given at the Banner of Truth Conference at Leicester in 1962 warned of the danger of compromise in preaching. In this article we will note his main points which are even more relevant today. (For full lecture see the Banner of Truth Magazine, July 1964).
Mr MacRae began by stating that in our day Paul would be regarded as an extreme man but we badly need those who, like the apostle, are “out-and-out in proclaiming the gospel”. Compromising is common in every-day life. Politicians bargain and make concessions in order to reach that which will satisfy both sides. Churches do the same in order to unite. The wisdom of the world says stick by your principles and you will get nowhere. ‘Half a loaf is better than no bread’. But the wisdom of heaven rejects all compromising of the truth. “Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal.1:8). The Bible is our standard and we must make sure that we preach “the whole counsel of God” and hold nothing back. We must of course avoid being offensive in our manner. Yet we must not forget that the true gospel will always offend the “natural man” (1Cor.2:14).
MacRae warned against compromising in order to please the audience. Desire for popularity is dangerous. The temptation is to preach only the bright side of the gospel. People enjoy hearing about the love of God, Christ’s power to save and the great future for God’s people in heaven. But we must not neglect to preach the holiness of God, the wickedness of sin and the awfulness of a lost eternity.
Beware of the modernist. He is the enemy of the cross of Christ, MacRae asserted. We must not remove anything from or add anything to the message in order to accommodate him. Mr MacRae drew attention to certain doctrines which were particularly under attack.

  1. Our ruin by the fall.
    People do not like to hear that they are under the wrath and curse of God and incapable of keeping His law. But we must preach this continually whatever the audience because the first thing that is required in the presentation of the Gospel is to show people their need as sinners. Only then will they value the “good news”.
  2. Good works will give us no credit before God.
    People try to be as good as they can and do as many good works as possible but this is no better in the sight of God than “filthy rags” (Is.64:6), and will profit nothing as far as their soul’s salvation is concerned.
  3. We have no hand in our own salvation.
    People want to feel that they can do something. But we must preach that men are absolutely dependent upon the sovereign will of a merciful God. Only when sinners fall helplessly at His feet can they taste the sweetness of salvation.
  4. Repentance, sorrow for sin and separation from it.
    We live in a day when preachers try to provide a short cut for the sinner, bringing him to Christ by way of decision so that repentance is by-passed. This temptation must be resisted.
  5. The doctrine of hell.
    It is unpopular. People do not want to hear it and the less we preach it the more we will gain their approval. Our concern, however, must be to seek the praise of God rather than of men.
    Mr MacRae argued that to compromise is to be unfaithful to our Master and to grieve His Spirit. A preacher may have the Gospel in a general sense and be blessed of God and yet there may be errors which leave the people unbalanced in their understanding of the truth. He quoted an old Arran minister who used to say: “A twist in the birth will be in a man all his life”. This can be true spiritually even of a congregation. Compromise also leaves for the sinner an open door out of which he can escape when he should be hemmed in by the law so that he is compelled to fall at the feet of Christ. Compromise grieves experienced believers who readily detect it. Worse still it spoils our intimacy with our Master because it detracts from His glory. Christ will hide His face, and we shall lose our power and peace.
    Kenneth MacRae concluded by stressing the need to be faithful. Watch your heart. Even in preachers the heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer.17:9). Faithfulness must be desired more than success. Noah, the “preacher of righteousness” for 120 years, had no success apart from his own family. Mr MacRae spoke of an occasion when as a student he preached in Dingwall. Feeling he had not got on well he was downcast when he re-entered the vestry. There big Sandy Clunas, the church officer, put his arms round him and said: “Never you mind, my boy. As Mr Finlayson of Helmsdale used to say, It is not, ‘well done, good and successful servant’ but, ‘well done good and faithful servant’”. We who live in this dark day and know so little of success will yet be commended by the Lord on the Judgment Day if we are faithful. We have of course always to confess that after seeking to do the will of the Lord we are still unprofitable servants.


    Any comments or questions please E-Mail me or Rev William Macleod the editor.

    [Back to Reformed Christian Pages][Back to Free Church Foundations]