How Many Sides Does A Coin Have?
Not every decision is black and white—but some are. Discover how biblical discernment helps us avoid compromising Christian values.
When I served in political office, people would ask me how I could be a politician and not compromise my Christian convictions.
Whether the questioners saw issues as right or wrong, black or white—or whether they understood “the art of the deal”—they had a legitimate concern. Christians who compromise often find themselves on the slippery slope of compromising their core convictions.
We want to be people who uphold our Christian faith and biblical values without compromise. And we want our elected officials to do the same.
A Christian politician must learn to distinguish between issues of wisdom, where compromise may be appropriate, and issues of obedience, where compromise would violate God’s Word.
Imagine a coin. Let heads represent Christian values and tails represent non-Christian values. Seems straightforward until you flip the coin and it lands on neither heads nor tails but on that narrow third side—the edge in between.
King Solomon thought he could live on the edge of the coin.
In 1 Kings 3:1, Solomon may have believed he was promoting peace by marrying the daughter of the king of Egypt. In reality, he used political preference to further disobey God. He compromised an issue that was truly black and white: don’t marry unbelievers.
The edge isn’t where we abandon conviction. It’s where wisdom helps us distinguish between preference and obedience.
The art of being a Christian politician in a democratic society is learning to discern what belongs on the edge of the coin—without ever compromising your relationship with God.
Why was Solomon’s marriage such a serious compromise?
God had established His Presence in the Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle. In Leviticus 17 and Deuteronomy 12, He commanded that sacrifices were to be offered there. That governed Israel’s relationship with God.
He also established an ethical boundary. Deuteronomy 7:3–4 prohibited Israel from marrying foreign women who did not fear or worship Him, “for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods.”
Solomon’s willingness to disregard God’s commands regarding worship revealed a heart already willing to blur God’s boundaries elsewhere.
In fact, 1 Kings 3:3 tells us that although Solomon loved the Lord and followed many of David’s instructions, he still failed to obey completely: “Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places” (NIV).
What began as a seemingly small compromise became the axe that tore apart his kingdom. By the end of his life, “his wives turned his heart after other gods…So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done” (1 Kings 11:4–6, NIV).
Today, pray for our elected officials that they would uphold the Christian values that underpin our government. And wherever God has placed you, make the conscious decision to faithfully and completely obey Him.
