Against the Bias

“He will certainly correct you if you’ve been secretly partial.” Job 13:10

Were you ever the teacher’s pet? Or were in you a class which had one? Or maybe you grew up in a family where one child was favored. We may view these as harmless choices based on common interests, but through Scripture God continuously admonishes us about showing partiality.


Abolitionist Frederick Douglass said: “Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” In Amos 5:7 God accuses His people of turning justice to wormwood.

If there is any group of people who exemplify fair treatment and impartiality, it is those who have experience the all-encompassing love of Jesus Christ. Christ died for us while we were still sinners. He gave His all for us before we gave a thought to Him. Having experienced such wondrous acceptance, how could we ever deny the same to others.

Anyone who has been around the church for much time at all has experience the partiality that often still exists. The handful of negative experiences often dulls the beauty which we should enjoy. A person with Aspergers Syndrome utters a “dirty” word in the middle of a Bible study and the pastor raves the next day, “We don’t need any retards here.” A deacon makes a point of ridding a school of supposed homosexual teacher citing Scriptural references to “abominations”, but doesn’t think twice when he is caught lying about people he dislikes. A youth group is trained to “pray against” a teacher in a school who they believe practices Wicca.

I can hear a tiny minority who, having read the previous paragraph, write me off as another fellow believing a “watered down” gospel. Because it such a small minority I don’t want to give a whole lot of space to rebutting the supposed response. But it seems to me that Jesus didn’t rid the town of the known adulteress, He forgave her. He didn’t pray against the woman who had been married five times, and now was isolated by her community. He had a conversation that opened the possibility that they could actually worship together “in spirit and in truth.” He ate meals with the outcasts and enjoyed the friendship of known sinners.

We must put aside the notion that to accept a person as a beloved human being means we are accepting all they do. When we think that way, we have judged already. If Scripture is true, we all have sinned, and we all deserve God’s wrath. We are not taught that some people are worse sinner or deserve greater wrath. 

My sins, before I found Christ, weren’t the sort that would cause offense to very many people. But what if they were? What if I was “prayed against” because I practiced paganism? Wouldn’t it be better if I was “loved in”?

I was just 17, visiting my grandparents’ church during Christmas break in 1972. I was the poster child of hippie culture. My hair was shoulder length, thick and wavy, I wore glasses with John Lennon lenses, and wore an orange and yellow macramé vest. The Youth Pastor, who taught the teen class, was discussing reasons why Transcendental Meditation was inconsistent with Christianity. Never one to pass up a debate, I spent the whole hour arguing with him. I thought I won.

After Morning Worship was over, he came looking for me. I must confess that, although I rarely avoid a debate, I don’t look forward to the conversation with my foe that may follow that debate. I was afraid he was reloading all his argument during the church service and now was going to take dead aim. His aim was spot on, but him ammunition surprised me.

That Youth Pastor walked straight towards me, stopped and put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Mark, I want you to know that I love you, and God does too.” Oops, all my responses suddenly stuck in my throat.
Poor Job has been harassed by his friends while he suffers horrible pain and loss. They have accused him of harboring secret sin, or not caring for the poor, or sleeping with his neighbor’s wife. He must have done some ghastly thing to now be suffering so deeply. Their accusations spiral to hurtful heights as they “comfort” their friend.

In the midst of one of his rebuttals Job says, “Be careful where you wave those knives of accusation. Even the smallest and most secret bit of prejudice is known by God. Not only does He know your secrets, He will be sure to correct you.” His next statement should affect all our thinking. “Wouldn’t His majesty scare you and dread of Him fall on you?”

Job has it right. If we prejudge even one individual, our judgment reflects on that person’s Creator! Favoritism and prejudice are sure markers of a misunderstanding of the grace of God. Where would we be if we had to rid ourselves of all our “abominations” before God would have anything to do with us?

Let us be careful how we characterize those with whom we disagree. I’ve heard Christians call other people names on issues as uncertain as gun control, for instance. Any student of Christian history knows that godly men and women have believed, preached and written along the whole spectrum from pacifism to the philosophy of a “just war”. So, to belittle someone on this issue is to betray something about our own heart. I hope using “gun control” as an illustration hasn’t lost me another reader. No matter what one thinks about it from a patriotic or constitutional view, there is lots of room within historic Christianity on the subject. My attempt is to show how we can be quick to judge, even over issues which are quite gray in Scripture.

Jesus’ command to “judge not” has not been rescinded. And, before we find all the examples where it is okay to break the rule, let us first be sure we understand it and have applied it to our own lives thoroughly. As Job reminded his friends, “If you are secretly prejudiced, God will surely rebuke you.”