I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.
(1 Timothy 5:21-22, NASB)
As much as we’d like to say we’re impartial, reality can be far different. Most of us just naturally gravitate to people with whom we have more in common. And we can tend to be biased against those who are different than we are.
We can especially be biased against those who practice sin, whether or not they are believers. We point fingers. We gossip behind backs. We self-righteously look at those pesky specks (see yesterday’s devotional).
When we do, we’re sinning just as much as they are. And although I believe sin is sin in God’s eyes, in a way, we’re worse than they are. Because we know we’re sinning.
In today’s culture, so many aren’t being taught truth, even within churches. Congregations listen to sermons about how God wants them to be prosperous. They hear how God loves them and wants them to be happy, so they can do pretty much whatever they want—as long as it’s not illegal and it doesn’t hurt anyone.
No one is encouraged to delve into the truth of the Bible … which itself is open to “interpretation.” They’re told it’s okay to take what makes sense to them from God’s word and leave the rest behind.
Rather than judge others, wouldn’t it be better to love them and pray for them? Wouldn’t we be examples of Jesus Christ if we went to where they are and served them and shared truth from God’s word?
No comments:
Post a Comment