Prejudice

The apostle Paul wrote, "I charge [thee] in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality" (1 Tim. 5:21 ASV). Prejudice has burned as witches those whose only fault was being different, or misunderstood. It has deprived man of noble ideas, because they were new; of marvelous developments, because they called for change.

Prejudice is the greatest enemy of truth because it is the greatest tool of Satan. A man reportedly prayed "Oh Lord, may we always be right for thou knowest we will never change our minds". Upon an observance of what the truth will do, it can be readily seen that when one is prejudiced toward the truth, that not only is he an enemy of the truth, but also an enemy to his own self; for depriving himself of the truth, he deprives himself of the truth's blessings. An honest man alters his opinion to fit the truth, whereas a prejudice man alters the truth to fit his opinion.

Brethren who have differences can never come to agreement so long as even one is prejudice, either toward the other person, or regarding the thing over which they differ. Evidence will change an open mind, but a closed mind doesn't look for evidence (except for his own views) and if it is heaped before him he will not accept it. Think about all the differences among those who profess Christianity and you've got to see the importance of a study of this subject and of the need for each person to endeavor to overcome the problem.

We should never draw a conclusion on a Bible matter without first diligently studying it. Even if we do this, we should continue to study and receive any new evidence from any source at any time. To do less is evidence that one is not confident with his position, and that he has a closed mind.

Some are prejudice because someone has helped them to be. A teacher of false doctrine often deliberately makes remarks to prejudice the hearers toward someone who opposes his teachings. This is often done in debates. When a man can't defend his position with evidence, reason and logic, he resorts to making prejudicial remarks, that are often untrue, to keep his followers following him or his teachings. Therefore, be aware of this as well as your responsibility to test them and seek the truth (1John 4:1; John 5:39; 1Thes 5:21).

R.L. Whiteside said, "Prejudice is a robber which many of us entertain in our hearts. It robs us of generous feelings which we would have for others, and leaves us with tormentings of hate. By shutting our eyes and stopping our ears it robs us of many precious truth, and leaves the dross of distorted opinions. It robs us of life and shuts us up in the blackness of our own ignorance. No other robber can leave us so poor. Do not let your light or life, brother, be made poor by prejudices."

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