It is the strongest and most prevalent barrier to the truth and you should not allow it to happen to you. What is it you might think, we’ll let us dive into the Bible together and we shall find out.
The tyrant is called prejudice and it is defined as an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge: Cambridge Dictionary. A person can be prejudiced against a certain Gender- sexism, Race- racism, Religion for example Jews – anti-Semitism, Sexuality- homophobia, Old people- ageism etc.
What happens when one is prejudiced against God, his truth and his existence? Is there hope for such a person? Ask yourself that question. Have you ever had an experience whereby someone was spreading false rumours or information about you to discredit you? How did you feel afterwards? This happens all the time especially when people compete for top positions, be it at school, in politics, at work and even at church.
Prejudice amongst God’s people is the work of the devil. He uses it to thwart the advancement of the gospel work and blind people against the truth. Let’s turn to the bible to see who followed this route and what was their fate.
Num 16:1-7
16 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites — Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth — became insolent 2 and rose against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” (Read the whole chapter)
In the above text, a group of Levites led by Dathan and Abiram sought to make their selves equal to Moses. A false claim about Moses is instigated to discredit him. God is displeased by this conduct and the man and their families soon face the wrath of God. Death is the resulting penalty to the group that stood up against the Lord’s anointed. To disrepute and unseat Moses from his position they got swallowed into the ground alive.
What other ways can a person be prejudiced against the truth? It is by trusting in the works of others. Wealthy people are often given courtesy and taken seriously as compared to the lowly. You see this quite often in the family setting and the church as well. There is danger in doing that because anyone regardless of their upbringing or status in life can be a herald of the truth.
‘Those who allow prejudice to bar the mind against the reception of truth cannot receive the divine enlightenment. Yet, when a view of Scripture is presented, many do not ask, Is it true–in harmony with God’s word? But, by whom is it advocated? And unless it comes through the very channel that pleases them, they do not accept it. So thoroughly satisfied are they with their ideas that they will not examine the Scripture evidence with a desire to learn, but refuse to be interested, merely because of their prejudices.’
‘The Lord often works where we least expect Him; He surprises us by revealing His power through instruments of His own choice, while He passes by the men to whom we have looked as those through whom light should come. God desires us to receive the truth upon its own merits–because it is truth.’ {Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers by E.G White (1923) 15.3 , 106.1}
It all began in the Garden of Eden where Satan tried to prejudice Adam and Eve against God by presenting him in a bad light. It has always been his formula for all these years and many have turned away from the truth as a result.
Gen 3:2-5
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'” 4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Never allow someone else to prejudice you against another person, race, gender or anything until you have proven them yourself. God gave us the power to reason and make decisions on our own hence we should not allow anyone to mislead our thoughts. Some by letting prejudice rule over their lives forfeited salvation and rejected the Messiah believing in the false claims that were hurled at him.
The Pharisees and Sadducees are good examples of how prejudice can fatally ruin one’s soul. Though Jesus presented the truth in its plain and simplest form their hearts were shut to it. It was not because they did not understand it but because Christ threatened their positions and they were determined to keep them. So they conversed amongst themselves saying that it was better for them that one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish. In the process, they settled their plot to kill Jesus and sealed their fates forever as lost souls.
Will you let a small issue cost you your salvation? No, you will not. God help us to abstain from gossip and hearsay and allow our hearts to search after him and his truth it shall set us free.
God bless you and see you in the next lesson
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