"Your Bias is Showing"
The commonly accepted
“norm” of Job's culture was that “bad things only happen to bad people.” Thus,
if something “bad” happened to you, you must be a bad person. Job’s friends had
made the mistake of accepting this cultural belief without judging rightly whether
that belief is founded upon truth. As a result, their judgment was tainted, or
biased, and in error. Without really seeking the truth behind Job’s troubles,
they just said what anyone in their culture would have said… Job has committed sins. Job tells them that showing this kind of bias
without being objective and basing their advice on God’s truth, they are
tragically mistaken. And God will rebuke them for their partiality.
It is so easy to just
accept the “norms” of our culture without ever questioning them. When we do this, we set ourselves up for errors in judgment and decision. Furthermore, God
sees our bias and He will rebuke or reprove us for it. Jesus taught about
fairness and impartiality in several passages in the Bible. For example, in the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love
your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:43-44 NIV). This passage teaches
that Christians – despite the cultural “norm” of that day - should never show favoritism,
but should love and treat all people, including their enemies, with fairness and
impartiality.
In Matthew 22:39,
Jesus says "Love your neighbor as yourself." This commandment is
often referred to as the "Golden Rule" and it is a fundamental
principle of Jesus' teachings. This commandment teaches that we should treat
others as we would want to be treated, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or
any other characteristic that might be used as the basis for prejudice.
This serves as a
reminder for all of us to be aware of any cultural biases we may have, and to always
live with fairness and impartiality in our interactions with others. It can
also serve as a warning to be aware of our these biases because they can taint
our opinions and decisions and because they will be judged by a Higher Authority. Is your bias showing? Take a few minutes for meditation, self-reflection and self-evaluation, to
identify and correct any biases or partiality we may have. Confess your bias to
God and receive His forgiveness.
