Why partiality may be the most pervasive sin among Christians
You know what may be the most common sin in the church today?
Partiality.
The tendency to perceive reality in favor of people or ideas we choose. Believing what, and who, we want to believe. Partiality is our own Reality Stone.
The Bible does not speak well of partiality, or favoritism. It’s explicitly forbidden in the Old Testament (Exodus 23:3, Leviticus 19:15) and the New ( James 2:1-9). Partiality makes us unlike God, for He does not show favoritism (Romans 2:11, Ephesians 6:9, Colossians 3:25).
It’s a sin because it causes us to bear false witness, to favor unjust outcomes, to violate other instructions, to accuse without proof, and to love certain others less than we should. It breeds hypocrisy, idolatry, fear and hate. It stifles critical thinking. It causes division among brethren. It harms our witness.
One way we’re partial is that we don’t think we’re partial; that makes repentance very difficult and is why this is so widespread.
We’re partial toward several things; here are a few examples (and I’m certainly no exception):
Self. We simply favor ourselves. We’re right, we have to be right, and anything to the contrary is wrong. Things must go the way we want, and we will manipulate them to make sure they do.
Family. Of course we should have a special love for our family, but that love gets ethically murky when it causes us to bend the truth. Sub-example: youth sports. Why aren’t you playing my kid more?!? That other kid cheated! Or, what sins have become less sinful in our eyes because loved ones commit them? Where have we chosen family over God?
Celebrity. We always think the best of public figures we like, sometimes despite all evidence to the contrary. We lower the bar for them as low as it will go. Some celebrity utters the word God, and we know beyond all question they’re true believers, no matter how they live the lives we don’t see. Among Christians, this especially goes for famous preachers. We believe every word they say, no matter what the Bible teaches. I can’t tell you how many times some celebrity pastor has fallen into disqualifying sin, and their unbiblical comeback attempts are supported by their legions of fans.
Doctrine. We cherry-pick verses out of context to support our beliefs, or even dismiss the Bible altogether in favor of new revelation so we can believe what we want. Related observations: Anything we like is “anointed.” Anything we don’t like is “religion” and “judging.” Interpretations we like are the “plain reading”; interpretations we don’t like are taken out of context.
And often the most egregious of all, especially recently: Politics. Our side is always right; all contrary evidence is fake. Always point out the worst of our opponents, and ignore our guy’s evils — even when they’re the same as the other side’s. Any result that doesn’t go our way (in sports, also) is rigged. (Not that nothing is ever rigged, but when we’re right, it’s likely because when we say it all the time, we’re bound to find a nut here and there. And when we do, why should anyone believe it after we’ve been constantly crying wolf?)
The most hypocritical aspect of partiality is that others not indulging our bias is automatically deemed bias (which it may in fact be, but again, it’s assumed, not proven). I recently saw someone say, in effect, that anyone who didn’t see a certain issue his way was “blind.”
The cycle continues because we get our information from our enclaves, our safe spaces, our echo chambers, tolerating only what we want to hear. And then we view others in light of that.
The word of God destroys this because it teaches us to distrust ourselves most of all. Humility is kryptonite for partiality (and several other vices). It doesn’t let us believe what we want to believe; it demands that we submit to the truth of the Scriptures while repenting of our desired meaning. It calls us to love others as we want to be loved, and that means everyone. It tears us asunder, not between our tribe and their tribe, but right through our hearts (Hebrews 4:12), because that’s where the battle is.
If you’re going to show favoritism, there’s only one way to go: Favor God over yourself. Be partial to Him, at all times. Even when we don’t like it. Especially when we don’t like it.
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