Satan’s Great Deception On The Christian Community “Our Prejudices.”
Allow me to preface a verse that we often read but seldom refer to it in the Christian community when it comes to the issue of our prejudices. 2 Corinthians 2:11 states,“…so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes. It should be obvious to Christians that “our sinful prejudices” have no place in the body of Christ. I emphasize “sinful prejudices” because we all have prejudices. To be prejudiced simply means to have a predisposed like or dislike for something or someone without any valid reason. Those prejudices are not backed up by factual information. For example, I believe that the Auburn Tigers have the best football team in college sports. I believe that because Auburn is my team. It matters not to me that the facts do not agree (sadly). I am prejudiced against all other teams. Prejudices come in numerous categories. Often when we speak of prejudice, we usually refer to race or racism. That is a narrow view of prejudice because our prejudices go far deeper than race. Our prejudices extend to our upbringing, socio-economic standings, personal preferences, the neighborhoods in which we live, different cultural norms, the political party of our affiliation, our age, and so much more. One of the places where prejudice has done its greatest damage is in the body of Christ. Jesus stated in John 13:35, By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." When Jesus broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, He made both Jews and Gentiles into one. All in Christ Jesus belong to God’s family. All in Christ Jesus are brothers and sisters yet our prejudices prevent us from living out our identity as family in Christ Jesus. Our prejudices hinder the world from knowing that we are Jesus disciples. Sadly, the greatest deception of our prejudices is that it prevents from accomplishing God’s purposes here on earth. God made us differently racially, economically, and from various backgrounds both good and bad for a reason. When Jesus saves us, He changes our situation no matter how grave it has been. When Jesus Christ is at the center, our differences become a source of strength through which we can reach all of our world with the gospel. Our differences allow us to model and preach the gospel to people from all backgrounds. The church is never more powerful than when its people walk together in unity to accomplish the cause of Christ. Our prejudices hinder that effort because our enemy the devil uses our prejudices to keep us divided or failing to unite over our differences. The very thing that strengthens our ability to be on mission and to fulfill God’s purpose for the church is the thing over which we are divided. Jesus Christ made this statement in John 17:22. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. The actual truth is that we are one in Christ Jesus. The functional truth is that we are not because we’ve allowed our prejudices to rule over righteousness. We’ve allowed ourselves to be victims of Satan’s scheme by allowing our prejudices to determine with whom we get along. Our prejudices, whether realized or not is one of the greatest travesties in the body of Christ. We cannot unite because they’re not like us. Even though we are the body of Christ, we are divided on numerous issues in our culture because we’ve taken a cultural stand instead of a biblical stand. Our stand must be for righteousness over race. Our stand must be for Christ’s authority over cultural preferences. Our stand must be for biblical truth over what we feel. We’ve been so deceived by our prejudices that this deception is our functional norm.
It is my prayer that the body of Christ in the African and Anglo-American church, recognize this great deception, repent, and move forward in unity to accomplish in an even greater way, God’s purposes for the church.
Rev. Lawrence Robinson
