Prejudice

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in You?

1 Corinthians 3:16

Prejudice is a word that so often is used in connection with the race of a person. In this sense, prejudice is always wrong because it judges a person’s value by the color of his skin, and God has no favorites.

But there is another sense in which the root of the word prejudice is a good thing. To prejudge something is sometimes necessary.

While it is not good to prejudge a person by appearance, social status, or the lack of education, we can and should prejudge some “entertainment” establishments by what they advertise on the outside and know not to go in.

We can prejudge drugs, which have become such a terrible problem in our culture. By seeing what drugs have done to others, we can avoid them. Besides, we know that the body is God’s temple, and we ought not to cause it to become dirty by doing things to it, like taking drugs, which can cause harm to it.

So, let us avoid prejudice when it comes to a person’s race or ethnic background or circumstances over which he or she has no control. But let us correctly prejudge those persons and places God has warned us about avoiding in His Word so that we do not get into trouble.

Our Father and our God, I know You are the righteous Judge. Please give me Your eyes to distinguish good from evil, right from wrong, helpful from harmful. I want to be pure in Your sight, O Lord. I want to walk a holy path through this life to everlasting joy with You. Through Jesus, the only Way. Amen.

Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).