Tell me: What is this article’s image showing? A person? Male, female, young, old, race? Doing what? It’s hard to tell, isn’t it? According to its label in unsplash.com, it is about photography. I’m not sure I would have known that without the label, though, and I still can’t tell anything distinctive about the person.
We All Have Blurred Vision
We don’t usually realize it, but our view of the world around us can be that distorted. We think we are seeing clearly. But, in reality, we are getting a partial glimpse and then filling in the rest from our own experience and biases. In a sense, events can become a kind of Rorshach Test, with our reactions telling as much about us as they do about the event.
Our interpretation of others’ behavior follows a similar pattern. We infer or assume their motivations, make moral judgment calls, and react either positively or negatively…all with insufficient information. I have known people who always assume the worst. To them, not only is the glass half-empty, but that is because someone deliberately and maliciously drank more than their share!
Even more problematic, we don’t always make use of all the information available to us. We pick and choose where to focus based on our own biases. We see this especially in any news that has a political connotation: Anyone associated with the “other” side is immediately assumed to be in the wrong, regardless of whether we really know all of the facts or motivations behind the incident. That gives us a tendency to be blinded to any facts that don’t match our interpretation. This, in turn, drives wedges between those who see only one subset of the facts vs. those who see only the other subset.
One way to know if this is happening is to reverse the players. If the exact same situation happened with the “your side” doing what the “other side” did, and vice versa, would you react the same? If not, why not? Is your bias blurring your judgment?
We Need Clarity
How are we to resolve this, and make our judgments based on the full truth of a situation? We can have our lenses cleaned and focussed by Someone who sees clearly. God has no preconceptions, biases, or blinders. He is completely aware of all of the facts and motivations of each party involved. He has given us directions in the Bible, His Word to us, and continues to guide via His Spirit within us as Christians.
Let’s look first at the broad concepts that underpin all judgment calls.
Everyone is infinitely valuable. Even when they are objectively, obviously wrong, they are still created in God’s image. God still loves them and Jesus still died for them. They are not to be demeaned as “less”.
Everyone is individually responsible. They are answerable for themselves, their own choices and actions. They are not to be vilified — or excused — due to their identification with any group. That includes race, or political party, or religious affiliation. What they, themselves, do or say as individuals is the basis for any judgment made about them.
Everyone is a sinner. None of us has the right to demand perfection from others. With the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Her accusers slinked away, beginning with the oldest who had the most reason to be aware of their own sin (John 8:1-11).
Everyone has received grace. All of us have, at one time or another, been forgiven for a wrong we have done. Someone in our past has given us the benefit of the doubt, and offered us a chance to explain ourselves (or to redeem ourselves, as the case may be!). That grace is to be passed on to others (Matthew 18:23-35).
Behavior has consequences. Being loving or extending grace does not mean that wrong-doing can be ignored. The absence of consequences enables and even encourages behavior that is not only detrimental to others; it is ultimately self-destructive. Spoiling children — or adults — is not loving. It just removes any incentive for them to grow and change and become more mature and productive. (Proverbs 13:24)
We Need Guidance
Beyond those broad concepts, though, are questions of how to apply them in a specific situation. How does God want us to handle competing interests?
Self-defense is one example. If one person is being dangerously aggressive, and won’t stop unless forced to do so, how should the recipient of that aggression respond? What about bystanders: Should they step in? If the aggressor is harmed by the defensive response, is that wrong? If the aggressor is allowed to harm someone else, is that wrong? How should that be decided 1? Note that this can apply between nations or people groups just as easily as it does to individuals.
Another example in the news lately is immigration. People come into the United States hoping for a better life, as many past immigrants have done to our country’s benefit. In fact, I have a new friend who is a recent (legal) immigrant, and who blesses the lives of everyone he contacts.
But the ones in the news come illegally, not following the procedures designed to protect everyone involved. To all appearances, they don’t come prepared to assimilate — to become American in values, culture, or language — either. Instead, they often come expecting to be given benefits that they have not earned and cannot pay for. Mixed among them are some who come specifically intending harm. Even those who are peaceful still overwhelm local services for housing, food, health care, schools. And, many of them are exploited in the process: brought here by force, or under false pretenses, and abused once they arrive. How is this large group of mixed individuals to be handled? All allowed to stay? All deported? Some of each? In that case, how to decide who stays and who goes?
In these two examples, and in many more that I could name, someone’s wishes will have to be given priority over someone else’s. What is the Biblical way to decide?
What the Bible doesn’t do is have a chapter and verse specific to every single issue. You can’t simply use a concordance to look up “self defense” or “illegal immigration” and get a list of step-by-step instructions. Cherry-picked proof texts are not valid uses of Biblical teaching, either. For instance, “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him” (Exodus 22:21) does not translate directly to “Let everyone in to stay with no restrictions.” It does mean don’t wrong or oppress anyone; however, it does not define exactly how to handle our current dilemma.
Instead, the Bible reveals God’s own character to us, and expects us to act in accordance with it. We are not God, of course. But we can know that God wants us “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly ” with Him (Micah 6:8). We can know that He expects us to put His kingdom first (Matthew 6:33), to love our neighbors as ourselves (Leviticus 19:17-18), and to treat others as we would want to be treated (Matthew 7:12).
We do have some specifics, though. The Ten Commandments are just that: commandments, not suggestions. They are basic standards against which any decision or action is measured. Any action, reaction, decision, or policy must adhere to these standards if it is to be considered valid. That means that it must honor and respect God, the family structure, sexual purity, human life, and personal property. It must be honest and demonstrate integrity. It cannot be greedy or envious.
If we look at the expanded laws in Exodus 21, 22, and 23, we see practical applications of these commandments. There are limits to what can be demanded of servants; there are punishments for violence, theft, and property damage; and there are warnings not to take advantage of the vulnerable. While the details may be (very) slightly different in today’s world, they are still easily recognized as applicable to current issues.
Bottom Line
Many people today look at events through a lens that distorts the truth, emphasizing irrelevant aspects and diminishing important ones. We all need God’s guidance to correct our focus. As we start with His standards, then ask for and follow His leading, that focus will become much more clear. In turn, our responses to events will become more appropriate and more beneficial to ourselves and to others.
