What influences the weight we give to what we hear?
Two people describe the same difficult situation.
One person is familiar to us. Another is not. One communicates clearly and confidently. Another is emotional or difficult to understand. Reputation, position, vulnerability, or familiarity may already be influencing how we listen.
Before we have decided what is true, one person’s account may already be carrying more weight.
Why?
Partiality Can Be Subtle
We often think of partiality as obvious favoritism—giving preference to someone because of position, influence, reputation, or relationship.
James warns believers against making distinctions based on factors that should not determine how a person is regarded (James 2:1–9).
But Scripture also guards us from simply reversing the direction of our partiality:
“Do not act unjustly when deciding a case. Do not be partial to the poor or give preference to the rich; judge your neighbor fairly.”
—Leviticus 19:15, CSB
Balance matters.
Position should not determine credibility. Neither should vulnerability. Reputation should not settle a question. Neither should our identification with someone whose experience we understand. Simultaneously, relevant experience can help someone perceive dynamics others may miss.
Familiarity, authority, likability, vulnerability, confidence, and our own experiences can influence how we hear another person’s words. We may find it easier to understand or identify with one person than another. These factors may help us understand important context, but they should not do the work careful discernment requires.
Biblical impartiality, however, does not require us to reach equal conclusions about everyone. It requires faithful measures in reaching those conclusions.
Listening and Learning
Proverbs gives us another important caution:
“The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.”—Proverbs 18:17, CSB
This is not a warning against listening compassionately. Nor is it a reason to become suspicious of people who disclose serious concerns. It is a reminder of our limitations.
An account can be sincere and still incomplete. An explanation can make sense and still need examination. Proverbs reminds us that careful listening includes remaining open to information we may not yet have.
The Humility to Keep Learning
Perhaps humility is one of our greatest safeguards against partiality. None of us approach difficult situations with perfect knowledge.
Humility leaves room to say, I do not know everything yet. Someone else may also see something I have not yet learned to see.
It allows us to consider information that does not fit what we first believed or understood. It helps us receive correction without immediately becoming defensive, and change our conclusions when truth requires it.
Faithful discernment does not require us to become cynical in order to become careful.
We can remain compassionate. We can take serious concerns seriously. We can protect those who may be vulnerable. And we can remain teachable as we pursue truth.
Our responsibility is not to protect our first conclusion.
It is to pursue truth.
Thank you for your love of Christ and your commitment to caring wisely and faithfully for those facing difficult situations .
Gratefully,
Clarity in Action Ministries’ Board of Directors
Sydney Millage Floyd Yutzy Stephen Thomas
Kimberly Gingerich Angi Beery
“For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake. For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:5-6)
Because prayer is vital to our lives, you are invited to join us in prayer the first Tuesday of each month from 4:00-5:00 p.m. CST. Send an email to connect@clarityministry.org and request a Zoom link for our monthly prayer meeting.
Upcoming Trainings and Conferences
Light in the Darkness Trainings:
Grace Fellowship Church, Florence, KY, November 14, 2026
Springs of Life Church, Cedar Rapids, IA, November 21, 2026
Westchester Evangelical Free Church, Des Moines, IA, January 9, 2027
Conferences:
Peace Works Live, Winfield, WV, September 24-26, 2026
Hope Together Conference, Allen, TX, October 1-3, 2026
Christian Counseling and Education Foundation, Virginia Beach, VA, October 16-18, 2026
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