We are often blinded by prejudices. The human mind is predisposed to profile people within seconds, which is why first impressions tend to be important. Many of us harbor unfounded biases, such as distrusting certain physical traits or stereotyping based on hair color or other characteristics, claiming these indicators cannot be disputed. Most of us are also blinded by experience. We refuse to allow people to grow, repent, or change, holding them to past mistakes or behaviors. To us, their condition is perpetual, and we will not see their maturity or improvement, sticking rigidly to our initial assessments. Everyone is blinded by incapacity. Humans lack the ability to see what is in another's heart or to appreciate their true intentions and motivations. We can only guess, and unfortunately, we tend to imagine the worst of people, engaging in a kind of personal one-upmanship. In each form of blindness, we make inappropriate judgments.

In a mind susceptible to prejudice, the misinterpretation of Genesis 6:9 can lead to simple condescension toward or even outright rejection of whole races as somehow subhuman. From this have sprung extreme movements such as Aryanism, white supremacy, and Identity cults, all of which preach racial purity and combine it with various levels of isolation, segregation, persecution, and militancy. Even in the church, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, such prejudice can cause distrust, marginalization, and respect of persons, disrupting fellowship and destroying unity.

The pervasive prejudice between Jews and Gentiles in the early church, as illustrated by various biblical accounts, reveals a deep-seated divide that challenged the unity Christ sought for His followers. In Matthew 15:21-28, a Canaanite woman, also called a Syro-Phoenician, approached Jesus for help despite the cultural epithet of "dog" often used by Jews against Gentiles. Her persistence and humility in the face of such prejudice demonstrated remarkable faith, highlighting the existing tension between the two groups. Similarly, in Luke 4:22-30, Jesus' reference to God's favor upon Gentiles during the times of Elijah and Elisha enraged His fellow Nazarenes, who could not bear the implication of being surpassed by those they deemed inferior, nearly leading to violence against Him. This hostility persisted into the formation of the New Testament church, as seen in Romans 10:1-21 and 11:11-14, where Paul expresses his longing for Israel's salvation while noting their rejection of the gospel. God used this rejection to bring salvation to the Gentiles, intending to provoke the Jews to jealousy, a dynamic that underscored the ongoing divide. In Acts 1:6-8, even the apostles initially failed to grasp the broader scope of Christ's mission beyond Israel, revealing their ingrained biases despite His clear directive to witness to the ends of the earth. The calling of Paul in Acts 9:10-15 as a vessel to the Gentiles, despite his zealous Jewish background, further illustrates God's intent to bridge this gap, though resistance remained. Peter's vision in Acts 10:9-16, repeated thrice due to his deep-rooted traditions, finally opened his eyes to God's impartiality, leading to the acceptance of Gentiles like Cornelius into the church. Yet, astonishment and contention from Jewish believers in Acts 10:44-48 and 11:1-3 show how entrenched prejudices were, as they struggled to accept Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit and criticized Peter for associating with them. This resistance continued in Acts 13:42-51, where Jewish envy in Antioch led to opposition against Paul and Barnabas, who then turned to the Gentiles, fulfilling Christ's prophecy. Further disputes in Acts 15:1-6 over whether Gentiles needed circumcision to be saved necessitated a church council, highlighting the persistent struggle to overcome cultural divisions. Even Peter faltered in Galatians 2:11-13, separating from Gentiles under pressure from Jewish Christians, an act of hypocrisy Paul publicly confronted to prevent division within the church. Gentile prejudice also surfaced, as seen in Acts 16:16-22, where Paul and Silas were accused in Philippi of troubling the city as Jews, inciting hostility due to their ethnic identity. Despite these challenges, Christ's evaluation in Revelation 2:1-6 of the Ephesian church suggests that over time, Jews and Gentiles began to work together, enduring persecutions and maintaining patience and labor for His name, though not without losing their initial fervor. Paul's writings in Ephesians 2:11-22 and 4:3-16 emphasize the breaking down of the wall of separation through Christ's blood, creating one new man from the two groups, unified in one body and spirit. He urges believers to put off the old man and renew their minds in Colossians 3:9-11, where distinctions like Jew or Greek, slave or free, cease to matter, as Christ is all in all. In Galatians 3:26-29, Paul reinforces this unity, declaring all as one in Christ, baptized into Him, with no room for prejudice. Finally, in John 17:20-26, Jesus prays for the unity of all believers, desiring them to be one as He is with the Father, a unity that begins internally by each individual conforming to Christ's image. Romans 8:28-30 echoes this purpose, stating that those called by God are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, leading to glorification and unity with all who live His gospel.