Recently, a woman was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. It has polarized the nation. The question is: Did the agent lawfully shoot the woman? Fortunately, many people recorded what happened. There are views of the shooting from many different angles. If a person is unbiased and only wants to know the truth, it would be easy to answer the question.
But in many cases, that does not happen. People look at the videos and say the agent murdered the woman. They claim that the videos show she was slowly pulling away in her van. The agent shot her from the side of the van and was not in any danger. The woman only wanted to leave, was in a good mood, and was talking with other agents. She was a homosexual, and the agent didn’t like homosexuals. He had a vendetta against her. He was untrained and did not follow the law when he discharged his weapon. He shot three times, which was overkill. They want the agent tried for murder.
Let’s assume that competent authorities have conducted a thorough investigation. They produce videos showing that the woman hit the agent with her car, and that he suffered internal injuries. The videos show that another agent had his arm inside the van and was trying to get the woman to stop. This second agent was in danger of being dragged by the vehicle. The first shot went through the windshield, not the driver’s side window. The videos also show that the woman was trying to impede the agents’ work. She was breaking the law and had blocked traffic, putting the agents in further danger. They repeatedly ordered her out of the van, and she refused. The law allows a law enforcement agent to fire more than once if the agent or his partners are in danger. The investigation concludes that the agent acted lawfully.
Do you think that would convince those who initially wanted the man charged with murder? Perhaps a few would be convinced. But the majority would probably not change their minds. They might claim that the videos were doctored, or that those who conducted the investigation were just helping out a fellow law enforcement partner. They might claim that ICE agents are fascists who act unlawfully to arrest immigrants, and who would not think twice about killing somebody who tried to hinder them.
Such people would not be convinced if the agent who did the shooting was a homosexual himself and was married to an immigrant. They would not believe any amount of evidence. Their experiences, as well as what they had heard about ICE agents, would not allow them to see anything other than what they wanted to see.
Theological disagreements can be the same way. There are numerous examples. I will address one of the most famous ones. There is a verse in the Bible that says “even demons believe—and tremble” (Jas 1:19). A very large group of people have already determined what that means. They are convinced that James is saying that demons believe in God, but they still do bad things. If you claim to be a believer but do bad things, you are no better than a demon. You are not a Christian. Like the demons, you will spend eternity in hell.
But an investigation of that verse will show none of that is true. It is not James who is talking, but somebody who disagrees with James. The discussion is not about who is eternally saved and who is not. In fact, demons cannot be eternally saved. The gospel of eternal life is not even mentioned in the discussion.
Anyone who has engaged in a discussion about this verse has probably, in one significant way, found himself in a situation similar to the one involving the woman in Minneapolis. No amount of evidence, exegesis, or patient explanation will change many people’s minds about Jas 1:19. They have heard what it means from people they respect. No other interpretation is possible.
The situations in Minneapolis and in Jas 1:19 teach us two lessons. First, they provide a warning. We can all, on occasion, see only what we want to see. Let us be open to the evidence and change our minds when the evidence leads us to do so. Let’s let the Bible speak for itself.
The second lesson will keep us from losing our minds! We need to be aware that if we accurately teach what the Bible says, some will simply not believe it. That can be frustrating. We might think we’ve done a bad job and are letting the Lord down. Sometimes, it’s not our fault. We shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves. The blame can lie with people who only see what they want to see.
