How, though, does God view a person who has prejudices but is struggling to eliminate them from his heart? Once again, the Bible gives us comforting insight into the matter.

God Is Patient With Us

In the first century, many Jewish Christians were initially influenced by long-standing prejudices against non-Jews, a large number of whom were becoming believers. How did Jehovah God deal with this potentially divisive problem? He patiently educated the Christian congregation. (Acts 15:1-5) That patience bore good fruitage, for as mentioned at the beginning of this article, “social, racial and national distinctions were transcended.” As a result, “the congregations continued to be made firm in the faith and to increase in number from day to day.”​—Acts 16:5.

The lesson? Don’t give up, but continue to look to God, who generously gives wisdom and moral strength to those who “keep on asking in faith.” (James 1:5, 6) Do you recall Jennifer, Timothy, John, and Olga mentioned in the first article of this series? By the time Jennifer attended secondary school, she had grown spiritually and had learned to ignore racial slurs and comments about her stature. Soon thereafter, when another girl became the target of insults by classmates, Jennifer spoke up for her and comforted her.

What helped Timothy keep his cool when fellow students taunted him with racial slurs? He says: “I was concerned about the reproach I would bring on Jehovah God’s name. Also, I kept remembering that we must ‘keep conquering the evil with the good’ and not allow evil to conquer us.”​—Romans 12:21.

John overcame his prejudice toward his Hausa classmate. “As a teenager,” he recalls, “I met some Hausa students who became my friends. I worked with one such student on a joint project, and we got on very well. Now I try to look at people as individuals, not as belonging to a certain race or tribe.”

Olga and her missionary companion did not cower when persecuted by hateful opposers, but they remained steadfast, confident that some people would appreciate the Bible’s message. Many did. “Some fifty years later,” says Olga, “a man approached me and handed me a beautiful satchel. Inside were small stones on which Christian qualities, such as goodness, kindness, love, and peace, were engraved. He then told me that he was one of those boys who had thrown stones at me and that now he was my Christian brother. He and his wife then gave me two dozen white roses in addition to the satchel of stones.”

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GODLY PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY

◼ “Return evil for evil to no one. . . . Keep conquering the evil with the good.” (Romans 12:17-21) The point? Let the bad in others bring out the good in you. “They hated me without cause,” said Jesus Christ. Yet, he did not respond in the same manner.​—John 15:25.

◼ “Let us not become egotistical, . . . envying one another.” (Galatians 5:26) Envy and improper pride are spiritually harmful, often leading to hatred and prejudice.​—Mark 7:20-23.

◼ “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them.” (Matthew 7:12) Ask yourself, ‘How do I like to be treated?’ Treat other people in the same way, regardless of their age, skin color, language, or culture.

◼ “Open your hearts to one another as Christ has opened his heart to you.” (Romans 15:7, Phillips) Do you try to get to know people from different backgrounds and cultures, especially if they are fellow servants of God?​—2 Corinthians 6:11.

◼ “In case my own father and my own mother did leave me, even Jehovah himself would take me up.” (Psalm 27:10) No matter how others may treat you, God will never abandon you if you remain loyal to him.