“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,”
Philippians 2:4-5 (NASB)
A cognitive bias is a systematic deviation from rational judgment. Sometimes biases can help us make faster decisions by narrowing down the possible options. Sometimes biases can help us reject false information because it does not align with previous experience or knowledge. Biases can cause us to overlook otherwise obvious and important information. This unhelpful bias is often called a blind spot. It is a blind spot because it keeps us from seeing the things that we ought to see. One such blind spot is called the distance bias. The distance bias causes things that are closer to be valued over things that are farther away. In other words, things that we can look upon or physically touch are going to appear more valuable to us than things that are out of sight. After all, out of sight, out of mind.
Again, the distance bias causes us to put less value on things we cannot see. Paul writes that we are to look out for the interests of others. What if we never look at the brethren? If we come to the point where we are neglecting or avoiding the brethren, then the next step will be to subconsciously devalue those relationships. God understands how we are made; after all, he is the one who created us. He understood that we would give more consideration to those things that are closer rather than far away. This is just one reason why remote worship services cannot replace an assembly. The distance bias will cause the experience of watching a worship service over the Internet to be less valuable than assembling with brethren locally. It should be obvious that the devil is pleased that many brethren have so easily consented to separate from each other. And while doing so, they have convinced themselves that watching worship from a distance is a suitable replacement for an assembly. Furthermore, this completely neglects the command and example to greet one another physically (Lk 7:45; Ro 16:16; I Co 16:20; II Co 13:12; I Th 5:26; I Pe 5:14).
Paul uses a word that is translated here as “look out.” The connotation of this word is to pay attention to something you can actually see; as in, to be close enough to look upon that thing or person. It stands to reason that we cannot be aware of the interests of those we are never around. If we spend more time with people of the world or alone with ourselves, then we run the risk of putting the world’s or our own interests over the brethren.
During this time of both economic hardship and social disruption, we should be seeking to comfort our brethren in any way possible. The easiest opportunity to meet the needs of others is to provoke one another to love and good works in the assembly. Outside of that, what have each of us done to look after the needs of our spiritual family? Do not ignore the needs of others; the commands of men do not supersede the instructions of God. This time of hardship and adversity offers many opportunities to look after the interests of the brethren. What will you do to look after the needs of your brothers and sisters?