Deuteronomy 1:17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's
When God calls upon one person in a household to take a definite stand for the right, those who live in the same house could become riled up against such a person, especially if they are of different religious persuasions. The problem can also affect churches in the same way for there are times when some are tempted to show bias or favoritism when there’s inconvenient truth to be delivered.
There are times when the performance of Christian duty may put us at odds with those whom we love, and if our immediate family members are involved, it could be quite difficult, because of the potential pushback and opposition that we might encounter. Christians who are called by God to do any specific work are never to show any favoritism or bias when carrying out God’s commands, for when this is done the work of God is compromised, and great evils do often result.
Especially is this the case when elders are called to deal with some difficult church matter involving one of their own. In such instances, The Lord may give a certain elder a specific message to correct some evil that has occurred. But because he sits on the board, and he might be privy to some sensitive, inside information, he may be tempted to alter, or to water down the message God gave him, in order not to make it appear that he is targeting the individual in question, based on what he knows.
Deuteronomy 16:19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!