Spiritual blindness is a condition that an individual has when they are unable to see God, or understand His message. Although God is working all around us, pursuing us and showing us His glory, some people cannot perceive His divine workings (Acts 28:26–27). A person who does not see God, does not know God, and unfortunately they are spiritually perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3–4; Revelation 3:17). In short, those who reject Christ are spiritually blind and they are lost (John 6:68–69).
To be spiritually blind can also be translated as being spiritually undiscerning, as explained in 1 Corinthians 2:14: "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." This means that to a spiritually blind individual, spiritual things are meaningless.
Those who reject God's Word are spiritually blind (2 Peter 3:3). They cannot understand the truth of Scripture, which sounds foolish to them (1 Corinthians 1:18). When an individual rejects Christ's message, he is unsaved and needs his eyes to be opened to the importance of Christ in his life (John 12:48; Hebrews 2:2–4).
In the Scriptures, Paul describes Satan as the cause of spiritual blindness in his letter to the Corinthians. "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan, who is the father of lies (John 8:44), aims to lead humans away from God's truth in any way he can. The Bible calls him extraordinarily evil (John 8:44), the cause of all temptations (Luke 4:2; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Corinthians 7:5), and the destroyer of flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5). He even attempts to blind believers, seeking to trap us and cause us to distance ourselves from God through temptation, fear, loneliness, worry, depression, and persecution (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11; 1 Peter 5:8–9).
It is easy to succumb to the Devil's schemes when we are separated from God and relying on ourselves. The world is enticing, and humanity's strong inclination to make ourselves happy clouds over what God wants for us. When people persist in disobeying God and serving themselves, He gives them over to spiritual blindness (John 12:40; Romans 1:24–32). Graciously, God offers a way of sight. Left to our own devices, humans are spiritually blind and without hope. But Jesus is the light of the world and He can open our eyes to see.
In Christ, we are given spiritual sight. And we can exercise this spiritual sight by allowing God to reign in our lives and by following His commands, which shield us from Satan's traps (1 John 4:13). Although Satan aims to blind even believers to God's goodness and His promises, God has provided us with the spiritual armor that we need to be safe from the Devil's schemes (Ephesians 6:10–18). Mark 8:18 says, "Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?" We must remember that Jesus is our light, and cling to His truth so that we are never blinded to God. Jesus is the light that can save us from living a life estranged from Him.
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