2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 - Sightless People.
2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 (NLT) If the Good News
we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden
only from people who are perishing. 4 Satan, who
is the god of this world, has blinded the minds
of those who dont believe. They are unable
to see the glorious light of the Good News.
They dont understand this message about the
glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 (MSG) If our Message is
obscure to anyone, it's not because we're holding
back in any way. No, it's because these other
people are looking or going the wrong way and
refuse to give it serious attention. 4 All they
have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness.
They think he can give them what they want, and
that they won't have to bother believing a Truth
they can't see. They're stone-blind to the
dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with
Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we'll
ever get.
WORD STUDY
Minds. The battle between Christ and Satan
is a battle for the minds of men (Rom. 7:23,
25; 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:14; 11:3; Phil. 2:5; 4:7, 8).
Satans principal work is to blind or darken mens
minds. He does this by keeping them from the study
of Gods Word, by deranging the powers of the
mind through excesses of body and soul, by wholly
occupying the mind with things of this life, and by
appealing to pride and self-exaltation. [SDA Bible
Commentary]
INTRODUCTION
From heavens viewpoint our earth is
populated by sightless people. They do not see the
meaning of life or the love of God. How else do we
explain the confusion and chaos? How else do we
explain the constant threat of world war, plagues of
hunger, racism, and the holocaust of the unborn?
Billions of people simply cannot see. The Scripture
says, The devil who rules this world has
blinded the minds of those who do not believe. They
cannot see the light of the Good News - the Good
News about the glory of Christ, who is exactly
like God (2 Corinthians 4:4 NCV).
We need a spiritual ophthalmologist. We
need Jesus to do for us what he did for the man
on the side of the Jerusalem road. He restored
his sight, and he will do the same for us. [Max
Lucado Daily Devotional at maxlucado.com]
COMMENTARY
When you are blinded, you cannot see
things as they really are, even though others
around you see them clearly. You cannot experience
the full reality of all that is around you. You
may feel you are experiencing all that there is
to life, yet you may be unaware that you are
missing what God desires for you. You may even be in
danger because of your blindness and not know it.
Paul warned that the god of this
age can blind you to the reality of Jesus
Christ. Christs presence can make a significant
difference in your life. However, if Satan convinces
you to doubt that Christ can do what He
promised, he will have blinded you to the reality of
what your life is really like and to what it
could become. Others may see what your unbelief
causes you to miss, but you will be unaware of it.
Your life may be steadily moving toward disaster,
but you will be oblivious to it.
Christ comes to you as light (John 1:4,
5, 9). He illuminates your sin so that you see
its ugliness and destructiveness. He reveals
Himself so that you can appreciate the glory of His
person and the marvelous riches He brings. His
presence lights your path so that you can see
impending danger. Dont let the god of this age
distort your spiritual vision. Dont be fooled
into thinking that everything is as it should be
when, in fact, you are missing out on so much that
God wants to do in your life. Ask Christ to
illuminate your life and let you clearly see your
spiritual condition. [Experiencing God Day by Day by
Henry and Richard Blackaby]
Donald Barnhouse wrote a book called The
Invisible War. In it he pictured spiritual armies of
good and evil conducting their warfare on the
battleground of history. This warfare is being conducted
yet today, with Satan struggling to blind
mans eyes to the Gospel, as God cries out,
through the proclamation of Jesus, Let there be
light! How foolish we are to rely on our skill to
make a material difference in the invisible war.
Yet God has in fact entrusted to us the most
powerful weapon of all, the simple message of Jesus
and His love. We can rely on the simple story.
As Paul wrote to the Romans, it is the power
of God for the salvation of everyone who
believes (Rom. 1:16). [The 365-Day Devotional
Commentary]
A 2013 report by the Barna Group revealed
that while nearly one-third of evangelical
Christians believe they should share their faith, they
hadnt done so in the past year.
Why do you think that is? I think the old
adage the devil is in the details applies
here. Satan does not want Christians to share
their faith with anyone. In fact, he will do
everything he can to keep us from doing it.
Know this: When youre not ashamed of
the gospel and start looking for opportunities
to engage people in evangelistic conversations,
youll face satanic opposition in one way or
another.
The devils objective is to blind and
bind people for life. As 2 Corinthians 4:4 says,
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded
the minds of those who dont believe. They are
unable to see the glorious light of the Good News.
They dont understand this message about the
glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of
God (NLT).
Our mission as followers of Christ is to
lovingly engage people with the gospel. The apostle
Paul told Timothy to gently instruct those who
oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those
peoples hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then
they will come to their senses and escape from
the devils trap. For they have been held
captive by him to do whatever he wants (2 Timothy
2:25"26 NLT).
We need to redouble our efforts, because
our nation seems to be coming apart at the
seams. We wonder how we ever will put it back
together again.
The reality is that it is not a political
solution but a spiritual one. We need another
spiritual awakening. And while the world needs to hear
the gospel, the church needs to live it and be
an example to the world. [Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
The richest treasure I offer you is the
Light of the gospel of My Glory. This is what
makes the gospel such amazingly good news. It
opens the way to My Glory!
When you trusted Me as your Savior, I set
your feet on a pathway to heaven. Forgiveness of
sins and a future in heaven are wondrous
blessings, but I have even more for you. I have made My
Light shine in your heart to give you the Light of
the knowledge of the Glory of My Face. I want
you to seek My Face wholeheartedly, so you can
enjoy the radiant knowledge of My glorious
Presence.
"Knowledge" is a very rich word. Some of
its meanings are: awareness acquired by
experience or study and the sum of what has been
perceived, discovered, or learned. So knowing Me
involves awareness of Me - experiencing My Presence.
It also involves perceiving Me. The god of this
age has blinded the minds of unbeliever; but you
can know Me through perceiving the Light of My
Glory! (2Co. 4:4, 6; Psa. 27:8) [Jesus Always by
Sarah Young]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 - Shine Jesus Shine!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2015/20150909-1125.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor
(live now): https://www.revelationnow.com/
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio (recent):
https://bible.awr.org/en/the-signs/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
