Can you read a book in the dark?
Can you hear a whisper near a waterfall?
I expect most would admit they could not and answer; no.
So if I asked ‘Is your heart blind, what would your response be?
A new heart is a must
This works the same way in knowing God. We can’t know or understand God without the transforming power of Jesus giving us a new life; a new heart. This new heart He gives us comes with the capability to understand and know Him.
The Bible is the premise that we use to know and understand God. It just won’t make deep life-changing sense, without the change of heart. Why? We are mentally blind, with darkened understanding along with incapability of seeing. That is the reality.
People say “you would say that for your cult” or “you’re making excuses for a book that is filled with fairy tales”. Similar questions I’ve battled with over my 20 years as a Christian but still, I battle and the bible proves itself to me time and time again through evidence, power and discernment.
How can you ever choose to see without light in the dark?
We must understand what mental blindness biblically means.
1 Corinthians 2:7-12 – 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden [wisdom] which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 But God has revealed [them] to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
We are going to centre on verses 9 and 10 here and dig deeper. Notice how the main receptors to a person are used in this verse; eye, ear and heart. This is clearly angled to the consumption of information and knowledge. However, the scripture is telling us that there is an inability to grasp this truth for some; as it has not been revealed to them.
We need assistance
You can’t ever understand God’s Word without the new heart Jesus gives to those who confess and believe in Him. Once you have that new heart, God’s Holy Spirit dwells in you and opens the eyes of your heart to understand his word.
It is like sitting in a dark room and the other person has the only torch. The other person has the power to ‘reveal’ an area in that room to you.
It would make sense to apply this to the display of salvation on the cross, where Jesus was crucified. The criminals on either side had an interaction with Jesus, one mocked whilst the other repented. They both saw, they both heard, but the truth only entered into one heart because it was revealed to him (Luke 23:42) when he said “Lord remember me when You come into Your kingdom” how did he know?
Revelation and clarity
The secret spiritual wisdom in this chapter speaks of the mystery that; we can all have salvation in Jesus, along with the riches and citizenship of heaven. We will be joint-heirs with the Saviour to the treasures of heaven and this is “revealed to us by God through His Spirit.”
That is an incredible truth as we know the word of God because the Spirit of God reveals the life of scripture to us. He did it for the Apostle Paul and the thief on the cross who repented. The Holy Spirit opens our ears so we can hear the word of God, our eyes so we can see the work of God and our hearts that we may desire God.
Don’t get frustrated when the world treats you as an alien because of your obedience to scripture. Don’t expect less because they can’t understand it unless the Spirit of God opens their eyes, ears and heart to know Jesus.
That is why we work on the gospel of Jesus and pray for salvation.
Depend on God
Let us make a decision today to ask for more revelation of the scriptures in our life by the Holy Spirit so that we may grow in Jesus. Today, know the gifts that are freely given by God to you as a believer because the Spirit who is from God (John 15:5-15) will show you, and that is a promise, stand on it, journey into that!
Let that be our daily prayer; “Heavenly Father give me more of your Holy Spirit, that I may know and understand you.”
