Jesua888
Linda
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2025
- Messages
- 309
On many "Christian Forums" it is clear that the teachings of Jesus Christ are long forgotten.
Many have become like any other social media platform, where egos abide and God takes second place.
Could this be a reason why so many "Christians" like to "debate" and will not stop until they have the final say?
Are they even listening? Do they respect their brothers and sisters in Christ, or do they just want be be right all the time?
The Bible teaches that physical sight and hearing are gifts from God, but spiritual perception requires divine intervention to recognize truth.
Proverbs 20:12 states that "the hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both," acknowledging these faculties as Creator-given gifts. However, spiritual blindness is often the result of a calloused heart, as described in Matthew 13:15, where Jesus quotes Isaiah to explain that people’s hearts have grown dull, preventing them from seeing, hearing, and understanding.
To overcome spiritual blindness, believers are encouraged to pray for God to open their understanding. Psalm 119:18 provides the primary model for this: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things from Your law." In the New Testament, Jesus contrasts the spiritually blind masses with His disciples in Matthew 13:16-17, declaring, "Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear," because God had revealed the mysteries of the kingdom to them.
True spiritual insight involves humility and reliance on God rather than human wisdom. According to Deuteronomy 29:4, God has not always given a heart to understand or eyes to see, indicating that spiritual perception is a sovereign act of God. In the Christian tradition, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 explains that God illuminates the hearts of believers to see the light of the knowledge of His glory, often working through the ministry of others to open eyes that were previously closed to the truth.
The Human Condition: Unable to See Without God
The Bible consistently teaches that natural human faculties are insufficient for spiritual truth. Ezekiel 12:2 describes people who have "eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear," highlighting a wilful or divinely permitted stubbornness. This condition is not merely physical but spiritual; Romans 8:7-8 explains that the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God and cannot submit to His law, implying an inherent inability rather than just unwillingness.
God’s Sovereign Action: Giving New Hearts and Eyes
Scripture presents the solution as a unilateral act of God where He replaces the human heart and opens spiritual eyes.
The Promise of a New Heart
The most direct address to the condition in Deuteronomy 29:4 is found in Ezekiel 36:26-27, where God promises: "I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." This passage clarifies that the "heart to understand" missing in Deuteronomy is something God must create and implant, enabling obedience that was previously impossible.
The Removal of the Veil
In the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 3:14-16 explains that a "veil" lies over the hearts of those who read the Old Covenant, preventing understanding. However, "whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." This mirrors the transition from the blindness of Deuteronomy 29:4 to the sight granted by God’s grace. Similarly, 2 Corinthians 4:6 states that "God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," emphasizing that illumination is a creative act of God comparable to the original creation.
Jesus’ Ministry of Opening Eyes
Jesus’ earthly ministry physically and spiritually enacted this sovereign opening. In Luke 24:31, the disciples’ eyes were "opened" to recognize the resurrected Christ, an act initiated by Jesus rather than their own deduction. Furthermore, in Acts 26:18, Jesus describes His mission as sending Paul "to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God." This confirms that turning to God is the result of eyes being opened, not the cause.
The Interplay of Human Responsibility and Divine Sovereignty
While spiritual sight is a gift, the Bible also records instances where individuals are commanded to open their eyes, suggesting a tension between divine sovereignty and human response. Proverbs 20:13 exhorts, "Open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread," and Matthew 13:16 blesses those whose eyes see. These commands do not negate the need for God’s gift but rather serve as the means through which God often works; the prayer of Psalm 119:18 ("Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things from Your law") models the proper human response: asking God to do what only He can do.
Many have become like any other social media platform, where egos abide and God takes second place.
Could this be a reason why so many "Christians" like to "debate" and will not stop until they have the final say?
Are they even listening? Do they respect their brothers and sisters in Christ, or do they just want be be right all the time?
The Bible teaches that physical sight and hearing are gifts from God, but spiritual perception requires divine intervention to recognize truth.
Proverbs 20:12 states that "the hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both," acknowledging these faculties as Creator-given gifts. However, spiritual blindness is often the result of a calloused heart, as described in Matthew 13:15, where Jesus quotes Isaiah to explain that people’s hearts have grown dull, preventing them from seeing, hearing, and understanding.
To overcome spiritual blindness, believers are encouraged to pray for God to open their understanding. Psalm 119:18 provides the primary model for this: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things from Your law." In the New Testament, Jesus contrasts the spiritually blind masses with His disciples in Matthew 13:16-17, declaring, "Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear," because God had revealed the mysteries of the kingdom to them.
True spiritual insight involves humility and reliance on God rather than human wisdom. According to Deuteronomy 29:4, God has not always given a heart to understand or eyes to see, indicating that spiritual perception is a sovereign act of God. In the Christian tradition, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 explains that God illuminates the hearts of believers to see the light of the knowledge of His glory, often working through the ministry of others to open eyes that were previously closed to the truth.
The Human Condition: Unable to See Without God
The Bible consistently teaches that natural human faculties are insufficient for spiritual truth. Ezekiel 12:2 describes people who have "eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear," highlighting a wilful or divinely permitted stubbornness. This condition is not merely physical but spiritual; Romans 8:7-8 explains that the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God and cannot submit to His law, implying an inherent inability rather than just unwillingness.
God’s Sovereign Action: Giving New Hearts and Eyes
Scripture presents the solution as a unilateral act of God where He replaces the human heart and opens spiritual eyes.
The Promise of a New Heart
The most direct address to the condition in Deuteronomy 29:4 is found in Ezekiel 36:26-27, where God promises: "I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." This passage clarifies that the "heart to understand" missing in Deuteronomy is something God must create and implant, enabling obedience that was previously impossible.
The Removal of the Veil
In the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 3:14-16 explains that a "veil" lies over the hearts of those who read the Old Covenant, preventing understanding. However, "whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." This mirrors the transition from the blindness of Deuteronomy 29:4 to the sight granted by God’s grace. Similarly, 2 Corinthians 4:6 states that "God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," emphasizing that illumination is a creative act of God comparable to the original creation.
Jesus’ Ministry of Opening Eyes
Jesus’ earthly ministry physically and spiritually enacted this sovereign opening. In Luke 24:31, the disciples’ eyes were "opened" to recognize the resurrected Christ, an act initiated by Jesus rather than their own deduction. Furthermore, in Acts 26:18, Jesus describes His mission as sending Paul "to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God." This confirms that turning to God is the result of eyes being opened, not the cause.
The Interplay of Human Responsibility and Divine Sovereignty
While spiritual sight is a gift, the Bible also records instances where individuals are commanded to open their eyes, suggesting a tension between divine sovereignty and human response. Proverbs 20:13 exhorts, "Open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread," and Matthew 13:16 blesses those whose eyes see. These commands do not negate the need for God’s gift but rather serve as the means through which God often works; the prayer of Psalm 119:18 ("Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things from Your law") models the proper human response: asking God to do what only He can do.
