Spiritual Blindness
When people repeatedly reject the convictions of the Holy Spirit, their hearts get hardened and they experience spiritual blindness to God’s truths. Jesus described this condition in John 12:40 saying, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” Here, Jesus quotes, Isaiah’s prophecy about the hardening of the hearts of those who would refuse to believe in Him (Isaiah 6:10).
The Bible tells us that Satan himself gives those that reject God blindness, “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). Harboring evil thoughts brings darkness to the soul, “whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:10). The hate of the religious leaders to Jesus made them totally blind. And the Savior said to them, “Woe to you, blind guides” (Matthew 23:16).
To God, spiritual blindness is harder to heal than physical blindness because it involves the will of the human heart. God can’t force Himself on people. Therefore, the Lord asks His children to accept His truths the moment they hear it. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Hebrews 3:12 also 3:7). The Holy Ghost calls men (Hebrews 4:7–9) to find “rest” to their souls in Christ today because the day will come when mercy will no longer plead and the door of salvation will close.
God takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23, 32). It is with the strongest appeal that He pleads with them to disconnect from sin, so that they will not be destroyed. And He warns them of the final judgement, “I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust” (Zephaniah 1:17).
But when people insist on rejecting God, He is left with no other choice but to respect their decisions and leave them to the destiny that they have chosen saying, “Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
