Spiritual Blindness: What It Is and Why It Exists
Without sight, we’d find it difficult to navigate the world. But what about spiritual blindness? What is it, and why are so many spiritually blind today?
Imagine living with total blindness. Millions of visually impaired people face this reality every day of their lives. The world can be hostile and dangerous for those who cannot see, presenting numerous obstacles and difficulties.
In this first in a series of blog posts on spiritual blindness, we will explore the origins of spiritual blindness.
We’ll discover how it started in the Garden of Eden when mankind chose to listen to Satan instead of God and thus chose spiritual blindness for themselves.
The forbidden fruit brought blindness
When God created Adam and Eve, they had perfect fellowship with Him. Of the many trees in the Garden of Eden, God gave them explicit directions about only two: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9).
He commanded them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (verse 17).
Tragically, they disobeyed, and as a result, “the eyes of both of them were opened” (Genesis 3:7).
This statement did not refer to their physical eyes but their perception.
When we compare the two trees, we see stark differences.
Eating of the tree of life would result in living forever (Genesis 3:22-23). The symbolism of the tree of life is plain and clear. If you ate from it, you would live. It was called the tree of life because it represented eternal life and the path to it.
The forbidden tree seemed to open their eyes, but in reality, it blinded them spiritually.
In contrast, everything about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was obscure. Although it led to death, it was not called the tree of death. When its fruit was eaten, it didn’t actually grant enlightenment about good and evil or reveal any special knowledge.
Instead, mankind’s choice to decide for themselves what was right and wrong confused humanity about everything—most notably about good and evil, even to the point of calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).
To this day, humanity is unable to truly distinguish right from wrong.
The forbidden tree seemed to open their eyes, but in reality, it blinded them spiritually. So why did God say that eating it resulted in man’s eyes being “opened” (Genesis 3:7)?
It’s a matter of perspective.
After eating the fruit, humanity’s perspective shifted to that of our new master, whom we chose to serve. We are servants of the one whom we obey (Romans 6:16). The spiritual relationship between God and man was severed, and man’s eyes became opened to Satan and all his alternatives to God’s way.
Satan veils us from seeing and understanding the truth and instead broadcasts his attitudes to us (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2).
Fortunately for us, God has a plan to undo all that.
From blindness to sight
When Saul, who later became known as the apostle Paul, was viciously persecuting Christians, he was struck down and heard Jesus asking him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:13-14).
God saw Saul as kicking against a goad—a sharp, pointy rod used to prod an animal to action. Christ saw Paul kicking against God’s influence, inflicting harm on himself and others. Similarly, the carnal mind fights God’s guidance and correction and even causes self-inflicted pain.
God temporarily blinded Saul’s physical eyes to underscore the fact that Christ was now dramatically opening his eyes spiritually.
This hostile resistance can be overcome only through divine intervention!
God must reveal His spiritual knowledge to us. Because of our spiritual blindness, we cannot learn it independently. God must reveal Himself to us, as he did to Saul, though not typically in such a dramatic fashion.
When Christ revealed Himself to Saul, his eyes began to open spiritually.
Why did God stop Saul in his tracks? We are told it was so He could then also use Saul to go to the gentiles “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God” (verse 18).
Ironically, God temporarily blinded Saul’s physical eyes (Acts 9:8) to underscore the fact that Christ was now dramatically opening his eyes spiritually.
The necessity of God’s calling
Jesus Christ said no one can come to Him without being called by the Father (John 6:44). He also said that following Him must be “granted” by the Father (verse 65).
When teaching the disciples, Jesus showed that the “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” were given to some and not to others at that time (Matthew 13:11). He made it clear that He chose the disciples; they didn’t choose Him (John 15:16).
This contradicts the teachings of many churches, which believe they have to convince as many people as possible to accept Jesus before they die to save their souls from hell. Instead, the Bible teaches that the Father calls people to Christ. He has a plan to extend that calling to all people, opening their eyes to spiritual truth in stages (1 Corinthians 15:22-24).
Without God’s calling, we are blind and live our lives reacting to the situations around us, unaware of God’s plan for us and the rest of humanity. If the truths of the Bible are becoming increasingly clear to you, it may be that God is calling you.
If so, we are here to help you on that journey.
Date Posted: August 19, 2024
About the Author
Isaac Khalil
Isaac Khalil is husband to his lovely wife, Natasha, and father to son Eli and daughter Abigal. He loves to spend time with family and friends doing various things like watching movies, playing chess, playing board games and going out. He enjoys studying biblical topics and discussing the Bible with his friends. He is also a news junkie and is constantly reading and sharing news connected with Bible prophecy.
