Article: Spiritual Blindness | Ruby K. Alexander, UK

Spiritual blindness is a condition that is spreading rapidly among the sphere of faith. It is more serious than the ophthalmic condition “Blindness of the Eye”. The Gospel of John, chapter 9, clearly describes spiritual blindness. But what is spiritual blindness? It is defined as “one hears the truth, but is unable to understand its deeper meaning or apply it in life. He cannot understand the deeper mysteries of salvation.” There are many reasons why a person may go through this condition. Some of it is not properly understanding God’s purpose and his plans. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” While living in the world, we believers should not become spiritually blind.

According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’s Vision Atlas, which launched in 2021, 43 million people are living with blindness and 295 million people living with moderate-to-severe visual impairment globally. If we calculate spiritual blindness in the sphere of faith, we can understand that it is more than this.

Spiritual blindness is mentioned in various passages in the Bible. Matthew 13:14 says, “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.’” Here, it talks about a group of spiritually blind people.

Signs and symptoms of spiritual blindness include:

● Lack of spiritual perspective
● Insisting on believing only when they see things through their eyes
● Continuing to sin
● Giving priority to worldly things over God
● Focusing only on religion and ignoring spirituality in life, walking away from the word of God.
● Lack of fear of God (having fear of evil spirit)
● Relying on oneself
● Not giving glory to God
Many people in the Christian sphere pretend to be spiritual and live falsely, becoming companions of the world. Matthew 6:22-23 says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” The spiritually blind dwell in darkness. They are unable to dwell in the light because blindness trades on them.

Are we spiritually blind? We have to check that. The implications of spiritual blindness are enormous. We are losing our eternity. There are a lot of medical treatments for all the eye diseases. For example, if a person has short-sightedness, an ophthalmologist will tell the person to use glasses or contact lenses. But for a completely blind person, one needs the miracle of sight. As believers, we were in the darkness. But it is the Lord Jesus Christ who has opened our eyes to see eternity and changed our blindness.

There are some ways to understand that we are not spiritually blind. If we live in Christ, if we show mercy and grace to others, if we seek God’s will, if we live according to God’s Word, if we describe God’s glory, if we are filled with the Spirit and live a very good Christian life, then it is possible to understand that we are not spiritually blind. When we are reading and studying the Holy Bible, we can understand that the Pharisees were spiritually blind. Matthew 15:14 says, “Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” So ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch. Don’t follow the spiritually blinded guide. Pharisees are those who have heard the Lord’s sermon and advice continuously. They are those who have seen the miraculous works of the Lord with their own eyes. They are the ones who witnessed everything. Yet they could not understand that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the Son of God. They ignored that truth. Why? There is an answer to that. They were in spiritual blindness.

How do we prevent spiritual blindness? Here are some ways:

● Faith: Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the evidence of things not seen.” So believe in God.
● Prayer: Pour your mind unceasingly into the presence of the Lord.
● Describe the glory of our Almighty.
● Give priority to God in life.
● Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
● Have a desire for godly things.
● Pray for Jesus Christ who needs to dwell in us.
● Be humble.
● Avoid thoughts of the flesh.
● Manifest our Father’s character (God’s character).
● Bear fruits of the spirit.
● Meditate on the word of God.
Through Christ only we can reach eternity. Open our eyes and heart. Accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Follow Jesus. Read the Gospel. Push away the spirit of darkness and eliminate spiritual blindness. May Christ dwell in us as light. When Christ shines in us, darkness flees from us. Let us run steadily the race set before us without becoming spiritually blind. Let us gaze on Christ. Open our eyes to see what is to be seen. Do not sin. Christ is near to us. Let us see His glory. Let us say goodbye to that spiritual blindness and shine like lights. May Almighty help each of us for that.

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