The god of this world: why unbelievers reject Christ
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them (2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV)
Have you ever wondered why unbelievers reject the Gospel? Well, since we were unbelievers before, it becomes easier to think about it. They reject the Gospel because the whole thing is foolishness and absolute nonsense to them, just as it was to most of us before we became saved. Why do the unsaved reject the Gospel?
I believe the Church today, especially in the western world, has become too intellectual and has forgotten a critical aspect of our faith—it is spiritual! The lost reject the Gospel not because they are not smart enough but because they are spiritually blind. After the fall, human nature, with all its intellectual faculties was cut off from God. The unaided human mind, however bright it is, is unable to understand and accept spiritual truths about God. This is called spiritual blindness. Just as a physically blind person is unable to see what is physically existing, so a spiritually blind person is unable to see what is spiritually existing. They say there is no God until they meet with Him after death and realize they were blind during their earthly lives.
The scripture above gives us a staggering truth about this spiritual blindness. It says the god of this world that is Satan blinds the minds of those who do not believe. Did you get that??? It did not say these people are possessed or oppressed, as we will be tempted to think. It simply says Satan has something to do with the blindness of lost people. He blinds their minds. It means he has a stronghold in their minds. Does this now sound familiar to you? 2 Cor. 10:4 talks of “strongholds”, which are mental or intellectual. People who have solid arguments for rejecting God and they are convinced they are right…..sadly until they find out otherwise.
There is more spiritual warfare going on than many of us realize because we have limited spiritual warfare to possessions or oppressions as I have taught before. It takes God’s grace to open someone’s eyes, that is, make them come to accept the truth of the Gospel. That is why you pray for the lost and also share the Word with them. There is more that is going on than just trying to convince them that the Gospel is true. Their eyes need to be opened. Start rebuking every satanic blindness over your city and nation that is causing people to reject the Gospel. Start commanding the light of the Gospel to shine, as God did, by preaching the Gospel. Pray for them. They are lost and are blinded. They need grace, just as we needed it to see the light of the Gospel.
MEDITATE
What happens when a person’s mind is blinded?
APPLY THE WORD
Be conscious of the spiritual warfare in winning the lost for Christ. Pray for the lost. This is why you should not argue with the unsaved because the Gospel is not purely an intellectual game. Pray and preach, and the grace of God though the Spirit and the Word will open their eyes to be saved.
PRAY
Take a moment to pray for those in your neighborhood, friends and family members who are lost that the Lord will open their eyes to see the light of the Gospel.
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