Barriers To Spiritual Understanding

“BARRIERS TO SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING”

I hold in my hand the Word of God. This is the beacon of God’s truth, shining into the dark recesses of people’s hearts and minds. In Psalm 119.105, David bore witness to this by writing,

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Then, in Psalm 119.130, he writes,

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

The Bible is God’s means of showing mankind our spiritual condition. It is the guide and road map showing the human race where we are and where we need to go. And on our journey through this short span of life, the Word of God reveals, sheds light on, and gives understanding concerning spiritual truth. But, unrelated to intelligence or education, there are some who find the Bible a closed book. It’s not because they keep it closed all the time. Even when they try to read it, it is to them a closed book. Understanding does not proceed from God’s Word to their minds and hearts.

The aim of this message is to provide a basic introduction to the subject of spiritual darkness; to deal with the subject of blindness to Bible truth in its simplest concept. Do you now or have you ever read the Bible without understanding? If you have tried and failed to understand a portion of God’s Word, then you understand that this is not a book whose riches are easily mined.

To the person who says to himself, “I just do not understand the Bible. Why?” And to the individual who grasps that this unique gift from God is a vast treasure of truth that is important to every human being, I offer this answer to explain what is labeled in the Bible blindness.

Every country in the world has benefited from the Word of God. Allow me to illustrate. There is a great movement going on in India, looking back on the colonial era when the Raj governed India. Modern historical reconstructionists are attempting to reconstruct the past prior to the British Raj.[1] There was never a political or national entity known as India before the arrival of European colonists. The region consisted of different city states and nations and regions and ethnic and linguistic groups.

If the British Raj, in all of their cruelty, and all of their wickedness, and all their greed, and all their malevolence, did nothing else, they stopped the practice of burning widows alive on their husband’s funeral pyres.[2] If they accomplished nothing else. And the reason the practice was not tolerated by the British was because of that portion of the Word of God that was in the psyche of those who governed the subcontinent. The British can be criticized for many things. But should they not receive a little bit of an expression of gratitude because so many people’s grandmothers, great-grandmothers, great-great-grandmothers, and great great great grandmothers lived to die a natural death rather than being tied up and drugged and placed atop a stack of wood and burned alive?

That is the impact the Bible has had on that part of the world. Then there is an impact that the Bible has had on Russia, the impact the Bible is having different parts of Africa. Everywhere the Word of God has been taken, even when it has been misrepresented and misconstrued, it has had a beneficial effect and has been a blessing. So, to the person who says to himself, “I just don’t understand the Bible,” I say, “Look to recognize that it is a blessing and it is a love letter sent from God.”

There are two kinds of spiritual blindness causing a lack of Bible understanding, a failure of comprehension. Be very sure that failure to understand Scripture, a lack of comprehension, is not related to how smart you are or how hard the Bible is.

THE FIRST SPECIES OF SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS IS FOUND IN UNSAVED PEOPLE.

What is an unsaved person? Such is someone who is without deliverance from the consequences of sin. It is the individual who abides under the wrath of God.[3] It is that one whose sins are not forgiven and whose destiny is initially Hell, and eventually the lake of fire.[4] Such a person is also described by the Apostle Paul as being dead in trespasses and sins.[5] But such a fellow does not feel as though he is spiritually dead, because he has never known anything other than spiritual deadness. Associated with spiritual deadness and separation from God is a profound spiritual inability, an incapacity.[6]

I will call this the darkness of the depraved. By depraved, I do not refer to those who are bad so much as I refer to those who are bad off. People without Christ are depraved. While they may not be the worst of human beings, their destiny is the same as the worst of human beings. Four passages that feature three reasons for spiritual blindness to the truth are worthy of our consideration:

We begin with Romans 11.25, where we see the Apostle Paul’s indication of what is usually referred to as judicial blindness:

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”

Because of Israel’s rebellion against God and refusal to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their King, God judged the Jewish people. And what was God’s judgment? He visited judgment upon that privileged covenant nation with a partial spiritual blindness to the spiritual truth about the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ until Christ comes again. This partial judicial blindness explains why so few Jewish people are saved from their sins. They seem, for the most part, constitutionally incapable of considering that the Lord Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah of Israel.

Before you react to this judgment by indicting God with the charge of unfairness, let me remind you that God is righteous, and that there is no such thing as fair. Fairness is a humanistic contrivance that does not reflect either God’s righteousness or mercy. It was in Genesis 18.25 that Abraham asked the LORD,

“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Abraham’s was a rhetorical question because, of course, the Judge of all the earth will always do right. We see this confirmed in Hebrews 12.18-24, where God is again referred to as “the Judge of all”:

18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Turning now to John’s Gospel, we see blindness of a different sort, a voluntary spiritual blindness. Consider with me John 1.5 and John 3.19–20:

1.5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

3.19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

This blindness is the direct consequence of a willing refusal to comprehend what is illuminated by “the light,” speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. The question, of course, is why? Why do people do this? Because they love darkness rather than light. But why do they love darkness rather than light? Because their deeds are evil.

It is in Paul’s letter to the Romans that we see the same sad reality expressed in a different way. Romans 1.16-28:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

This blindness results when sinners simply do not want to know God or the truth about their sins. Do not misunderstand. Many that you would not think are terribly bad sinners who fall into this category. There is little to add to the declaration,

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind.”

The final reason for the darkness of the depraved is found in Second Corinthians 4.3-4:

3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

4 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.

As if God’s judicial blinding of some, and a lost person’s sinful depravity, is not enough of an issue, there is always Satan entering into the picture, and, with a malignant immorality, doing even more harm. With the access he and his demons have to the minds and thought processes of unsaved individuals, he induces spiritual blindness so an affected person will not grasp either the simplicity or the necessity of Gospel truth, and will not trust Christ as Savior. The result? More souls will accompany the damnable fiend to hellfire. How incredibly dangerous it is to be an unsaved individual.

ANOTHER SPECIES OF SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS IS FOUND IN SAVED PEOPLE.

I identify this kind of spiritual blindness as the blindness of the spiritual baby. In First Corinthians 3.1–3, the Apostle Paul refers to this problem; the inability to receive truth and the behavior that follows:

1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

What causes this kind of blindness, this incapacity of reception of spiritual truth? For my answer allow me to address this problem in a Christian’s life with four comments:

First, there is praise. May I brag on you folks a bit? Beginning my thirty-sixth year as the pastor of this Church, I am delirious with delight and profound gratitude that I have never felt pressure or blow back from this congregation for my attempts to preach God’s Word without favoritism or any agenda that is self-serving. I have never been approached by a member of Calvary Road Baptist Church to express disapproval or opposition to me declaring what the Word of God teaches. I know that some of the truths of God’s Word delivered to you would produce severe backlashes from other congregations. But I have no recollection of you ever doing that. Therefore, a caution is needed. Though you have not seen or experienced a blindness to the truth here, do not presume you will not see it elsewhere. It is a thing. What are the reasons for Christians reacting negatively to Bible truth? We know from Paul’s comments to the Corinthian congregation that spiritual immaturity plays a role.

Next, there is the role played by pride, James 1.21; 4.6, 10:

1.21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

4.6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

4.10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

If pride is understood to be self-exaltation by word or deed, along with the haughty attitude that reflects a sense of entitlement showing you are convinced you deserve exaltation or prominence, what do we learn from these three verses about this matter of being a spiritually blind Christian?

Notice the word “meekness” in James 1.21, from the Greek word praá¿£thV. Found in ten verses in the New Testament, the word refers to the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one’s self-importance.[7] This is the Christian who is not stuck on himself or herself, which is a good thing.

Were you “somebody” before you trusted Christ? Then it might be difficult for you to acknowledge that you are spiritually immature and that you have spiritual contamination in your life that needs to be addressed. Such an admission requires humility. No matter where you are spiritually, pride in any form, and this word pulls back the curtain to show the self-appraisal that is needed to avoid pride, prevents meekness and the humble reception of God’s Word. Such an attitude is crucial to receiving God’s Word. Without this approach to your self-identity as a believer, your perception of yourself as an undeserving recipient of God’s grace, you can study God’s Word all day long without truly appreciating what it says.

James 4.6 and 10 more directly shows the importance of humility. Apart from the right attitude, God will not grant to you the grace you need to live the Christian life, but with the appropriate humility comes the promise that God will lift you up. Quite the opposite. He will actively resist you.

Ask yourself, is it not every human being’s desire to be lifted up? Of course, it is. Every husband wants to be honored by his wife. Every wife wants to be honored by her husband. Every right-thinking parent wants to be honored by their children. The challenge, of course, is to commit to God the safe keeping of not only your soul, but also your life. As you trust Christ to forgive your sins, so also you should trust God to respond to your humble attitude toward Him that recognizes His commitment to bless you with honor for whom honor is due. Pride gets in the way of all that, don’t you see?

Third, there is prayer, James 4.2. Or, lack of prayer:

“Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”

Some people do not understand the truths of God’s Word because they do not realize that it is the Holy Spirit who teaches the Bible. This process is referred to by theologians as illumination. The Spirit of God illuminates a person’s mind and heart to grasp spiritual truth, so long as you are neither grieving nor quenching the Spirit.[8] Does He use men and means to accomplish this illumination in people’s lives? Oh yes. But if you really want to learn, prayer, asking Him to show you what His Word teaches, is absolutely necessary.

Fourth, there is this matter of contaminated prayer. Sin in your life hinders prayers, including prayers for understanding and illumination. First Peter 3.7 tells of a man whose prayers are not answered because he is not a spiritual leader to his wife:

“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

This would come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. I read Psalm 66.18-20:

18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

The lesson to learn here is that God will not reward misconduct by granting the prayer requests of believers who neglect God’s will for their lives. This is especially truth with respect to a man who is blind to the truths of God’s Word because he refuses to provide spiritual leadership for his wife. May I say in passing, no spiritual leaders needs permission from anyone but God to lead. Leaders lead. Spiritual leaders are content to rest in the knowledge that so long as they provide leadership God will provide followship for that leader. If a husband will lead, God can be counted on to work in his wife’s life to eventually follow her man so long as her man follows God.

Finally, there is practice, Second Timothy 2.15:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

This verse is almost universally misunderstood, in the sense that it teaches what most people who read it think it means, but for a different reason than most recognize. The word “study,” spoudá½±zw comes from a word meaning be diligent, make every effort, work hard.[9] I might paraphrase the verse as, “Work to show yourself approved by God, a worker who never needs to be embarrassed, always plowing a straight row in your handling of the word of truth.”

Diamonds and gold nuggets are not found lying on the ground. You must dig for them. Some people have difficulty understanding the Word of God because they are just lazy. The mental imagery of this verse shows a diligent worker pleasing to God at the beginning of the verse, with one’s relationship to the Bible shown at the end of the verse by likening your handling of Scripture to a farmer who takes great care to plow straight rows in his field. Thus, what this verse elevates is the benefit of carefully and methodically handling God’s Word. If you rightly divide the Word of truth you will be an unashamed worker and your diligence will show you to be approved by God.

In short, if you will sit down each day with your Bible, a pencil, some paper, and perhaps a concordance, to work at reading and seeking to understand Scripture, I promise that you will learn God’s Word. As with learning to walk, learning to play the piano, or working on your basketball skills, a person meets with success only with practice, practice, practice, and practice even more. Lazy Bible students are Bible students who do not learn God’s Word. It is a form of blindness in the lives of too many believers whose inability to understand the truth is result of laziness.

The darkness of the depraved or the blindness of the baby; how do you tell what kind your individual problem with understanding the Bible is? In addition to all of the obvious indicators that distinguish the saved from the lost, there is this. Unsaved people have great difficulty understanding the major doctrines of the Bible: the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, salvation through faith, the sinfulness and destiny of man, heaven and Hell, and the inspiration of the Bible. Saved people with blindness will wholeheartedly endorse these doctrines, but will have trouble with the day to day details of the Christian life: faithful Church attendance, stewardship of money, Biblical parenting, husband-wife relations, involvement in ministry, ethics on the job, etc.

The bottom line is this: if you have not trusted Christ, you are blind because of Satan or a preference for sin over the Savior. However, God can change all that, with His Word. One tends to appreciate what God uses to save your soul, and God most definitely does use His Word to save sinners. Believers tend to have a right attitude toward God’s Word, insofar as recognizes its importance and usefulness. Sadly, however, many Christians do not display the tenacity required to learn God’s Word well. It boils down to the Christian’s immaturity, the Christian’s pride, the Christian’s prayers, and the Christian’s practice.

Want to know what is sad? It is the failure of people to apply the principle of the psalmist in Psalm 119.99:

“I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.”

Overcoming spiritual blindness is within every Christian’s reach.

As most fathers want their sons to be better men than they have been, and as most mothers want their sons to be better women than they have been, so most pastors want their people to become better Christians than they have been. This can occur only when believers read, reflect, and react with obedience to God’s Word every day.

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[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raj

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sati_(practice)

[3] John 3.36

[4] Revelation 20.11-15

[5] Ephesians 2.1

[6] Romans 5.6

[7] Bauer, Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), page 861.

[8] Ephesians 4.30; 1 Thessalonians 5.19

[9] Fritz Rienecker & Cleon Rogers, Linguistic Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Regency Reference Library, 1980), page 641.

Would you like to contact Dr. Waldrip about this sermon? Please contact him by clicking on the link below. Please do not change the subject within your email message. Thank you.

Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church