"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE TRUE CONDITION OF THE UNSAVED PERSON"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE TRUE CONDITION OF THE UNSAVED PERSON"

2nd Corinthians 4:4 Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Some explanatory thoughts, application, questions and a prayer:

Paul is explaining the ministry, and in so doing gives us very important insight into the true condition of the unsaved.
In this verse we learn what they are, and why they are the way they are, and what the goal of Satan is in their lives. May this truth help us to have compassion for the lost, and to know how to pray for them.

1. The unsaved man's mind has been blinded.
2nd Corinthians 4:4 Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Normally we think of blindness as being associated with the eyes, but here Paul says their hearts are blinded.
They are unable to see from, and with, their hearts what you and I can see who have already come to faith in Jesus Christ.
They are said to be "who do not believe”. That is their condition, they do not believe. They are unsaved because they have not believed.

2. The unsaved man's mind has been blinded with a purpose.
2nd Corinthians 4:4 Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

Please notice who blinded them and why they are blinded.
2nd Corinthians 4:4 Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

They are blind because the "god of this age”, who is Satan, has blinded them. We are not given much more explanation in the Bible about how he did this, and or how he does it, but he does. He blinds their hearts.

The reason he blinds their hearts is to prevent the light of the gospel, or the truth of the good news of Jesus Christ, from being seen and understood by them.

In order for a person to be saved they must come to an understanding of the gospel and they must believe. Satan makes every effort he can to keep them from seeing, so that they will not have the gospel to believe in.

This verse helps us to see just how perverse and evil Satan is. He is the ultimate spiritual terrorist, and he is actively on the loose doing his work in the lives of the unsaved.

3. The unsaved man's soul can be saved by the light of the gospel shinning into their hearts and believing in Christ.
2nd Corinthians 4:4 Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

God, and God alone can remove the blindness of a man's soul. God uses prayer and preaching to bring about this ability to see.
He also brings conviction into the hearts of the unsaved.
He brings them to a point where they are convinced that the gospel is the truth they need in order to be saved from their sin, and the coming eternal judgement of God upon them.

May we be encouraged to never give up praying for a lost person. As long as they are alive they stand a chance to have the blindness removed, and for the first time be able to see the truth as it is in Jesus Christ.

Once they see the truth about Jesus, they need to turn to Him, believe in Him, and receive Him, and they will be saved.

Here's how this verse reads in the NLT:
2nd Corinthians 4:4 Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don’t understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

One thing God does is set our hearts to praying for the lost.
Let's not only pray but believe God to save the lost.
There are lost people in our lives.
They can become saved souls.

Questions:

1. How many people right off the top of you mind do you come in contact with daily that are potential believers?

2. How many people in our own church do you think are not yet saved?

3. Do you realize that you were once blinded by Satan?

4. And, together we can thank God that He has opened our eyes to the truth and led us to repentance by His goodness.

5. Will you try to pray regularly for the people in your own church (even if you don't know who they are) to be saved?

6. Do you believe that God wants them to come to repentance and be saved?

7. God hears prayers. Let's be a praying people who don't give up on praying for lost family members, church members, co-workers, friends and neighbors.

A Prayer:

Father, right now, in this very minute, we want to pray for the lost in those categories we have just mentioned. Tomorrow is Sunday, and we will be gathering together to worship You, and perhaps sitting next to us, in front of us, behind us, or several chairs away from where we are sitting. Imagine for just a moment their true condition. They can't see the truth. You can, but they can't. Lord, bring an awakening to our churches, and to the lost in them. Bring an awakening to the saved in our churches who have fallen asleep spiritually, and are sleep walking through life, unaware of what they are doing and what is truly going on around them. Jesus, You have all authority and power in heaven and earth vested in You. Move amongst us, Lord, as only You can do. Save the lost, awaken the sleepers.
And as someone once said about the role of the minister, “he is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable”. May it be so, Lord, may it be so. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia