spiritual

Material

Our modern age is a very material age. What I mean is that our scientific successes have caused us to understand all things in terms of naturalistic and material processes. With this we have come to believe that everything has a kind of natural and material explanation. This is not necessarily something that we say, but it has become for many people, even professing believers, an underlying assumption. This is a worldview issue.  Worldview is that set of presuppositions or assumptions that we use to synchronize the information that we gather about the world so that we can understand and appropriately act and react to the world. The problem is that we do not live in a simple, material universe. This means that many, if not most, modern and postmodern people are trying to analyze reality through a materialist filter that does not allow them to even consider the existence of realms or dimensions beyond the physical universe. They are what the Bible refers to as spiritually blind.

Present Darkness

This is especially dangerous for them because we are surrounded by dark and powerful enemies that desire our harm. The demonic ranks hate those made in God’s image and want to destroy that image. That means that people walking around with this kind of epistemological blindness are exceptionally vulnerable to satanic schemes and devilish devices. This is most evident in that they cannot even understand that the danger is real. The Scripture is clear that our present battles are not against flesh and blood but against spiritual powers and force beyond this material realm (Ephesians 6:12). However, blindness is not only dangerous because of enemies who mean to harm us. The person suffering blindness is also susceptible to danger from their own inability to perceive reality.  The materialist is more likely to stumble and fail because they cannot detect the spiritual holes and rocks all around them.  Worst of all, since they do not even know that they are blind they take no precautions against these injuries. 

Unseen Light

However, all these dangers do not even begin to compare to the greatest tragedy for those captured by such blindness.  This great tragedy is that they miss all the beauty that they could be beholding.  Spiritual blindness is not only a problem because one cannot see the enemies but because the blessing and truth are also shrouded from view. These people are walking around blissfully unaware of the cosmic battles but they also cannot rejoice in the celestial victories.  Jesus said that even the angels are rejoicing with the swivel of every repentant sinner.(Luke 15:10) Without spiritual sight these family members, friends and neighbors are left to exist without beholding the glory of God in face of Jesus Christ.(2 Corinthians 4:1-6) Paul says here clearly that a veil lays over the eyes of the unbeliever. They are genuinely missing out on the beauty of Jesus and the transcendent wonder of the glory of God.

Open Eyes

This is why it is so important for us who are believers to not adopt the numbness of the world around us. We know that there is a spiritual reality that is far more vast and real than anything that one can taste or touch or smell or see. The enemy of our souls would like nothing more than for us as Christians to adopt a materialistic and naturalistic worldview.  In this case we are fooled into believing that he is no danger and Christ is only a sentimental Savior.  But we must be vigilant to the reality all around us. So let us fix our spiritual gaze on Jesus and consult regularly His revelation to us in the Scriptures that we would be truly spiritual people (Hebrews 12:2).

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