Blinded

I've only been watching the Tour de France for about six years now, but last year's tour was the first I can remember in which no major drug scandal broke during the course of the race. Three years ago, of course, Floyd Landis was stripped of his yellow jersey because he was found guilty of using artificial testosterone to ride himself back into the lead. And this isn't a recent problem. I've read a history of the Tour and many racers have been found guilty of doping going back almost to the beginnings of the Tour nearly a hundred years ago. Some riders have even died as a result of their drug use.

I've often wondered, "What were they thinking?" Did they think they wouldn't get caught? Did they think somehow they were the only ones who could get away with it? Then this morning I was reading 2 Corinthians 4 and Paul's words in verse 4 struck me: "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." So many people are blind to the light of the gospel because Satan has blinded them. They can't see the light of God's glory in Christ even when they're looking right at it.

The gospel of the glory of Christ is the greatest truth of all, of course. But I believe that Satan often "blinds" people to other truths as well. When someone has been blinded by the god of this age they can't see the truth about their sinful choices. As a result they are blind to sin's consequences. Instead of seeing the painful sorrow sin produces in our lives they only see the momentary pleasure or the short term benefits. The truth about both sin and the gospel are hidden from them. They can't see reality at all. They've been blinded. As a result they often turn to disgraceful and underhanded ways like some racers in the Tour have done. As God's people you and I must thank God "who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,'" that he "has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Now we can see and know the truth.

Thankfully this means that we not only know the truth about the gospel, but we can also recognize the truth about our sin. Therefore, by God's grace we can do as Paul did and renounce "disgraceful, underhanded ways. We [can] refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word." How important this is! The world continually tries to seduce us into compromising the truth, condoning evil, or tolerating sin. As God's people who are no longer blind, like the apostle Paul we must stand firm for the truth. We must uphold it in our own lives and proclaim it without fear.

I've sometimes tried to debate with someone who has clearly been blinded by Satan. It never works. You can't argue an atheist out of atheism. You can't argue an evolutionist out of Darwinism. You cannot convince them of the truth by reasoned arguments, because they've been blinded by Satan and cannot see. Until the veil is lifted by the light of Christ, they will not comprehend the truth no matter how carefully reasoned your argument is. So if you know someone like that, live the truth of the gospel before them, and proclaim the truth of the gospel to them, and pray that the light of God's grace will shine in their hearts to enable them to clearly see the glory of God in Christ Jesus. Because it's an awful thing to be blind.