NEARSIGHTEDNESS VS TOTAL BLINDNESS

NEARSIGHTEDNESS VS TOTAL BLINDNESS

 

"For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins."  2Pe 1:9　

That is a graphic description of the spiritual condition of a Christian who fails to make advance in Christian experience. It is because of that condition that there is arrest in development. The description moves in two stages. The first describes the condition in itself, the second gives the reason of the condition. The condition is that of blindness. This is immediately qualified bv the words, "seeing only what is near." It is NEARSIGHTEDNESS rather than TOTAL BLINDNESS. Such a man sees the things of time, and fails to discern those of eternity; he sees the material facts, but not the spiritual; he sees the circumstances, but not the facts of which they are but passing expressions; in short, he sees himself and his fellowmen, but not God. This near-sightedness is destructive of a true Christian experience, and therefore makes advance impossible. The reason is that he has "forgotten the cleansing from his old sins." That is to say, he has failed to respond to all the enlargement of life and vision which came to him when he received the cleansing of his nature at the very beginning of his Christian life. What a revelation or reminder this is of the greatness of the blessing which comes to the soul when it is accepted, pardoned, justified, cleansed! That wondrous experience always means the relating of the life to the eternal, the opening of the eyes to God. In order to the maintenance of that relationship and the continuity of that clear spiritual vision, it is necessary to abide at the Cross, never to forget the awe and wonder of forgiveness. In proportion as we wander from that solemn sense of grace, we become near-sighted, and all our Christian life is arrested.