The term legally blind is a modern-day term that means you have vision, but it is very poor. A person is considered legally blind when their vision is 20/200. They are near-sighted, so much so that they may as well be blind. A normal eyesight could see the object at 200 feet whereas a legally blind person would need to be within 20 feet of the object to see it. In II Peter 1:9 we see this analogy with those who are spiritually blind. These are Christians Peter is speaking to. They have tasted of the good gift of salvation, but they have failed to obey and follow what they knew was pleasing to God and now their vision is dull, and they are in a dangerous position spiritually. They are legally blind spiritually.
II Peter 1:9 “But he that lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”
Being blind can be a dangerous thing, especially legally blind. When you are completely blind everyone around you can tell, they look out for you and try to help, but legally blind can appear to be just like those who can see. They give the appearance of being okay when they are far from it. They may put themselves in compromising situations because they do not see the danger lurking in the shadows. Their judgment makes them think they can handle themselves in areas they cannot. Being legally spiritually blind is very similar. They allow themselves to become spiritually blind because they ignore the warnings until they no longer see them. They are saved but they can no longer discern things that are not flashing a warning sign up close.
How does a person become spiritually blind when they were once close to God? What happens to change their understanding? The answer is nothing! We all have our comfort zones, and our predisposition is to stay there. When we have preconceived ideas of what is “okay,” or “not a big deal,” we tend to lean toward refraining from change that can be painful. It is easy to convince ourselves that it is not important in the big picture to be right with God and use the old phrase “nobody’s perfect” as an appeasement to the conscience. You will hear the phrase “God understands my weakness.” All of these phrases are excuses to ignore our sins. People do this until they are no longer bothered by the truth that their actions hurt God and their testimony.
All of these excuses are lies masked with a little truth. The word “okay” implies that everything is right, but when used to refer to living a holy life, it downplays the desire to strive to be like Jesus. “Not a big deal” implies that something is wrong, just not enough to classify as big. While “nobody is perfect” is a very true statement, it is often used as a crutch to excuse our sins. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus instructs us to be perfect, or complete. Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Would God require something of us that is not possible? In Paul’s final address to the Corinthians in II Corinthians 13:11, he instructs them to seek to be perfect. “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” The last excuse I mentioned is “God understands my weakness.” While that also is true, we need to identify what He understands. He understands that we fail, but that He can and will enable us to live a holy life if we will obey. He understands the price He paid so that we can have victory over sin. He understands when we choose our selfish desires over Him. He understands that we fail because we are near-sighted, looking at ourselves and our wants rather than keeping our eyes on Him and His power to help us overcome sin. He understands that we love ourselves far greater than we love Him. Jesus makes this very clear in John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
In I Peter 1:15-16, we are reminded that we are called to be a holy people set apart for God and by God. God gave this command in the Old and New Testaments, and it was not by mistake. He will enable those who are seeking to know Him better and live a life pleasing to Him. Again, God never commands us to do anything that He will not empower us to do.
I Peter 1:15-16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
Now it is time for a check-up. What areas are you legally blind spiritually? Do you make excuses for not studying the word? What about the programs you watch? Is there any bad language or do you catch yourself saying “It’s only one word?” How about the music you listen to, does it glorify God? Meaning does it give the right opinion of who He is? What about the clothing you wear is it drawing attention to sensual areas? Are you looking for people and ways to witness to others? I could go on and on, but I think I Corinthians 10:31 says it best. Whatever we do or say is to glorify God. Does that seem too restrictive to you? If so, you don’t love God with your whole heart. While our sanctification is a process of daily walking and growing closer to God, we are not to stop along the way and linger because it feels good or to fit in with those around us. We are to always seek Him and His righteousness and it should be a joy to think about all He has done for us. This kind of living and thinking is preparing us for Heaven where all will be perfect, and we will be with Him forever. Our vision will then be perfect, and our blindness will be cured forever, but until then we are to seek to grow and be like Jesus.
Colossians 1:9-10 “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Excellent