Have you ever tried to talk to someone about God and they just couldn’t connect the dots? You try to help them see who they are without God, but they think they have it all figured out. These are those who are without Christ, yet in their minds, they have a religion. They are unregenerated and without understanding. When a person thinks this way, they are mentally ignorant or blind to the truth. To be unregenerated means they have never spiritually awakened to God. They are alienated from the life of God. Those who are alienated are mentally, morally, and spiritually degenerate. Their hearts are blind to the truth.
In Ephesians 4:18, Paul is speaking to Gentiles. These are those who are not Jews. He is seeking to help them understand where they are in Christ. A person must be convinced they are lost before they can be saved. Without understanding the gospel, there can be no salvation. Then and now, understanding is darkened by sin. When a person loves their sin and indulges in it year after year, leading their mind and body deeper into the depravity of sin, soon they get the idea that what they feel, and think is right. They justify their behavior by their own desires. Before salvation, we all do that, and to some measure, we do after we are saved. We pick and choose what pleases us and because we have said a prayer and still have a desire to go to church and be with God’s people, we think we are ok. All the while, we are walking further away from God. Indulgence in sin always darkens our understanding. This is true for believers and unbelievers.
When a person is blind, they cannot see. You can wave your hand in front of their eyes, and they can feel the motion, but your hand is not visible. This happens to the heart because of their indulgence in sin. An alcoholic thinks his drink is no big deal. He always feels he can control it. The deeper a person gets into their sin the harder it is for them to see the truth. Paul says that when their understanding is darkened their ignorance allows them to be alienated from God. They cannot see what the driving force in their heart is. It is a desire for what they want not what God desires from them.
Ephesians 4:18 “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:”
I believe as Christians, we must guard ourselves against becoming like the world, and against rationalizing our behavior. The moment we begin to make excuses for our sins or act as if they are not a sin, is the moment we are setting ourselves to live a life without God’s truth guiding us. We do not even see the beauty of purity when we are feeding the flesh with sinful entertainment or corrupt company. A man who is working hard and sees the fruits of his labor loses sight of his purpose for working and soon becomes consumed by his job. His heart is covetous, and to fulfill that desire he works harder longer hours which takes him away from worship, family, and His time with God. He cannot see what is happening because his heart is blind. One sin at a time weakens his resolve to give his heart to God, or if a Christian, to live for God.
In Ephesians 4:19 those who have allowed sin to blind their hearts stop feeling the weight of what sin can do. They stopped thinking and gave in to their sinful behavior as if it were perfectly fine. In Romans 1:21, we see some knew God, but they leaned to their own understanding and rationalized their sin. They did not glorify God and their foolish hearts were darkened. God’s reaction to this thinking and action is in verse 24. He gives them up to their own devices. They chose their own way and chose to turn the truth of God into a lie. They served themselves more than they did God.
Ephesians 4:19 “Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
Romans 1:21 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Romans 1:24-25 “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
This is the most dangerous place to be in our lives, but it can happen. God will stir the heart and the Holy Spirit will convict, but we have the responsibility to listen and obey. God can and will turn people over to their own desires.
How do we avoid being given over to our sin, becoming alienated from the life of God, becoming blind to our sins, and being past feeling? We keep a check on our hearts by staying in the word. We read, listen to biblical preaching, pray, and obey. When we are determined to stay close to God the Holy Spirit will let us know when something is not right, and it is up to us to respond instead of ignoring and thinking what we are doing is no big deal. Our most dangerous thoughts are when we “think” something is okay, or we say, “everybody sins and God will forgive.” When we make excuses we have made the first steps to becoming blind in our hearts. One step at a time we become spiritually, mentally, and morally degenerate.
God calls us to repentance and then to be separated from the world. We are to live in it but not allow it to live in us. We are to transform our minds and hearts daily with His word. If you get Romans 12:1-2 right, you will not have to worry about having a blind heart!
Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Excellent