Day 8

Day 8

1 Corinthians 2:14

"But the natural man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Here we see a very plainly stated example of the utter blindness of the natural man. The glorious Words of God have been set before man in type, and yet men still deny Him. Even the physical embodiment of God's own Words is not enough to win over the hearts of men from the clasp of Satan. The unregenerate could sit for hour upon hours, reading every verse, studying every line, and memorizing every jot and tittle in the entire book, and yet still it would do him naught. And yet, the man who knows not of the higher up doctrines of the book, and yet clutches it to his chest and proclaims, "I love the Savior! Praise God for His wonderful mercy on me!" knows more in his heart than a thousand lost can ever know with their heads. Salvation is not a matter of the head; some of histories wisest men have been complete fools when it comes to the things of God. Why is this? It is because salvation comes not from the mind but from the heart. Natural man can read the Scriptures day and night, and they mean no more to him hour one than hour one hundred, because God has not opened his heart to the truth. As we have seen, the problem is not that man will not know them by choice, but rather that he cannot know them by nature. Men are enslaved to that hideous Prince of the Power of the Air, and do his bidding without need of thought or convincing; but spiritual things, things of God; they repulse him, because "men love the darkness rather than that light, because their deeds are evil." If natural man were to step out into the light, he would not be able to face the creature he would see in the mirror; so like a tiny insect he scurries this way and that, finding any crevasse to shield him from the light, so that his deeds may remain hidden. What hope then is there, if men cannot of themselves come to God? Where is the "Good News" resting if not in the ability of the hearts and minds of men? The Good News, friend, lies in the arms of the Savior Jesus Christ, who died and paid the penalty for this sin and for our spiritual and physical death. When Christ died on the Cross, He did not simply purchase the forgiveness of sins and life eternal; He purchased with His own blood the freedom of His people's minds and wills! When this precious blood is applied to the heart of the sinner by God's grace, that wretch is no longer blind; he is given spiritual sight, and is able to for the first time come out from the shadows, and see the face of the Savior. He can dust off that old book, and read with new vigor and understanding. As the old hymn goes;