Spirit
ual Eyesight?
The spring of the year brings to mind a host of spiritual realities, but do we have eyes to see them? We must discern between truth or tradition. There are those in the world who have “tuned” God out and are blind to spiritual realities. And some willfully so! They hold God and his ways in contempt. Having donned spiritual blinders, they are walking in darkness. Many in our cultural elite embrace their aggressively atheistic worldview with its twisted perception of reality. They refuse to acknowledge natural laws and human freedoms, while extolling the “virtues” of death — abortion, and euthanasia. They have chosen darkness instead of light. The have rejected truth and refused to countenance the evidence for intelligent design. Paul had experience with the “educated” of his day who also thought they were wise, yet could not see their own blindness.
Shining Light in the Darkness
Caught up in the meaninglessness and materialism of the great Roman empire, the godless were ignorant of the futility of their lives. Truth or tradition would become a contentious issue for believers living in the empire. The spiritual darkness that Paul wrote about was pervasive. And the religious community was not immune to these societal influences. Living in the time of Nero’s Rome, could be a nightmare of dark corrupting forces. Paul’s advice to believers, both Jew and Gentile, was to put on the “armour of light.” They were to overcome the influences of the materialistic society through their love of neighbour and their obedience to God’s law. Living selfless lives, they were to put on Christ’s nature and follow in his footsteps. They would combat darkness with light, by obeying Christ’s teachings. They would live with “eyes wide open” to the truth.
Will it be Truth or Tradition in your Life?
But, Jesus Christ was not well-received by the religious leadership of his own people. Why? He told them plainly that they were rejecting and nullifying God’s word by their traditions. They were pretending to serve God with their man-made doctrines and practices. Jesus was not impressed! He chided, “In vain do you worship me, teaching for doctrines the traditions of men!” And yet today, are those calling themselves Christians, followers of Christ, truly walking in light? Or, are they part of the darkness. In the coming week, Christians will need to make a choice to follow Christ and observe the Passover, or follow the religious traditions of men and celebrate Easter. What does the scripture really teach? What will you decide?