I was born blind and so were you.
We are all born blind. Your ability to see has nothing to do with whether you have fully functioning eyes.
Before I attempt to answer the "What happened to our sight?" question let me tell how I came to understand that I was born blind, even though I have always had two fully functioning eyes.
Years ago while in college I came to the realization that I was blind and could not see what some could see. The first quarter of my freshman year did not go well for me. My blindness effected my ability to make good choices and as a result everything was off the mark, including my life, and grades.
I sought help with my sight from other "blind" people. They too did not know where they were going. We all had to feel our way around, and still we fell into the same proverbial "pits" of life. My own foolish pride would not permit me to admit that I was blind.
It was during this time that I went to have my physical eyes checked. The eye doctor told me I was slightly farsighted with some astigmatism, that basically my eyes were good, but he went on to say the problem I was having seeing "was not with my eyes." He said that my eyes needed "rest" that I was showing signs of "stress." The eye doctor's Rx was for me to "drop out of school and go home."
My stress was self-inflicted, a result of my poor choices caused by whatever it was that prevented me from seeing. So accepting the advice of the Eye Doctor to drop out of school and go home. In defeat, I packed up my things and I drove back to Nashville. My hope at this point was that I could and would see better at home.
Once home I poured my time into working a couple of jobs, seeking sight again from those that I thought could see. Those Individuals I sought out for advice were as blind as I was, or even worse. They used the usual alcohol + drugs, with an added quasi-pursuit of some brand of mystical type of eastern religion, in order to see on a "higher spiritual level." so I followed suit. That too was a dead end search.
My dead end pursuits really shook me to the core of my being, because I knew that in time I could easily wind up in a place of total darkness unless someone or something intervened to correct my vision. Things internally grew hopelessly dark. I felt depressed and defeated.
My father at that time discerned my situation and gave me a choice which involved going to one of two "Christian" Colleges, my pick, and I was to live at home, which was not a choice rather a command. Let me say there was no"magic cure" by my entering the doors of a "Christian school" that cured my blindness. Attending a Christian college definitely had me associating with "seeing" people and closer to finding "The Cure" for my blindness than ever before. The onus was on me to seek it out.
At this Christian college, Bible classes were required, and so was attending a daily chapel service. Chapel attendance was not only mandatory, a record of that attendance was kept by "chapel checkers," who sat perched high above in the balcony looking for any empty seats. As I quickly learned after a few absentees, there were consequences for missing Chapel.
That first quarter at the Christian college was an all out assault on all of my senses! The demarcation between the blind and seeing students was very clear. At this point there was no doubt in my mind that I could not see what others seemed to effortlessly see.
My family heritage included many who had studied the Bible, but I had not seriously done so until the Spring quarter of my freshman year in college. It was now a "required curriculum." Being raised by Christian parents I thought I knew enough for entry into the Kingdom of God, after all I had the basic answers to the important Christian questions. At 11 years old I was dunked under water, totally immersed, baptized, in a Church where no instruments were used in worship. That should have "done it" for me. The preacher even gave me the "right hand of fellowship" qualifying me to pass the offering and Communion trays on Sunday.
Reality hit me hard after purchasing a text book for the first of many Bible classes, it was a "Red Lettered KJV Bible." I had no clue what was in this new holy looking book, only that it had something to do with God, and His Son Jesus, along with other related stories. For me the Red Lettered KJV Bible was like reading "Shakespeare: or "Gone With the Wind." The Bible was just another thick, daunting, text book to be read and conquered. If I was to pass my Bible class that Spring there would have to be some serious learning take place. I was totally blind and clueless on the subject as my first test score painfully revealed..
Fortunately I met some very good people who had miraculously received insight into what was written in the Scriptures. These "seeing" teachers also had a real peace and joy about them. With great patience they helped me learn what was needed to pass the Bible classes, but something else that I was unaware of was taking place in me. I could see that the Bible study was more that just academics, it was part of the lives of those who taught it in real sort of way, and whatever it was I wanted it for my life.
An internal war began to be waged inside of me with my pride. I had to either humble myself and kill my pride by admitting that I was blind and could not see, or continue to act like I could see, and remain blind. The first choice was not working out well for me, and deep inside I cried out to God that I wanted to see Him. I wanted what others could see, I wanted my spiritual eyes opened. I was tired of the pitfalls and the darkness. So I asked Jesus just like the man born blind, to help me see!
It was like scales fell off my spiritual eyes accompanied with a new hunger and thirst in my soul like I had never experienced before. My spiritual eyes were opened and I could see! The words in the Bible came alive and life giving. The hunger and thirst for understanding led me to pray for wisdom and seek out the answers to what I read in the Scriptures.
Just like when Jesus opened the eyes of the man born blind, I was could say I was once was blind and now I see. It is interesting that in the Apostle John's Gospel account of the miracle of Jesus opening the blind man's eyes, Jesus made the following declaration: "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." (John 9:39 ESV). There were present that day a group of Pharisees who prided themselves on their knowledge and insights about God. They asked Jesus,"Are we blind?" Jesus said "if you were blind you would have no guilt, but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains." (John 9:40 ESV)
Bottom line, if we want to see like God intended us to see we must have a change of heart and mind about our visual condition. There is no other way for us to see. There is a foundation principle with God that He opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. If you truly want to seek God, humble yourself in your heart before God and ask Him to open the eyes of your heart. Even now, 46 years later, I still ask God, by the power of His Holy Spirit, to "open my eyes to see" and give me the ability to understand what it is He wants me to see in His Word.
So what happened that causes each of us to be born blind? As I understand from Genesis Chapters 1-3, that originally our first parents could see 100%. The lie of the Serpent to Eve and later to Adam, was that their eyes were not really open. Satan said they by eating of the fruit of the tree of "Knowledge of Good and Evil" they could like God seeing what he sees. They bought the lie, rebelled against God, ate the forbidden fruit, and lost their connection with God. They and their future offspring could see physically but no longer see spiritually. Without the intervention of the Holy Spirit no one can see spiritually. They were from that point on spiritually blind, and so are we, their offspring as part of the "curse" resulting from their rebellion.
Jesus came to reverse the effects of the curse and restore our spiritual sight, to open blind eyes. He paid for the sins of us all, past, present, and future, and fulfilled the demands of the Law that stood opposed to us. When we humble ourselves before God, by faith confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, at that point we receive our salvation and the Holy Spirit as a Gift from God. There is no other way to see God, He is waiting on you to ask for help.
We are all born blind. Your ability to see has nothing to do with whether you have fully functioning eyes.
Before I attempt to answer the "What happened to our sight?" question let me tell how I came to understand that I was born blind, even though I have always had two fully functioning eyes.
Years ago while in college I came to the realization that I was blind and could not see what some could see. The first quarter of my freshman year did not go well for me. My blindness effected my ability to make good choices and as a result everything was off the mark, including my life, and grades.
I sought help with my sight from other "blind" people. They too did not know where they were going. We all had to feel our way around, and still we fell into the same proverbial "pits" of life. My own foolish pride would not permit me to admit that I was blind.
It was during this time that I went to have my physical eyes checked. The eye doctor told me I was slightly farsighted with some astigmatism, that basically my eyes were good, but he went on to say the problem I was having seeing "was not with my eyes." He said that my eyes needed "rest" that I was showing signs of "stress." The eye doctor's Rx was for me to "drop out of school and go home."
My stress was self-inflicted, a result of my poor choices caused by whatever it was that prevented me from seeing. So accepting the advice of the Eye Doctor to drop out of school and go home. In defeat, I packed up my things and I drove back to Nashville. My hope at this point was that I could and would see better at home.
Once home I poured my time into working a couple of jobs, seeking sight again from those that I thought could see. Those Individuals I sought out for advice were as blind as I was, or even worse. They used the usual alcohol + drugs, with an added quasi-pursuit of some brand of mystical type of eastern religion, in order to see on a "higher spiritual level." so I followed suit. That too was a dead end search.
My dead end pursuits really shook me to the core of my being, because I knew that in time I could easily wind up in a place of total darkness unless someone or something intervened to correct my vision. Things internally grew hopelessly dark. I felt depressed and defeated.
My father at that time discerned my situation and gave me a choice which involved going to one of two "Christian" Colleges, my pick, and I was to live at home, which was not a choice rather a command. Let me say there was no"magic cure" by my entering the doors of a "Christian school" that cured my blindness. Attending a Christian college definitely had me associating with "seeing" people and closer to finding "The Cure" for my blindness than ever before. The onus was on me to seek it out.
At this Christian college, Bible classes were required, and so was attending a daily chapel service. Chapel attendance was not only mandatory, a record of that attendance was kept by "chapel checkers," who sat perched high above in the balcony looking for any empty seats. As I quickly learned after a few absentees, there were consequences for missing Chapel.
That first quarter at the Christian college was an all out assault on all of my senses! The demarcation between the blind and seeing students was very clear. At this point there was no doubt in my mind that I could not see what others seemed to effortlessly see.
My family heritage included many who had studied the Bible, but I had not seriously done so until the Spring quarter of my freshman year in college. It was now a "required curriculum." Being raised by Christian parents I thought I knew enough for entry into the Kingdom of God, after all I had the basic answers to the important Christian questions. At 11 years old I was dunked under water, totally immersed, baptized, in a Church where no instruments were used in worship. That should have "done it" for me. The preacher even gave me the "right hand of fellowship" qualifying me to pass the offering and Communion trays on Sunday.
Reality hit me hard after purchasing a text book for the first of many Bible classes, it was a "Red Lettered KJV Bible." I had no clue what was in this new holy looking book, only that it had something to do with God, and His Son Jesus, along with other related stories. For me the Red Lettered KJV Bible was like reading "Shakespeare: or "Gone With the Wind." The Bible was just another thick, daunting, text book to be read and conquered. If I was to pass my Bible class that Spring there would have to be some serious learning take place. I was totally blind and clueless on the subject as my first test score painfully revealed..
Fortunately I met some very good people who had miraculously received insight into what was written in the Scriptures. These "seeing" teachers also had a real peace and joy about them. With great patience they helped me learn what was needed to pass the Bible classes, but something else that I was unaware of was taking place in me. I could see that the Bible study was more that just academics, it was part of the lives of those who taught it in real sort of way, and whatever it was I wanted it for my life.
An internal war began to be waged inside of me with my pride. I had to either humble myself and kill my pride by admitting that I was blind and could not see, or continue to act like I could see, and remain blind. The first choice was not working out well for me, and deep inside I cried out to God that I wanted to see Him. I wanted what others could see, I wanted my spiritual eyes opened. I was tired of the pitfalls and the darkness. So I asked Jesus just like the man born blind, to help me see!
It was like scales fell off my spiritual eyes accompanied with a new hunger and thirst in my soul like I had never experienced before. My spiritual eyes were opened and I could see! The words in the Bible came alive and life giving. The hunger and thirst for understanding led me to pray for wisdom and seek out the answers to what I read in the Scriptures.
Just like when Jesus opened the eyes of the man born blind, I was could say I was once was blind and now I see. It is interesting that in the Apostle John's Gospel account of the miracle of Jesus opening the blind man's eyes, Jesus made the following declaration: "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." (John 9:39 ESV). There were present that day a group of Pharisees who prided themselves on their knowledge and insights about God. They asked Jesus,"Are we blind?" Jesus said "if you were blind you would have no guilt, but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains." (John 9:40 ESV)
Bottom line, if we want to see like God intended us to see we must have a change of heart and mind about our visual condition. There is no other way for us to see. There is a foundation principle with God that He opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. If you truly want to seek God, humble yourself in your heart before God and ask Him to open the eyes of your heart. Even now, 46 years later, I still ask God, by the power of His Holy Spirit, to "open my eyes to see" and give me the ability to understand what it is He wants me to see in His Word.
So what happened that causes each of us to be born blind? As I understand from Genesis Chapters 1-3, that originally our first parents could see 100%. The lie of the Serpent to Eve and later to Adam, was that their eyes were not really open. Satan said they by eating of the fruit of the tree of "Knowledge of Good and Evil" they could like God seeing what he sees. They bought the lie, rebelled against God, ate the forbidden fruit, and lost their connection with God. They and their future offspring could see physically but no longer see spiritually. Without the intervention of the Holy Spirit no one can see spiritually. They were from that point on spiritually blind, and so are we, their offspring as part of the "curse" resulting from their rebellion.
Jesus came to reverse the effects of the curse and restore our spiritual sight, to open blind eyes. He paid for the sins of us all, past, present, and future, and fulfilled the demands of the Law that stood opposed to us. When we humble ourselves before God, by faith confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, at that point we receive our salvation and the Holy Spirit as a Gift from God. There is no other way to see God, He is waiting on you to ask for help.
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