HEAVENLY THINGS

Heavenly Things

If you are a painter or an electrician it is good to be able to distinguish the three primary colours. Whereas the colour-blind painter might simply call his finished work ‘modern art’! the colour-blind electrician might get his wires crossed and be electrocuted! But surely all of us would rather be colour-blind than totally blind. But what about spiritually blind? The Bible has a lot to say about this type of blindness. The trouble is that the spiritually blind don’t care what the Bible has to say about spiritual blindness! Why? Because they can’t see what God has to do with the ‘real’ world!

              How do you teach a colour-blind person how to distinguish colours or a person totally blind from birth what colours are? And how to you teach the spiritually blind person about spiritual things? A man called Nicodemus came one dark night to speak to Jesus in private. Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ John 3:3. Then Jesus went on to say to him, ‘If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?’ John 3:12.

              Colour-blind and the totally blind persons are usually willing to admit that they are at a disadvantage. However, the spiritually blind person always refuses to admit that he is spiritually blind. He does this because he is spiritually blind! Therefore Jesus’ statement about being born again is a real ‘eye-opener’! Poor Nicodemus thought he had to enter into his mother’s womb again to be born again! But Jesus was talking to him about spiritual things, i.e., heavenly things.

              When Jesus spoke to the people in parables He was using everyday things to describe heavenly things. Those who were spiritually blind couldn’t distinguish the heavenly things, nor could they see them. Therefore they didn’t believe what Jesus was telling them. But those who were born again could see the heavenly things clearly. To be born the first time is to be born physically. To be born again is to be born spiritually. And, if we need to be born again we must be spiritually dead (i.e., dead to seeing heavenly things as related to us by Jesus Christ who is from Heaven).

              Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ John 3:7&8. Thus, to be born again simply means to have been given spiritual birth, i.e., to be made alive by the Spirit of God. The same New Testament Greek word pneuma is used here of wind and Spirit.

We know there’s a wind blowing when we hear the sound of it among the trees and buildings. Likewise we know the Spirit is at work when we hear people call Jesus ‘Lord.’ Speaking by the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul says, ‘I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.’ 1 Corinthians 12:3. Thus, according to God’s Word, the ‘sound’ of the Spirit of God in a born again person is that they speak of Jesus as their Lord.

Observing a beautiful sunset the spiritually blind sees only red, especially when the born again person points him to the Artist who painted it! The spiritually blind wonder why the Christian has to bring God and Jesus into everything. He wonders this because he is spiritually blind. The spiritually blind wish to secularize all of society by removing all references to God and Jesus Christ from schools, from Law courts, from science labs, children’s story books etc. etc. But Jesus in a parable sums up the current Secularist Movement, ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?’ Luke 6:39.

Colour-blind electricians run the risk of electrocution. Totally blind people run the risk of falling in a ditch. And the spiritually blind are on the broad way that leads to destruction. But dear reader, will you believe in Jesus Christ when you hear of heavenly things as found in the Bible? Will you be born again and become an adopted child of the Father? Scripture says, ‘But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God.’ John 1:12&13. Hear again what the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘You must be born again.’