Shine the Light

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”  II Corinthians 4:3-4

The Apostle Paul was probably the greatest preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ that has ever lived.  He felt a keen sense of duty to not only work diligently at the task that God had given him, but to also speak out against false teaching.  Paul didn’t try to trick people into believing the gospel and made no promises of wealth or good health if folks came to Christ.  On the contrary, suffering is more likely for those who follow Christ because the world is against Christ and all who follow Him.  He preached the gospel and waited for the Holy Spirit to do His work in convicting sinners of their sin.  Only the truth will set a person free.

The question arises as to why so many people ignore the gospel.  Why don’t they see it?  Why don’t they even look for it?  Paul answered, “If the gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost.”  We know that the gospel is not hidden away in a crevice of some monastery or in the basement of a library under some old newspapers or ancient manuscripts.  The gospel is plainly evident to all who will accept it.  Those who are lost are lost to the gospel because they have no interest in it.  The gospel is not lost: it’s the folks who reject, ignore, or are hostile to the gospel who are lost.  I would estimate that 99 per cent of the world can have access to the gospel if they so desire.  The other one per cent are presented the gospel through the conscience as God has showed all around them the truth of His existence (Romans 1:19).  Thus, no one is without an excuse to know God in a real and personal way.

What is it that keeps one from believing the gospel?  Paul tells us that it is the god of this world that blinds men and women to the truth of the gospel.  Who or what is the god of this world?  We know that a god can be anything that folks put before God, but whatever that is, the devil is behind it.  Jesus called Satan the “prince of this world” (John 14:30).  The title of prince seems rather odd, but he is a very popular being, just like a royal prince of a country.  He can even transform himself into an “angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:14), but it is a counterfeit light.  If we were to rank his popularity, it would be much higher than that of the Lord Jesus Christ based on the number of folks who reject Christ and the gospel.  These folks may not realize that they are followers of Satan, but all people who are not followers of Christ are under the dominion of the devil.  People think that they can be neutral in the fight between good and evil, but there is no neutral territory between heaven and hell.  People who reject Christ believe that they are free of restrictive rules and regulations but in reality they become slaves to Satan.  He keeps men and women in the dark so that the light of Christ cannot shine upon the inner soul of Satan’s captives and the sin that keeps them in bondage.  They go though life chained to their load of sin.

One of Satan’s biggest lies is the one that so many people fall for:  he convinces them that they are good enough without repentance and faith in Christ.  One of his favorite admonitions might go something like this, “Just make sure your good works outweigh your sins, and you will be just fine.”  He will even use a backslidden Christian to attempt to prove to the sinner that he or she is just as “good” as that one who says he or she is a believer in Christ.  He would never use a truly committed Christian as a comparison.  On the contrary, he nudges his followers to avoid believers.  The 18th century Bible scholar, Matthew Henry, wrote: “The design of the devil is to keep men in ignorance; and, when he cannot keep the light of the gospel out of the world, he makes it his great business to keep it out of the hearts of men.”  Folks make jokes about the devil and throw the word “hell” around as if it means nothing, but both the devil and hell are real.  Satan is a powerful force, but God is much more powerful.  Satan, with his millions, perhaps billions, of followers will never be able to defeat God and the forces of heaven.  The devil may be winning the battle for the hearts of mankind now, but he will lose the war.  Paul was well aware of the influence of Satan which made Paul determined to preach the gospel as long and as hard as God would allow.  He knew what was at stake.  Do we?