Have you ever tried your best to do something just right, only to be devastated when you failed? This happens when we rely on our own efforts and forget to ask God for His help with what we’re doing. This kind of mindset stems from the now-expired Law of Moses; sadly, most people are unaware they’re still living by it. The law traps us in spiritual blindness and holds us back from receiving God’s best.

Hearing the Word of grace preached will offend spiritually blind people. During Jesus’ ministry, the Pharisees were highly offended by what He taught. Rather than get caught up in trying to convince people who simply didn’t believe, Jesus told His disciples to leave them alone. He explained that they were blind leaders of the blind, and both would fall into the ditch.

Under the law, the people had to follow hundreds of rules and work hard to obey all the commandments. This put them in bondage to self-effort. However, what was true under the law may not be true under grace; we’ve now been freed from all those rules. When Jesus was preaching to the people, He said to the Jews who believed Him that if they continued in His Word, they would know the truth, and the truth would make them free.

The grace that Christ established opens blind eyes. It brings out prisoners and those who sit in darkness. With help from the Holy Spirit, we can do the same things Jesus did; preach deliverance to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and set at liberty those who are bruised. The empowerment we receive is something we can help others find.

The law focuses on sin. Thankfully, sin doesn’t have dominion over us anymore, because we’re no longer under the law, but under grace. Receiving this gift for ourselves gives us success.  

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Your Son came to open our eyes to Your goodness, mercy, and grace. The new covenant He established doesn’t require constant effort on our part, just a willingness to believe in Him. We’re grateful for the liberty this gives us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Matthew 15:12-14

John 8:31, 32

Isaiah 42:7

Luke 4:18

Romans 6:14

For more on spiritual blindness and how grace opens our spiritual eyes, click on the link below for the four-message series, The Cure for Spiritual Blindness.