Letting God Remove Our Blindfolds

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1: 9-13, ESV)

We’ve been traveling through the opening verses of the first chapter of John, going section by section to break down this beautifully complex introduction to the Gospel.

The above verses continue to use this analogy of Jesus being the Light coming into the world, illuminating the Truth to those that accept it. Last week, we went into the section of verses that spoke about John the Baptist, and how his ministry bore witness to the light of who Jesus was going to be. John, himself, was not the light but he was a witness to the coming Light. 

This week, we’re looking farther into the True Light, and what it means to be someone who receives Him as the all-powerful, insurmountable God. You see, the true light came to the world so that all might see and believe, but it's an inevitable truth that not everyone will. That’s a fact that many people grapple with. If God came for all, then why are all not saved? 

The simple truth is that all are not saved because there are some that don’t want to be. There are some that are so content with being in the dark and being without God. Whether by choice or by design, not all are saved. And that’s a deeply theological question that all Christians eventually have to ask themselves: how does a person come to know who God is? Do we really choose to be saved by God or did God know and choose each true Christian at the beginning of time?

What these verses show us, is that Jesus came to the world as a man; that we can all agree on. But even though Jesus came, it wasn’t as a celebrity or a king. It wasn’t even as a widely popular person. Jesus, the Light, came to this earth as an everyday man, and only a fraction of humanity would recognize Him as God. Verses 10 and 11 say, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”

In truth, how sad is that? 

Jesus came to the earth, the earth that would not even exist if it weren’t for Him, and yet the world didn’t immediately know Him. In other words, the Creator stepped into his own creation and creation didn’t know Him.

That would be like Walt Disney drawing himself into a Disney classic and Mickey Mouse not having any idea who Walt is. Jesus came to the world He literally created and no one immediately recognized Him as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That just goes to show just how far creation had fallen into sin, that the very sin that opened the rift between God and man, also blinded man from being able to recognize God when He was literally standing right in front of them.

God came to His own creation and His people did not receive Him. In comparison to the amount of people in the world, only a very small portion of them actually received Him. The vast majority rejected Him.

But the beauty of the Gospel is that Jesus being the Light, meant that our sin could be cleansed and our spiritual blindness could be illuminated. To those who do believe in Jesus and receive His salvation, recognizing Him as the one true God, He extended the opportunity to be born into His spiritual family. You see, that salvation gives us the right to become a child of God, born to that privilege under the blood of Jesus, given on the cross. And that shed blood and re-birth as God’s child could only be accomplished by the will of God.

What does that mean? It means just what John 1:13 says; that our being born again into God’s spiritual family could not have been accomplished by blood, by flesh, or by our own selfish will. It means that your mom, dad, grandparents, or relatives could never pray you into heaven or believe hard enough to extend their salvation to you. It means that no carnal labor could buy you into God’s throne room. You can’t pay dues, or do good works, or be really nice and hope you’re saved by God. It also means you can’t will yourself into eternal security. You can’t just speak it into existence or manifest it, like many will lead you to believe in their shallow “live your best life now” versions of gospel.

So if none of those things can get you into heaven, if not even your own will can save you, that leaves one thing: your salvation, extended and either received or rejected, is given by God alone. And it is all accomplished by God alone. 

What amazes me, is that God is so kind and good, that He would even still extend His hand out to save a creation that didn’t even recognize Him in the flesh. He would still reach out to rescue us, the sinful, fallen creatures that are so blinded by sin that we don’t even know Jesus when we see Him with our own two eyes. The Creator stepped into creation and they passed him by as if He were a stranger; and all along the truth is that He loved us so passionately and we forgot Him. 

Is there anyone out there who thinks the Notebook is one of the most romantic movies of all time? Well, you’re living it. You are the bride, constantly forgetting the greatest love story you could ever have lived, and God is the loving, faithful husband that returns every day to tell you the story, hoping all the while that you will remember exactly who He is.

Your salvation is the key to remembering each and every day, friend. That is why it is evermore important to cling to it and deepen your understanding through meditating on scripture and pursuing Him.

His hand is extended today. It is there only by His own will. Take the time to slow down and really see Him beckoning you closer and drawing you nearer to His side.