Spiritual Blindness

God's gift of sight is perhaps the most necessary and precious of the physical senses. Without sight, we would be constantly bumping into, over, and off of things. Such would be a terrible tragedy, wouldn't it? Imagine, if you would, someone who has the ability to see, yet goes around with his eyes shut, not heeding the dangers that are present, trusting those around him to watch out for him and lead him correctly. This would be a very foolish person indeed.
     Nevertheless, there are those who are even more foolish. Spiritual blindness is much worse than physical blindness. Those who are spiritually blind in most cases don't know it, and in other cases refuse to admit it. Some of the Lord's strongest rebukes were against those who were spiritually blind.
     Jesus said of the Pharisees, "Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." (Matthew 15:14). Tragedy strikes when those who possess the ability to see, refuse to do so. The old saying: "None is so blind as he who will not see" is certainly true. 
     After Peter gave his list of the moral qualities a child of God must possess: virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love, he warned in verse 9, "For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins." (2 Peter 1:5-9). Only by studying God's word can we learn the things God expects of us, and "see" what is pleasing to Him.