John 9:24-27
So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”
By God’s grace, my wife and I got saved within weeks of one another back in the Fall of 1994. My transformation took place early in the morning along the side of the highway on my way to the airport. My wife is not sure to that exact point timing-wise, but she does recall something rather vividly: All of a sudden, everything looked different. We aren’t sure who was saved first—and it doesn’t really matter—but we both experienced a radical transformation that shook both of our families when we returned home for the Christmas holiday. Something had obviously “changed” and all of a sudden, we didn’t quite fit in. At the Christmas Eve service every Christmas carol suddenly made sense…and were deeply personal in meaning.
We had been blind…but then we could see.
Like the man born blind in this chapter of John, every true follower of Jesus Christ has been given “sight”—the ability to hear and understand the truth of the Gospel. We “see” our sin. We “see” our separation from God because of that sin. We “see” our need for forgiveness. We “see” the only solution that is available to mankind. We “see” what Jesus did for us on that rugged old cross and we “see” the need to receive His gift through confession, repentance, and faith. On this side of our salvation, we “see” that His atoning work on our behalf is truly finished and we “see” the eternal security He has acquired for us.
Do you see that clearly?
This new “sight” does not give us the ability to know every spiritual truth, but it does unlock our ability to know most of them. It does not give us the ability to understand everything that is happening in our world, but it gives us the ability to understand most of it…from a spiritual perspective. For example, you don’t have to spend much time outside of Romans 1 in order to understand why our nation is racing into the abyss of immorality. We don’t like to truth (of God’s Word) so we suppress it and replace it with a lie. You don’t have to look too deeply into the New Testament to see God’s plan for marriage & family…and to “see” in today’s world why this institution is crumbling. Spiritual truths are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14), and this is why Believers can “see things clearly” that the world rejects as foolishness.
In 1972, Johnny Nash released a song that became the first reggae tune to top the Billboard 100. Whenever I hear it, I am reminded of the new “sight” my wife and I received back in 1994. Perhaps the lyrics will remind you of yours, as well:
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It’s gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
