Thursday: Battle for the Mind
Daily Lesson for Thursday 18th of April 2024
Read 2 Corinthians 4:3-6. What does “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NKJV) mean? How are their eyes blinded? How are eyes opened?
The Greek word for “mind” in this passage is noema. It literally means our perception or mental faculties. The SDA Bible Commentary makes an enlightening statement about this verse.
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
“The battle between Christ and Satan is a battle for the minds of men. (Romans 7:23,25; Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:14; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Philippians 2:5; Philippians 4:7-8). Satan’s principal work is to blind or darken men’s minds. He does this by keeping them from the study of God’s Word, by deranging the powers of the mind through the excesses of body and soul, by wholly occupying the mind through the things of this life, and by appealing to pride and self-exaltation.”—Volume 6, p. 854.
The lack of knowledge on the part of the lost is not because they could not know. It is because they would not know. Many have had every opportunity to know truth but chose not to believe, and Satan blinded their eyes. Satan’s kingdom is a kingdom of darkness. As The SDA Bible Commentary adds, “The gospel is the only means by which Satan’s diabolical schemes and deceptions can be exposed, and by which men can see the way from darkness to light.”—Volume 6, p. 854. The essence of the New Testament message is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is at the heart of the gospel and is the center of Scripture. All Scripture testifies of Him (John 5:39).
Read John 1:4-5,9 and 14. How do these verses describe Jesus? Note particularly John 1:14.
During the early centuries of the Christian church, the New Testament believers were totally committed to Christ as the One who was the light in their darkness. They were redeemed by His grace, transformed by His power, and motivated by His love. Even death could not break their bond of loyalty to Christ. They recognized the devil’s deceptions in the glorious light of the gospel. Christ has always had men and women who, by His grace, have stood courageously for His truth. In these early centuries, the light of Christ’s love, grace, and truth shone through the darkness.
(21)
One of the greatest deceptions of all time is the notion that "We have it, you don't! It makes it look as though "we" are superior to "you". It is very satisfying for us but very off-putting to others.
I don't think the Gospel was ever about superiority. The serpent in Eden promised superiority and gave selfishness. And we need to understand that the same temptation and consequence is still with us, even when we are professed Christians.
One of the light-bulb moments in my teaching experience came when I realised that the good teachers were not teaching knowledge but modelling learning. Most teachers I know have superior knowledge than their students. That is how they get their job, But those who are effective teachers model how to love learning. They are essentially fellow students.
In the first four centuries or the Christian Era, the church slowly lost the modelling and replaced it with dogma. It replaced action with explanation. Ultimately they fought over who had the better explanation.
And in these last two centuries a group of Christians called Seventh-day Adventists have grown out of trying to explain the Gospel into living the Gospel. Or have they?
Is this a model for us:
[And now folk, I am taking a break. I am going to Canberra, the capital of Australia, where just a couple of kilometres from Parliament House is a beautiful wild swamp called Jerrabomberra (don't even try to pronounce that - it does not work without an Aussie accent) to photograph birds. The irony of having a swamp almost next door to Parliament is not lost on me.]
Looking forward to your bird photos.
Maurice
Thanks for your faithful commitment to this blog. Enjoy your break.
looking forward to picturesss.........
Will trade American eagle pictures for Aussie fowl ones! Have a great time, and thanks for your sage comments!
Hoping you don't take a break from your daily contribution in this blog..
If Christ is actually engaged in a battle with Satan for the minds of men, iis it at all possible for Christ to lose any of those battles?
Hi Kenny. Good question. Since All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life... (Revelation 13:8), it is clear that all people will not have been won to Christ.
Your question addresses why that will be the case. Is it because Christ failed in His battle for minds or because people failed to believe the truth and chose to believe a lie (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12)?
We still have free will in the battle for our minds and many if not most people will choose to believe a lie. That is not a failure on Christ's part but on those who will be lost.
The verse in II Corinthians 4 sounds quite bleak. How can there be any hope for the blind to see? But then I was encouraged by John 1:9 which says that Jesus gives light to every man. So there is hope for everyone. But each of us must choose.
And now I keep asking myself, what will happen to those that were born believing that Jesus is not God? to those that believe in other gods such as Budha etc? These are people that were born and raised believing in what they believe in. What will happen to these people?
I feel John 1:9 indicates that they have received some light from Jesus. Each one is responsible for the light they receive. For some, the light will lead them to Jesus during their life. Some may not have that opportunity. But God is just - He doesn't judge us for what we can't control. John 10:16 and Romans 2:14, 15 also give encouragement to believe that there will be non-Christians who will be saved.
I believe that the Holy Spirit speaks to those who live in societies where Budha and other non Christian teachings are common and they will be judged based on what they could have known and accepted just as those of us who live with access to the Word but fail to live by the Truth. We have the commission to point them to the Saviour.