Blind To sin?

We are all ignorant about sin at some stage in our lives.

Jun 06, 2024

This is the Ninth Post in a series from Chapter 3 of Friends With God: “The Joy That Was Set Before Him”. In the previous posts we have examined the doctrine of “The Penalty For Sin”, explaining the many reasons for it not being a Biblical doctrine.

In this post we will examine further scriptural evidence that demonstrates how God forgives sin without the need for anyone to pay any imagined penalty on our behalf.

Paul’s Ignorance And Forgiveness

In the Seventh Post in this series we saw that God was willing to overlook the sin of idolatry, when committed in ignorance.

What other sins is God willing to mercifully overlook due to ignorance?

Before Paul was called, he was actually a murderer of those who believed in Christ! What was the reason Paul gave for God forgiving him of these terrible sins?

In the past I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I received mercy, because I acted ignorantly, in my unbelief. (1Tim 1:13)

God granted Paul mercy, because he acted ignorantly. This does not say he was not guilty of killing Christians, but that God was gracious, because of his ignorance, and was willing to forgive him.

The consequences of his sins, however, were very real. Yet, his forgiveness is stated as being simply due to God’s mercy, and that was imputed to him because of his lack of understanding of what he was doing at the time. That’s right, no ‘death penalty for sins’ was required, or mentioned by Paul.

Despite this, we are left with the question of “how could Paul have acted in unbelief, because surely as a Jewish scholar, he knew God?”

Yet it seems that he did not actually know God, for we are also told that none of the Jewish leaders seemed to know God either:

“But, we speak wisdom among those who are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor (the wisdom) of the rulers of this world, that comes to nothing (their wisdom comes to nothing). But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which God has hidden, predetermining it before the world for our glory; which none of the rulers of this world knew, for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1Cor 2:6-8)

God had hidden the truth about who Christ was from these leaders, and Paul states that if they had not been blinded they would not have killed Him. Logically therefore God is the one who was responsible for allowing Jesus to be killed, as God blinded them! God was in control of the timing of the death of Christ, as explained the Third Post in this series.

It was because they were ignorant of what they were doing, that their sin was not imputed to them. But it was God who kept them ignorant, so ultimately it was God’s determination to allow Jesus to die.

While they were not ignorant of knowing that Jesus was an innocent man, they apparently didn’t actually know he was the Christ, or they would not have killed him.

God Blinds Some, And Others He Opens The Eyes Of

Why did they not know Jesus was the Christ? Were they blind to the obvious fact that Christ performed many miracles in front of them? (Luke 6:10, John 11:43-48, Mark 2:11)

How, in the face of such evidence, did they fail to understand? Paul tells us that God has hidden his wisdom- But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which God has hidden. (1Cor 2:7)

Similarly, he tells the Romans: blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the gentiles has come in. (Rom 11:25)

God’s purpose stands, which includes the fact that God is willing to keep many people in ignorance of his truth, till he chooses to open their eyes. At the time of Christ many of the rulers were kept blind by God, which is also evident in the healing of the blind man in John 9:1-41. The rulers could not deny that a great miracle had occurred, and it took the healed blind man to teach them:

But we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone fears God and does His will, He hears him. From everlasting it was not heard that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this One were not of God, He could do nothing. (John 9:31-33)

What an incredible statement from an ignorant blind man!

The rulers did not know God, as God had blinded them. But the blind man did know God, for even before he opened his eyes physically, he had opened his eyes to understand God’s truth.

This blindness of most of leaders was to fulfil the purpose of God, for Jesus said to the man born blind, whom he healed: I have come into this world for judgment, that they who do not see might see, and that they who see might be made blind. (John 9:39)

The Free Gift Of Eternal Life

We also have another problem with the idea of “Christ needing to pay the death penalty for us”. If Christ ‘paid your death penalty for sin’, then logically the “free gift of eternal life” is not actually free at all, but is something that is ‘paid’ for.

How can something that is paid for, be free? Perhaps you may say that “someone else paying for something for me makes it free for me”, but it’s not really a free gift if this other payment must be first given to the person giving it to you. What is free is free, what is paid for is paid for.

However, if eternal life is free, all you would need to do is ask, and that’s exactly what we are told to do in scripture:

So I say to you, 'Ask, and what you ask for shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened to you.'
For every one who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door shall be opened.
And what father is there among you, who, if his son asks for a slice of bread, will offer him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish offer him a snake? or if he asks for an egg, will offer him a scorpion?
If you then, being sinners, know how to give your children gifts that are good for them, how much more certainly will your Father, who is in Heaven, give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:9-13)

This tells us something very obvious: As a human father readily gives what is asked for to sustain his child’s physical life, God, as our Spiritual Father gives us what we need for eternal life, if we ask for it too. Could it be any simpler?

The incredible gift from God the Father, of His Holy Spirit is ours for the asking!

Again, there is no mention of a “payment for sin” being required before we are given the Holy Spirit, or before we can ask for it. The idea of the penalty for sin just complicates a very simple process, and also negates the mercy and generosity and justice of God.

The Process Of Conversion

When asked by the crowds “what shall we do”, Peter told them another very simple, clear and logical process: Repent, and let everyone of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ (symbolic of accepting his way of life) for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Act 2:38) What does God expect of you, in order for you to be granted the free gift of eternal life? While it is a free gift, that does not mean there are not conditions.

In this process of conversion, explained by Peter, there are three steps:

First: Repent, which means to turn from sin, because logically those who wilfully sin actually desire eternal death, therefore sin must be turned away from in order to receive eternal life.
Second: let everyone of you be baptised (which is a public acknowledgement, showing the symbolic death of our old way of living, and washing the sin from our lives) in the name of Jesus Christ (showing that it’s by following his example that we will now live our lives) for the forgiveness of sins. God is willing to forgive our sins if we accept the example of Christ as the life we are henceforth going to emulate. (1Peter 2:20-21)
Third: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit which imparts eternal life, and enables us to understand sin, and overcome the habits of our life.

You will again notice that there is no mention of the need for “a penalty for sin being paid on our behalf”- just repent and follow Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
That is the simple, non-mathematical gospel, which the Bible tells us leads to eternal life.

Without the Spirit of God, we can’t understand or do anything that will please God, and thus we will die, because we are mortal. If, however, we simply ask for the Spirit, then God will give it to us. Could anything be simpler?

And the Gospel is supposed to be simple, and easy to understand:

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2Cor 11:3)

We must be careful and diligent in our seeking to know what God has actually written, and not continue to believe and live by information we have taken in that is not biblical. It’s possible to treasure and hold dear some beliefs that have become part of us, and are actually completely unbiblical.

We always need to be ready to shed ideas that are not of God, no matter how well accepted they may be by people who are considered “high up” in the area of biblical knowledge. God’s truth is not too complex to understand, unless it has been corrupted by doctrines of men:

This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honours Me with their lips,
but their heart is far from Me.
But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Mat 15:8-9)