Daily Devotions: February 8, 2018

Daily Devotions: February 8, 2018

  2 Corinthians 4:3-4

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” vs. 4

Not everyone who heard Paul preach was convinced by his message. Some refused to believe his teachings about Jesus as messiah, and many more considered his preaching to be obscure and misleading. As a result, a good portion of his energy was devoted to dealing with his opponents…and he really didn’t like their attacks and insinuations. From his perspective, their minds had been blinded by the god of this world, likely a reference to Satan. That issue of unbelief has been a source of consternation for believers from the beginning. Why are people so quick to reject and disregard the light of the gospel? Why can’t they see what we see? Why can’t they just believe that Jesus is the Christ? If Paul is right, unbelief isn’t a choice. Instead it happens when an external force, the god of this world, pulls a veil over people’s eyes. When that happens they can’t be persuaded by logic or testimony. They refuse to believe no matter what argument we might choose. Paul reacted to that stubbornness with anger–a better response for us might be love. It does no good for anyone to hear words of condemnation…and those words are never redemptive. But, when we can love unbelievers unconditionally, veils are lifted and the light of the gospel can even touch their stubborn hearts.

Thought for the Day: How do I treat unbelievers?

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