What failure does Paul equate with spiritual blindness?
(Gen. 28:10-17; Matt. 15:21-28; Mark 8:31-38; John 4:19-26; Rom. 5:11-19; Heb. 5:12-14) Blog Nov. 01-07, 2020
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: In Eden Adam and Eve learned through manual employment, governing responsibilities, marital compatibility, and divine instruction. When rebellion entered their education was hindered but not discontinued. Education is best received from One who provides our needs and to whom we respond with loving obedience. God, our Creator and Sustainer gave us the Ten Commandments to teach us about himself and about how we should live for his glory. These truths together with the story of Genesis help us form a correct understanding of the origin, meaning, morality, and destiny of life. In addition, God sent his Son to be the perfect revelation of himself and the embodiment of the Ten Commandments.
Opening Blind Eyes (Isa. 42:1-7; Eze. 12:2; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 11:34-36; John 9:39-41; Heb. 5:12-14; Rev, 3:17-18)
1. What did Isaiah say that God’s Spirit-filled, elect servant would do? That he would deal gently with people & perseveringly carry out his mission as a covenant partner in bringing light to humanity, in opening blind eyes, & in setting prisoners free.
2. What deeper lesson than physical healing should we gain from the story of Bartimaeus? That if we ask him in faith, Jesus will in mercy remove our spiritual blindness from us.
3. What is another word for spiritual blindness? Lack of discernment.
5. Since Jesus tells us in Revelation 3, that lack of discernment is especially true of his church in our day what can we do to improve our vision? Jesus told the Pharisees in John 9, that their blindness was because they didn’t confess themselves to be sinners & in Luke 11, he taught that we must have only one single purpose in life (that of living to God’s glory) if we would overcome our blindness.
6. What failure does Paul equate with spiritual blindness in Hebrews 5? The inability to distinguish between good & evil (“unskillful in the word of righteousness”) due to being dull of hearing God’s messengers.
7. What cause of spiritual blindness does Ezequiel give in chapter 12? Rebellion against God.
Revealing Divine Truth (Gen. 3:15; 28:10-17; Matt. 18:1-6; John 1:45-51; Gal. 3:16)
8. When Jacob dreamed of a ladder what truth was God teaching him? That God would be faithful to his covenant promises to Abraham & continually use angels to communicate & aide his covenant people on earth.
9. To whom did God refer when he mentioned “thy seed” to Jacob? To Jesus himself, the Seed of the woman.
10. When talking to Nathanael how did Jesus apply Jacob’s ladder? That he himself was the ladder that spanned the gap between heaven & earth.
11. When asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven how did Jesus respond? He called a little child & set him in front of his disciples, telling them that they must be converted & become as little children just to get into the kingdom of heaven & that by humbling ourselves we become great in God’s kingdom.
12. When expanding his instruction concerning greatness who else besides children does Jesus expect us to be careful not to offend? Those new in the faith.
13. What benefit do we receive when divine truth is communicated using symbols? We remember the truth better & can visualize its meaning better.
Teaching Unpopular Truth (Matt. 15:21-28; Mark 8:31-38; John 4:19-26; Rom. 5:11-19; 8:1)
14. When confronted by the Syrophoenician mother what unpopular truth did Jesus try to teach his disciples? That people of other races & cultures than our own are also objects of divine compassion.
15. How did Jesus manage to keep his disciples’ attention when dealing with the Syrophoenician mother? By giving them the impression that he also held their warped prejudices which prompted their reaction, making their prejudice even more obvious to themselves.
16. What unpopular truth did Jesus reveal to the Syrophoenician mother? That God had established Israel as his people.
17. How did the Syrophoenician woman demonstrate her faith in the God of Israel? She demonstrated her faith in Jesus by worshipping him & by making humble confession, accepting her position as an outsider from Israel.
18. In Mark 8 what unpopular truth did Jesus express that brought a rebuke from Peter? That he would suffer, be rejected, be killed, & rise again.
19. After Jesus rebuked Peter for rejecting suffering what unpopular truth did Jesus express for all of us? That all who want to follow him must deny themselves, bear a cross, & not be ashamed of him.
20. What unpopular truth for Samaritans did Jesus express to the woman at the well and how did she react? He said “Salvation is of the Jews” & she responded by mentioning the coming of the promised Messiah & Jesus told her that he was the Messiah.
21. In Romans 5 what is Paul trying to teach us about Jesus and Adam? That just as Adam was the representative federal head of the human race who brought condemnation to all his descendants so God gave us a new Federal Head in Jesus so that all those found in him are free from condemnation & accepted as God’s children.