THE SECOND CRISIS IN CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE
35 -- CONDITIONS OF SPIRITUAL SIGHT
Spiritual blindness is the invariable result of sin. Sin
darkens the mind and shuts out the light and knowledge of God; hence our gospel
"is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not." (II. Cor. 4:3, 4.) God complained of
the Jews, saying, "O foolish people and with out understanding; which have
eyes, and see not." (Jer. 5:21.) Paul spoke of the Gentiles as
"having the under standing darkened . . . because of the blindness of
their heart," and said his mission to them was "To open their eyes,
and to turn them from darkness to light." (Eph. 4;18; Acts 26:18.)
Jesus Christ came not only as the "light of the
world," but "to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from
the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house." (Isa.
42:7.) A blind man cannot see, even though there is light without. Therefore,
we need to pray, as did the Psalmist, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may
behold wondrous things out of Thy law." Of the disciples we read, first,
"Their eyes were opened, and they knew Him;" and "then opened He
their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures." (Luke
24:31-45.)
Faith
One of the first conditions of spiritual sight is faith in
God. When the "two blind men followed Him, crying and saying, Thou son of
David, have mercy on us, . . . Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able
to do this? They said unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then touched He their eyes, saying,
According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened."
(Matt. 9:27-30.) Though this was a literal recovery of sight, it is
illustrative of the opening of our spiritual eyes. Paul plainly teaches that the
blindness of the Jews was due to their unbelief. (Rom 11:78.) It is by faith
that our spiritual eyes are opened. "Said I not unto thee, if thou wouldst
BELIEVE, thou SHOULDEST SEE the glory of God," was the word of Jesus to
Martha.
Obedience
“If any man will do His will, he shall know of the
doctrine," (John 7:17.) The failure to see and understand spiritual truths
is not so much due to mental difficulties as it is to heart difficulties;
something the heart is not willing to yield. When the heart gives up, and is
really willing to obey God, the Spirit is faithful in revealing the hindering
cause, and to guide into all truth. The person who willingly and obediently
walks in all the light God has given, and sincerely seeks to know the whole
will of God, will never be left to grope in darkness. Again and again we have
found that when people could not "see into sanctification," as they
expressed it, it was due to the fact that there was some secret sin they were
not willing to forsake, some wrong they were not willing to confess, some point
in which they were not willing to obey; and the instant the matter with which
God had a controversy was yielded they knew of the doctrine experimentally.
"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land."
(Isa. 1:19.)
Consecration
"If, therefore, thine eye be single thy whole body
shall be full of light." (Matt. 6:22.) The single eye here means
singleness of purpose; a purpose to know and do the whole will of God -- and
only this. It means consecration and concentration to the whole will of God.
One of the reasons for consecration is, "that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." (Rom. 12:3.) Consecration
means death to self-seeking, and a fixed purpose of heart to know and to do the
whole will of God. As the person who devotes himself entirely to art, or music,
or science, etc., finds the secrets of the matter, so he who yields himself to
the whole will of God, with an eye single to His glory, will ever have
increasing light and knowledge. "The secret of the Lord is with them that
fear Him; and He will shew them His covenant." (Ps. 25:14.)
A Second Touch
"After that He put His hands again upon his eyes and
made him look up; and he was restored and saw every man clearly." (Mark 8:25.) He had received one touch, and declared he could "see -- men as trees
walking." If some one had told him he needed a second touch, he might have
reasoned that if one touch would make men appear as tall as trees, a second
touch would make them appear twice as tall as trees, and answered, that he
could see no necessity for a second touch. But the second touch was necessary
in order to see "clearly." We believe that Jesus here meant to teach,
and illustrate by an object lesson, how we might receive our spiritual sight.
Some object to a second work of grace, by saying they "do not believe in a
half way work;" neither do we teach a half way work. And yet we must admit
that this first touch was an imperfect, or half way work, or else admit that there
was a purpose and design in this method. We doubt not He could have opened this
blind man's eyes with one touch, as He did frequently; but fully believe that
His design was to thus teach that a second touch was necessary to clear
spiritual vision. The common experience and testimony of all who have received
"the second blessing, properly so-called," -- the second touch, in
the sanctification of their souls -- is that said experience wondrously
clarified their vision, and at once enabled them to see "clearly,"
the truth of full salvation; that whereas they had formerly failed to see the
teaching of a second work of grace anywhere in the Bible, they could now see it
on almost every page; and because of this clarified vision the Bible had become
a new book to them. Yes indeed, the "second blessing" is a great eye
opener.
Purity
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see
God." (Matt. 5-8.) The pure in heart will see God in His people, in His
Word, in nature, in His providences, in earth, in heaven -- everywhere, and all
the time. Matters that were formerly attributed to mere "happen so,"
and to "luck" and "chance" will now reveal God. Our
spiritual condition lends color to our vision. "Unto the pure all things
are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but
even their mind and conscience is defiled." It takes purity to see purity.
Men who themselves are impure are likely to judge every one else as impure;
everything takes on the color of the window light through which one is looking;
because of this fact the enemies of Jesus failed to recognize His spotless
character. If sin is the source of spiritual blindness, it would logically
follow that the saving from all sin would mean the recovery of spiritual sight;
that purity of heart would be the cure of spiritual blindness. God has said,
"I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in
paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and
crooked things straight." (Isa. 42:16.) "The eyes of your
understanding being enlightened: that ye may know the hope of His calling, and
what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." (Eph.
1:18.)
