Ephesians 4:18 KJV
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
What a devastating predicament to be "alienated from the life of God." I take that to mean both, not to have eternal life and not to have access by faith to the grace offered by the living God.
This alienation, the Bible says is, "through ignorance" and that is "because of the blindness of their heart."
Blindness produces ignorance which produces alienation.
Concerning this blindness and ignorance, Gill says,
"There is a natural hardness of the heart, the heart is naturally stony, and so it remains till grace takes away the stony heart, and gives an heart of flesh; it is insensible and inflexible, and not susceptive of any impression; and
There is a voluntary hardness of it, men willingly harden themselves against the Lord, and make their hearts like an adamant stone, all sin is of an hardening nature; and
There is a judicial hardness, which God gives up men unto; and when and where this is the case, in either sense, it is no wonder men should be so ignorant of God, and so alienated from the life of him...."
Only the grace of God is able to shine into the dark places and open the eyes of the spiritually blind. But there is obviously a personal responsibility which becomes apparent in verses like,
Ephesians 4:22 KJV
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts
So that we may not say, "I am free from responsibility for my actions; God has not opened my blinded eyes." No! Each of us is responsible to "put off.... the old man" and in doing so we activate the will of God to shine into our hearts the light that clears the blindness.
Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
What a devastating predicament to be "alienated from the life of God." I take that to mean both, not to have eternal life and not to have access by faith to the grace offered by the living God.
This alienation, the Bible says is, "through ignorance" and that is "because of the blindness of their heart."
Blindness produces ignorance which produces alienation.
Concerning this blindness and ignorance, Gill says,
"There is a natural hardness of the heart, the heart is naturally stony, and so it remains till grace takes away the stony heart, and gives an heart of flesh; it is insensible and inflexible, and not susceptive of any impression; and
There is a voluntary hardness of it, men willingly harden themselves against the Lord, and make their hearts like an adamant stone, all sin is of an hardening nature; and
There is a judicial hardness, which God gives up men unto; and when and where this is the case, in either sense, it is no wonder men should be so ignorant of God, and so alienated from the life of him...."
Only the grace of God is able to shine into the dark places and open the eyes of the spiritually blind. But there is obviously a personal responsibility which becomes apparent in verses like,
Ephesians 4:22 KJV
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts
So that we may not say, "I am free from responsibility for my actions; God has not opened my blinded eyes." No! Each of us is responsible to "put off.... the old man" and in doing so we activate the will of God to shine into our hearts the light that clears the blindness.
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