"Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty." -2 Cor 3:16-17
Before Christ I knew about Jesus and about heaven, hell and the Bible. But my knowledge of these things was only superficial and there was no further desire to investigate or see the scriptures for what they were - God's literal word pointing to Christ. I remember being in juvie one time and being handed a Bible as reading material, I quickly took it and tried to read it but had no real understanding of it, to be honest I was blind and could not see beyond the ink and the pages. I was only reading it to get brownie points with God so He could let me out of there.
The Bible tells us that the Jews have a veil on their hearts that does not allow them to see the truth of Christ in the scriptures. Paul describes their minds as being blinded (3:14). "Nevertheless" there is hope for Israel and for any other person who does not yet know Christ. Paul says that in spite of that veil "when one turns to the Lord, [by faith] the veil is taken away." Likewise before Christ and apart from Christ we are all spiritually discerned unable to see clearly the truth of the scriptures and Christ. (1 Cor 2:14) For it is the Spirit of the Lord who takes the veil away and removes the blinders placed by satan. Not long after this Paul credits Satan the god of this age with blinding perishing unbelievers. (4:4) However hope is not lost, there might be a spiritual blindness, and a spiritual blinder (satan) but there is an army of spiritual soldiers, and a there is a Spirit who is willing, ready, and able to shine light in the darkness. He is ready to turn hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, He is ready to turn hopelessness into hope, and shame into honor. Paul says "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty." Liberty from the law, sin, and the entrapment of the devil.
The Bible tells us that the Jews have a veil on their hearts that does not allow them to see the truth of Christ in the scriptures. Paul describes their minds as being blinded (3:14). "Nevertheless" there is hope for Israel and for any other person who does not yet know Christ. Paul says that in spite of that veil "when one turns to the Lord, [by faith] the veil is taken away." Likewise before Christ and apart from Christ we are all spiritually discerned unable to see clearly the truth of the scriptures and Christ. (1 Cor 2:14) For it is the Spirit of the Lord who takes the veil away and removes the blinders placed by satan. Not long after this Paul credits Satan the god of this age with blinding perishing unbelievers. (4:4) However hope is not lost, there might be a spiritual blindness, and a spiritual blinder (satan) but there is an army of spiritual soldiers, and a there is a Spirit who is willing, ready, and able to shine light in the darkness. He is ready to turn hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, He is ready to turn hopelessness into hope, and shame into honor. Paul says "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty." Liberty from the law, sin, and the entrapment of the devil.
- OF WHAT BENEFIT IS THE BIBLE WITHOUT CHRIST? WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH CHRISTIANS WHO ONLY UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD?
- “we can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark: the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light” -Plato