by Kevin Burton
As a legally blind man my mind never gets too far from vision as the five sense in general.
That is partly because people often assume and talk about hearing being more acute for blind people than for others. That’s not true. It’s just that blind people rely on hearing more than others do. Rational people are going to take in data in life by the most efficient means available.
The Bible is full of references to vision and the other senses. But I have never put them together in the way that Alistair Begg has. He is the speaker on the Truth For Life radio ministry. Here are his thoughts:
“Faith is described in a variety of ways in the Bible. It is sight: ‘Turn to me and be saved.’ It is hearing: ‘Hear, that your soul shall live.’ Faith is smelling: ‘Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia, your name is poured out,”” Begg writes.
“Faith is spiritual touch: ‘By this faith the woman came behind and touched the hem of Christ’s garment, and by this we handle the things of the good word of life. Faith is equally the spirit’s taste: ‘How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.’ ‘Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”
“One of the first performances of faith is hearing. We hear the voice of God not only with the physical ear, but with the spiritual ear; we hear it as God’s word, and we believe it as such; that is the hearing of faith. Then our mind looks upon the truth as it is presented to us; that is to say, we understand it, we perceive its meaning; that is the seeing of faith,” Begg writes.
“Next we discover its preciousness; we begin to admire it and find how fragrant it is; that is faith in its smell. Then we appropriate the mercies that are prepared for us in Christ; that is faith in its touch. Then follow the enjoyments, peace, delight, communion, which are faith in its taste. Any one of these acts of faith is saving,” Begg writes.
“To hear Christ’s voice as the sure voice of God in the soul will save us; but that which gives true enjoyment is the aspect of faith whereby we taste and see that the Lord is good. In this way we receive Christ, and He becomes, by inward and spiritual apprehension, to be the precious food for our souls. here we learn to sit under His shadow ‘with great delight’ and find His fruit sweet to our taste.”
People ask me if I’m looking forward to being able to see in Heaven. I don’t think about that so much since I can see some. I do think about it though in terms of my friends who are totally blind. Thinking about them being able to see brings me great joy.
Blindness has been a giant hurdle to overcome. But the worst disability ever, is spiritual blindness. That one, if not cured in time, will send you to hell.
“To be spiritually blind is not to see Christ, and not to see Christ is not to see God (Col. 1:15-16; 2 Cor. 4:6),” reads a passage on the website www.gotquestions.org.
“Spiritual blindness is a grievous condition experienced by those who do not believe in God, Jesus Christ, and His Word (Romans 2:8; 2 Thess. 2:12). Those who reject Christ are the lost (John 6:68-69). Being spiritually blind, they are perishing (2 Cor. 4:3-4; Rev. 3:17).
“They choose not to accept the teachings of Christ and His authority in their lives (Matt. 28:18). They are blind to the manifestations of God as revealed throughout His Word and Jesus Christ (John 1:1; Acts 28:26-27). They are described as those who ‘do not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned’ (1 Cor.2:14).”
If you’re not seeing by the light of God and His word, I promise you, you can’t see straight.
You won’t be surprised to hear that “Be Thou My Vision” is one of my favorite hymns. I will finish with some of those lyrics.
“Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.”
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