Thursday
Thursday
Supernatural Dimensions of Evangelism
God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6
Second Corinthians 3–4 is a classical passage on the pastoral ministry. In it Paul introduces the supernatural dimensions of evangelism. “The god of this age [the devil],” he tells us, has blinded the eyes of unbelievers (v. 4). And faced with their blindness, we are helpless. For it is not given to us to open the eyes of the blind. A thick veil lies over their minds so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of Christ.
Only God the Creator can open eyes the devil has blinded. So Paul takes us back to the beginning of Genesis and reminds us that into the primeval darkness God’s voice rang out, “Let there be light.” Just as in creation God said, “Let there be light,” so in the new creation God has shone in our hearts. Regeneration is just as much a divine creative act as was God’s original creative fiat.
Here, then, are two so-called gods locked in a life-and-death struggle—on the one hand, “the god of this age” (v. 4) and on the other, “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3). Moreover, the characteristic action of each is plain. The devil blinds the minds of unbelievers, but God shines into darkened hearts (v. 6). In this supernatural conflict we wonder if we have anything to contribute. If the devil blinds and God shines, would it not be prudent for us to withdraw from the field of battle and leave them to fight it out? This is, in fact, the conclusion that some Christians draw. But it is not Paul’s. See verse 5, which I have so far deliberately omitted. If we put the three verses together, we find that the devil blinds (v. 4), God shines (v. 6), and we preach Christ Jesus as Lord (v. 5). That is, evangelism (the proclamation of the gospel of Christ), far from being superfluous, is actually indispensable. If the light by which God rescues people from darkness is the gospel, we had better preach it! The faithful preaching of the gospel is the God-appointed means by which the prince of darkness is overthrown and God shines his light into human hearts.
For further reading: 2 Corinthians 4:1–6