Thematic Bible: Spiritual Blindness


Thematic Bible






However, brothers, you are not in the darkness, in order that the Day of the Lord might surprise you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to darkness.




Then Jesus said, "I have come into this world to judge it, so that those who are blind may see and so that those who see may become blind."


to open blind eyes and to bring out those who are bound from their cells, and those sitting in darkness from prison.



For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep he has closed your eyes, you prophets, he has covered your heads, you seers!"

May their eyes be blinded and may their bodies tremble continuously.

They don't realize; they don't understand, because their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds, too, so they cannot understand.

That's why I speak to them in parables, because "they look but don't see, and they listen but don't hear or understand.' "With them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says: "You will listen and listen but never understand. You will look and look but never comprehend,


But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light within you has turned into darkness, how great is that darkness!"

For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep he has closed your eyes, you prophets, he has covered your heads, you seers!"

And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil. Everyone who practices wickedness hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his actions may not be exposed.


So if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are dying. In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah, who is the image of God.



For I want to let you know about this secret, brothers, so that you will not claim to be wiser than you are: Stubbornness has come to part of Israel until the full number of the gentiles comes to faith.



and told him, "Go and wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated "Sent One"). So he went off, washed, and came back seeing.

He said, "The man named Jesus made some mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, "Go to Siloam and wash.' So off I went and washed, and I received my sight."

But he responded, "I don't know whether he is a sinner or not. The one thing I do know is that I used to be blind and now I can see!"


You blind guides! You filter out a gnat, yet swallow a camel!

"How terrible it will be for you, blind guides! You say, "Whoever swears an oath by the sanctuary is excused, but whoever swears an oath by the gold of the sanctuary must keep his oath.'


"LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. And let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame yes, let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them!

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God himself has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible attributes his eternal power and divine nature have been understood and observed by what he made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Instead, their thoughts turned to worthless things, and their senseless hearts were darkened.


You blind men! Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?

You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that its outside may also be clean.






"Hear this, you foolish and stupid people: They have eyes, but don't see; they have ears, but don't hear.



You will help them understand and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'


Look at me! Answer me, LORD, my God! Give light to my eyes! Otherwise, I will sleep in death;

Open my eyes so that I will observe amazing things from your instruction.


But the person who hates his brother is in the darkness and lives in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.





Therefore, I tell you and insist on in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint.






If we claim that we have fellowship with him but keep living in darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. But if we keep living in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.


International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.