My constant fear of only reviewing a single verse is I focus on one thing that spoke to me and in my ignorance and inabilities neglect the whole truth. As we end chapter 8 and begin chapter 9 we have one of the most unfortunate chapter divisions. Like the condition of a sinner you and I were left the last time with the depravity of man and if we stop there, left with a fairly grim picture or outlook for everybody’s future. But or AND if we continued only one more verse we would have the complete picture of His mercy to His elect. I pray we not only are brought to the place where we know our inabilities but praise His abilities and sovereignty. May He strip our ignorance and my narrow focus and press in our hearts exactly what we need.
Extra Credit: The reliable or the one I quote the most Charles Spurgeon. I believe the title says it all Salvation by Grace. The second is another one that I wrote on What do you mean sovereign?
Jhn 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
- Why does this chapter begin with “And”
- How does this demonstrate Christ sovereignty and deity?
Oh how beautiful and timely these words are. In chapter 8 we saw Christ as the light, exposing the darkness of man. To men that had no place for Him nor understanding of His words. These men believed they could see but could not see their Savior right before them. The light revealed their true state to the point where they finally picked up stones against Him. And the saddest part of the whole chapter ended with “He hid Himself”. They would live in the darkness they fought so hard to keep. They would never know His mercy; they would never fell His grace. “AND”! What a marvelous expression that the story does not end with the depravity of man. What a wonderful word of hope. And as He hid himself from the multitude of self-religious men, He saw a man blind from birth. A man before him in stark contrast to the men before. A man who knew the darkness he lived in. A man who understood his condition. Such is the condition of God’s elect in their unregenerate state. And now in chapter 9 we see Christ as the life giving light; we see the sovereignty of divine grace and mercy. We see the multitude search with stones and cannot find Him, as He finds this man. We see Him hide Himself and passed by others, as He stops and reveals Himself to the lame. In chapter 8 the men heard the truth, they were shown the light but stayed in the darkness. In chapter 9 we see a man humbled in darkness of being blind and given sight to see the light. What man may need more than mere light perhaps is the capacity to see it, which is what we see before us in this an unmerited gift of God. The sight was not a matter of mending glasses (reformation) or of a correction in vision (teaching) or eye ointment (modern religion) but a complete change of condition. What chapter 8 demonstrates of the responsibility and inability of man, chapter 9 reveals God sovereign grace, mercy, and hope. Praise the Lord for giving me eyes to see.
(Eph 2:4-5) “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
