Veiled faces?
Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 that when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, His face shone so bright that the Israelites had to put a veil over it to look at him. Yet, this passage is not just about Moses, but about us. It is about how WE ALL can see with unveiled faces the glory of God. And because of it, we are being transformed (changed) into the image of God. What a blessing!
But the warning of this text is that some have a veil over their eyes when they read the Word of God and cannot see it clearly. Has that ever been you? Has there ever been a barrier between what the Bible is actually saying and how you saw or understood it? Maybe that is you now? We have all been there.
How does that happen?
#1. We are afraid of what we will find, so we veil our eyes to it. The Bible can show us some ugly, uncomfortable things about ourselves (c.f. James 1:23-25). But 2 Timothy 1:7 says God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind. In other words, if we are sincere truth seekers, then there is nothing to fear. The truth has nothing to lose by honest investigation. The question is, “Are we honest truth seekers?” If not, we have a veil over our eyes.
#2. We have already drawn conclusions before we read the scripture. Instead of asking, “What all does the scripture teach here on this subject?” we come to the Bible with an agenda. “Here’s what I want to find, so how do I make the Bible say it?” That is a terrible way to study. That is not being honest with the text. Let me encourage you to do your best to remove those things and look at scripture with new eyes. If not, we have a veil over our eyes.
#3. We do not consider (or accept) everything the Bible says on a subject. I have been guilty of this. The scribes were guilty of this in Mark 12:34. The Sadducees were guilty of this in Mark 12:18-27. They did not believe in the resurrection, so they came up with this hypothetical situation, based on the levirate marriage law in the law of Moses (Dt 25:5-10), one they thought could trick Jesus by making the resurrection sound ridiculous.
Something about the Sadducees: They were phenomenal Bible students. They could quote Moses without even looking it up. Even though their question was based on the law of Moses (scripture), they were wrong! In fact, look at what Jesus says to them: “Are you not, therefore, mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? … You are therefore greatly mistaken.”
Do you think they were offended by that? “Are you telling me I don’t know the scriptures?!” Remember what Jesus did here? He took them back to the law of Moses (scripture) and showed them that there indeed is a resurrection.
The problem with the Sadducees is one many of us have: They based their entire understanding of the resurrection on one or two passages, instead of looking at all the scriptures have to say on the topic.
So, have we not read? Have we not read another passage where God says something else that helps us have a better, more rounded understanding of the subject? I do not know how many people I have studied with who believe that salvation is based on one thing, and one thing alone. Mostly, they will say, “All you have to do is BELIEVE!” Then you show them another passage about REPENTANCE (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19; Luke 13:3; 2 Corinthians 7:10; etc.). Then you show them another passage about CONFESSION (Romans 10:9-10; etc.). Then you show them another passage about BAPTISM (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; etc.). Then that is the question we should ask: “Have you not read” all these things to find out what God has actually taught about salvation? “Have you not read” more than just your select passages? We need to make sure we take all things into account. Those in Berea understood this (Acts 17:11). The Psalmist understood this (Psalm 119:160), but do we? If not, we have a veil over our eyes.
Unfortunately, we all have them, but that is just a few ways a veil can cover our eyes and prevent us from clearly seeing when we read the Word of God. Let me encourage you to pray about it and then work as hard as you can to remove those things. We need to look at scripture with new eyes and honest hearts.
Visitors are welcome and valued. We meet at 15530 Herriman Blvd., Noblesville. Our phone number is (463) 287-0664. We meet for Sunday morning Bible Study at 10 a.m. and have classes for all ages. Worship begins at 11 a.m. and we have a Bible Study Wednesdays at 7 p.m. A warm welcome awaits!