Satan blinds the minds of those who believe not so that the light of the glorious gospel cannot shine unto them (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
The god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, leaving the gospel hid to them that are lost. Les Feldick teaches that the lost masses do not even know they are lost, and believers can only pray for God to take away this satanically inspired blindness.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 — Paul identifies the god of this world (Satan) as blinding the minds of them which believe not so the light of the gospel cannot shine unto them.
Romans 8:2 — Paul declares that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes a person free from the law of sin and death, the scriptural basis for deliverance from this bondage.
Scripture plainly connects this spiritual blindness to unbelief. 2 Corinthians 4:3 states: 'But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:' and verse 4 explains the cause: 'In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.' The verse identifies both the blinded people and the one doing the blinding. The blindness is specifically attached to those who believe not. Romans 8:2 declares the remedy in these words: 'For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.'
Les Feldick treats 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 as the key passage for understanding why the lost cannot see their spiritual need. He says 'This says it better than I could ever hope to' about the passage. He emphasizes that it is the lost of this world who have the gospel hid from them, and the one blinding them is Satan, the God of this world. As he puts it, 'Satan has them so totally blinded' that they cannot believe the Word. Les also draws a comparison to night driving: a bright light can blind a driver, and the bright, glimmering, attractive things of this world blind the lost. They go 'their merry way to a Christless eternity' and really do not know the plight they are in. This is the dilemma for anyone trying to share the gospel. His practical application is prayer. Believers are to pray, because 'there's not a thing that we can do until God takes away this satanically inspired blindness.' Paul's statement in Romans 8:2, that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets a person free from the law of sin and death, is the fact of life that brings that freedom.
Paul calls the one who blinds 'the God of this world' in 2 Corinthians 4:4. Les identifies him plainly: 'Who is the God of this world, even tonight? Satan.' It is not a vague force; it is the personal work of the devil keeping the light of the gospel from reaching the minds of those who believe not.
Les calls this 'our dilemma' — believers who are 'trying our best to awaken them to their need' are up against the fact that the gospel is hid to those who are lost. Satan has blinded their minds, so they do not see the light even when it is shown to them. Les's response is to pray, because nothing can be done until God removes the satanically inspired blindness.
Les says the lost 'really don't know the plight that they're in' and 'have no idea that they're lost.' They are often fascinated by what is bright and attractive in the world, yet those same things are blinding them. This is why an unbeliever can go their merry way to a Christless eternity without responding when someone shares the gospel.
In Les's teaching, the removal of this blindness is God's work. He instructs that believers must 'pray to this end,' because 'there's not a thing that we can do until God takes away this satanically inspired blindness.' Paul's words in Romans 8:2 point to the same deliverance: the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made a person free from the law of sin and death.
The Law of the Spirit of Life
Les introduces Romans 8:2, explaining that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes a person free from the law of sin and death — the deliverance side of the blindness problem.
Satanic Blindness and Prayer
Les says the God of this world has blinded those who believe not and that believers must pray, because nothing can be done until God removes that satanically inspired blindness.
Worldly Brightness Blinds the Lost
Les compares being blinded by a bright light in night driving to the bright, attractive things of the world that blind the lost to the gospel.
The Other Side of Hidden Things
Les contrasts times when God hid things in Scripture with the gospel being hid to them that are lost because the God of this world has blinded their minds.
Our Gospel Hid to Them That Are Lost
Les says 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 expresses the dilemma of believers trying to awaken the lost, and it is Satan who has blinded them.
Blindness and Ignorance of Being Lost
Les explains that the lost have no idea they are lost and that Satan has so totally blinded them that they cannot believe the Word.
Satan, the God of This World
Les plainly identifies the God of this world in 2 Corinthians 4:4 as Satan, the one who has blinded the minds of those who believe not.
Why People Don't Get Through to the Lost
Les says the gospel is hid to the lost masses and that they really do not know the plight they are in, which is why believers wonder why they cannot get through.
2 Corinthians 4:3: But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
This verse sets out that the gospel is hidden, not from everyone, but specifically from those who are lost.
2 Corinthians 4:4: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
This is the key verse: the god of this world (Satan) blinds the minds of them which believe not so the gospel light cannot reach them.
Romans 8:2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Paul states the deliverance from the law of sin and death, which Les connects to God's removal of satanic blindness.
Paul uses these words to show that the good news is not hidden from believers, who know what it is and what it has done for them. It is hidden from the lost. Les Feldick says the lost masses 'really don't know the plight that they're in.'
The God of this world. Les identifies him 'even tonight' as Satan. The verse says he has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them.
Les compares it to night driving: a bright light can blind you. Likewise, the things of the world can be so bright, glimmering, and attractive that they blind the lost to the gospel.
Les teaches that believers should pray to the end that God takes away this satanically inspired blindness. He says there is nothing we can do until God does it.
Watch the Teaching: Romans 8:2 Explained — Free from the Law of Sin and Death