among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. (NET)whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (NKJV)
in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (NASB)
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (NIV)
Is there a difference between the god of the age in which Paul wrote these words and the god of the present age? Probably not. Most believers recognize the “god of this age” as Satan.
But, then we can classify what it is that people of the age worship, such as money, power, prestige, fame, etc. Again, we would be hard-pressed to make a dinstinctive difference for the two ages. We do not know for a certainty, however, what it was like in those times. However, we do have some witnesses who have left us written records.
Is it important to know if there is a distinction? NO.
Why?
Because the result is the same–they are blinded to the light of the gospel.
Are they victims? The plain statement is that they have been blinded by an outside force. In our society of today we take that to mean “It’s not my fault! Someone else has done this to me!” And so we cry and bemoan our miserable situation.
And the Lord has spoken plainly to us about that very thing:
Proverbs 19:3
The foolishness of a man twists his way, And his heart frets against the LORD. (NKJV)
A person’s folly subverts his way, and his heart rages against the Lord. (NET)
A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the LORD. (NIV)
People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD. (NLT)
The truth, however, is hidden in plain sight–unbelief is the cause. Satan can only blind those who do not believe.
And that, my friend, is your responsibility.
To believe, or not to believe; that is the question, is it not?
You have been given more than one opportunity to believe the Lord Jesus, and to this point you may have rejected those opportunities. But, you are here today, reading this blog by the mercy of God.
Today is your day.
Stop your unbelief. Believe, and call on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)
Practical Bible Teaching 