2 Corinthians 4:3,4 - The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers

4:3

Despite this openness, and plain presentation of the gospel, some would not see it. Why was this? It was not for any lack of trying by Paul, nor because of any deliberate hiding. Rather it was because the minds of the blind were veiled. Sometimes we think that if only we use the right techniques, present things in the most appealing way, then people will believe, and if they don’t it is our fault. This is unbiblical nonsense. Some will not see because they are blind. In these verses we see the right balance. The gospel is to be presented clearly and plainly, but even so there will be some who will not believe. Note also that Paul says it is veiled to those who are perishing. We need to look at phrases like this in two ways. Their perishing is both a result of their chosen rebellion against God, and it is part of God’s judgement upon them.

4:4

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers”. In Romans 9:18 we read of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Here we see the blinding of unbelievers minds as being down to the “god of this age”. We also see that human responsibility comes  into it as well. So often we want to put something down solely to the action of God, the action of the devil, or to human action. Then we get into often fruitless debates about Calvinism and Arminianism (and often involving a misunderstanding of what Calvinism actually means). The Bible is quite happy to attribute the consequences of sin to human responsibility, to the action of the devil, and to God’s judgement, and the involvement of one of these agents does not preclude the responsibility of the others. Choosing to go along the world’s ways leads to our minds becoming blinded, becoming dumb. Sin distorts our thinking.