Too sophisticated to be a Christian?

The Bible plainly warns us that all those without Christ are spiritually blind. The word of God describes non-believers as being

"darkened in their understanding (and) alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them" (Ephesians 4:18).

This is because all men are born into this world, not with innocent natures, but with sinful natures. The Bible therefore speaks of "the natural man", referring to the non-believer in his 'natural', spiritual blindness. We are told that

"the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God : for they are foolishness unto him, and he cannot know them" (1Corinthians 2:14).

So we learn there that the non-believer is actually incapable of making any correct spiritual judgements. When he confidently asserts that he does not believe in God, he is quite simply unqualified to make such a statement. He is so blind in his spiritual perception that he needs help from outside of himself, if he is ever to possess any true understanding. He needs the help of the Holy Spirit to enable him to grasp the truth of God's word, the Bible.

So to become a Christian each person has to start from the premise that he is devoid of all true spiritual wisdom. Most people of course reject the authority of the Bible, and find its teachings to be foolish, but that just proves that they are still "natural men", that they are still spiritually blind.

To come to Christ means recognising one's blindness, and abandoning human ideas and opinions, no matter how politically correct and mainstream they might be. Our unbelieving, Christ-rejecting society has its own set of 'liberal' values, and many people think that they are being 'sophisticated' as they adhere to them, but

"the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (1 Corinthians 3:19).

Following Christ, therefore, means leaving behind man-made wisdom and submitting to the wisdom of God in the Scriptures. Sadly, however, there are many people who think themselves far too sophisticated ever to need to do this. Please do not be one of them, because the consequences of ignoring Christ and his salvation are frightening in the extreme.