"Spiritual Blindness"

 "Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is." (John 7:27 KJV)

  "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Jeremiah 23:5-6 KJV)

 Secondly, there are those that just cannot believe because they simply think they know the truth, even though they are totally blind to the truth and cannot see. This I know, because that was me! As I have shared on this before, I won't get into all the details, but simply say that I was totally against any type of organized religion. As a matter of fact, I was even against the institution of marriage. 

 It was not that I did not believe in God, because I did, and would argue with anyone that wanted to try and say that there was no God. I just didn't know God, who He was; and I surely did not know who Jesus really was, or the awesome work that He did for me on that cross! 

 Because these people thought they knew Jesus, and where it was that He grew up, that proved to them that He was not the Messiah, or the Christ; ether, or they both represent the anointed One that would come to save the world. They just could get past the knowledge that they had, letting what they understood to be true, prevent them from actually seeing the truth. 

 If you do not know, this is not all that uncommon in the church. It really is something that is really sad and should happen, but, for the most part, the old adage is true, as Jesus clearly said: "A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house." (Mark 6:4)

 In addition, the person side of this, is that those within the church that are into works, are usually the hardest ones to be shown that they need forgiveness. The connection is pretty much the same, whether we are looking outwardly, or focused inwardly, we still miss out on what is Truth...

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth." (1 John 5:3-6 KJV)