Treasures in Heaven – 6

33“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.

34Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.

35See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.

36Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”

Matthew 5:16 (NIV84)

16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

The light of the gospel should not be hidden.

A.W. Pink: Good works point attention to Christ rather than to ourselves, demonstrating supernatural fruit that reveals a supernatural source, thereby glorifying God.

V. 34, The Pharisees had accused Jesus of not providing enough proof for them to believe in Him.

They had plenty of light; the problem was not lack of light, but lack of sight.

The light of the truth was everywhere, but the spiritually blind refused to see it.

Stubbornly clinging to their self-righteousness, the Pharisees sought to explain away Christ’s miracles by attributing them to the power of Satan rather than God.

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 (NIV84)

3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

4The 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.

Has blinded = τυφλόω typhloō = to make not understand; blind: to make unable or unwilling to perceive or understand; conceived as rendering a person unable to see.

‘he made unbelievers unable to understand’ or ‘he made unbelievers’ minds unable to comprehend’

One day someone came to Sir Isaac Newton and said: “Sir Isaac, I do not understand. You seem to be able to believe the Bible like a little child. I have tried but I cannot. So many of its statements mean nothing to me. I cannot believe; I cannot understand.”

This was the reply of Sir Isaac Newton: “Sometimes I come into my study and in my absentmindedness, I attempt to light my candle when the extinguisher is over it, and I fumble about trying to light it and cannot; but when I remove the extinguisher then I am able to light the candle. I am afraid the extinguisher in your case is the love of your sins; it is deliberate unbelief that is in you. Turn to God in repentance; be prepared to let the Spirit of God reveal His truth to you, and it will be His joy to show the glory of the grace of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ.”

John 3:3, 5 (NIV84)

3In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

5Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.

No one can see the light of the gospel or the kingdom of God unless they are born again. This is an absolute truth.

When Your Eyes are Good

Luke 11:34 (NIV84)

34Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness.

The eye is the lamp of the body. The eye betrays (reveals) what an individual is like inwardly.

Good = ἁπλοῦς haplous 2x (Mt. 6:22) = single (kjv); simple, sincere; unobstructed, clear; entirely innocent, without any guile. (vs. ἀγαθός agathos, moral excellence) “No one good—except God alone.” (Mk. 10:18)

Eyes that see clearly and do not deliberately obscure reality.

Spiritual vision that is sensitive to the things of God. Generous; thus it is able to see widely, clearly. It indicates not only straightforward vision that is centered upon God, but also peripheral vision that sees God’s work and will.

Unclouded loyalty, in the sense in which pure hearts will see God (Matt 5:8), but the deepest meaning is that of a simple soul, not parceled out, like that of a small child, oriented exclusively toward God.

Matthew 5:8 (NIV84)

8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Pure = καθαρός katharos = sincere, upright, virtuous, void of evil.

Singleness of motive and of devotion, as opposed to a divided motive.

One should be single-minded; his eye sound (perfect; literally, simple—Matthew 6:22–23; Luke 11:34–36). The double-minded (literally, double-souled, James 1:8) are unstable in all their ways.

Sinners, those of a double mind, are told to purify their hearts (James 4:8), i.e. the hearts of believers should be simple and perfect.

There should be undivided attention to the Lord and his affairs.

People characterized as pure in heart are morally pure, honest, and sincere.

They are people of integrity and single-minded commitment to God.

Because of their sincere devotion to Christ, they will see God here and now through the eyes of faith, and finally face-to-face.

Mark 10:13–16 (NIV84)

13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. The Kingdom of God belongs to the whole class of beings to which these babies belong. The Kingdom of God belongs to babies.

Nothing is said about the parents’ faith, nothing is said about a covenant as if there was some family covenant. Nothing is said about baptism. Nothing is said about circumcision. Nothing is said about any rite, any ritual, any parental promise, parental covenant, or any national covenant. His words simply and completely engulf all babies.

If our Lord was ever going to teach infant baptism, this would have been the perfect spot.

All He would have to have said was, “These children will possess the Kingdom if you baptize them.” But He doesn’t say that.

He said nothing and neither does anybody else in the Bible say anything about infant Baptism.

Before reaching the age at which they become accountable before God for belief or unbelief, babies remain under God’s special care.

He doesn’t say elect babies are in the Kingdom, and non-elect babies are not.

He doesn’t say elect babies being in the Kingdom will go to heaven, non-elect babies not being in the Kingdom will go to hell.

He simply says categorically babies are in the Kingdom, the Kingdom belongs to them.

Babies are not innocent. They have been conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5). They are morally corrupt and irresistibly bent toward sin. They are not neutral. It just takes a while for them to reach the place where they can make the choices that evidence that corruption.

Romans 5:12-14 (NIV84)

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--

13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.

14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

The Bible says very clearly, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” (Rom. 6:23. Sin is the killer, the destroyer of life.

The very fact that babies die at all bears evidence to the truth that sin is present in them—the disease of an inherited sin nature has within it the seeds of death.

Sinfulness is not a condition that comes on people once they choose to do evil. Sinfulness is a condition they’re born in that leads them to choose evil.

The entire human race is in that condition.

Children do not belong to the Kingdom because they’re morally neutral and uncorrupted.

They are not morally neutral, they are morally flawed, profoundly flawed, they are in a fallen sinful state, that’s why death can invade their lives at any point, even in the womb and afterwards.

We are not born innocent, we are born guilty of Adam’s sin and we are born corrupt, having inherited Adam’s nature.

Romans 7:9 (NIV84)

9Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.

Was alive = ζάω zaō = to live in a transcendent sense

Transcendent = existing beyond the physical world.

Until one reaches a point in their lives that they know right from wrong, they are alive. Once the knowledge of the commandment (knowing right from wrong) comes, sin springs to life, and they die.

Deuteronomy 1:37–40 (NIV84)

37Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either.

38But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it.

39And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.

40But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.”

Those who do not know right from wrong, whatever age they may be, are not held accountable for sin.

God does not condemn people for things they are unable to do.

Albert Barnes: “Sin is measured by the capacities or ability of people, and by their opportunities of knowing the truth. If people had no ability to do the will of God, they could incur no blame. If they have all proper ability, and no disposition, God holds them to be guilty.”

According to this principle, babies and young children who are unable to accept or reject Christ are not held accountable for unbelief.

This also includes adults who lack the mental capacity to choose right and wrong.

Until a child understands that certain things he is doing are a violation of the commands of God and will ultimately be punished by God, he is not accountable to God for these things. Once he reaches this understanding, he is then accountable to God in the sense that he is liable for the eternal penalty deserved by his sins.

Apart from the Law refers to that age before a child connects the law to God and connects disobedience with eternal penalty. Before that time the child is alive in that his soul is not yet dead in his trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1), and he is not yet under the penalty of the second death (Rev 21:8).

When the commandment came, when it came into Paul’s consciousness as a command of God having eternal condemnation for disobedience, sin became alive in his heart and life as a full-blown reality.

At this point, Paul says, “I died.” Thus, the beginning of the age of accountability is the death of innocence, the time when a child becomes dead in his sins and subject to the penalty attached thereto.

Mark 10:15 (NIV84)

15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Like a little child. Those of whom the kingdom of God is made up are, relatively to it (in relation to the kingdom), as helplessly dependent as babies are in their mothers’ arms.

The children of the kingdom enter it as children enter the world, stripped and naked,—infants, for whom all must be done, not who are capable of doing.

Frederick Buechner: Three Characteristics of Children

A child has not yet made up his mind about what is and what is not possible. He has no preconceptions to limit God.

A child knows how to accept a gift. He does not worry about losing his dignity or becoming indebted if he accepts it.

A child knows how to trust. He does not have to understand everything. It is enough, at times, just to have his father with him.

Matthew 18:1–4 (NIV84)

1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

2He called a little child and had him stand among them.

3And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus did not give a direct answer to their question. He didn’t tell them who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Instead, he told them that they would never even enter the kingdom of heaven if they did not change and become like a little child.

He was telling them that they might not even enter in the kingdom. There was a prerequisite that they had to fulfill. They had to become childlike. For these adult men to become like little children would require a major change in their perspective.

Children look to their parents for their security and guidance.

Generally, children submit to their parents’ direction and obey them.

They do not seek to do what they want but strive to follow the direction given by their parents.

Children trust their parents, depending upon them to look out for what is in the best interest of the child.

Being a disciple of Jesus did not assure them of some elevated position in his kingdom. The disciples should have been seeking humility and service rather than positions of elevated status.

Greatness in the kingdom is a matter of humility, not power or position.

The child’s humility is its lack of status, not its actions or feelings of humbleness.

To become humble is to be without status and in this sense unself-conscious like a little child.

A child’s humility comes from having no status to be aware of, while self-awareness introduces status and self-consciousness; true adult humility is not ignorance of status but a freedom from needing it.

2 Corinthians 11:1–3 (LSB)

1I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you are bearing with me.

2For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy, for I betrothed you to one husband, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

3But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be corrupted from the simplicity (sincerity, niv84) and purity of devotion (pure, niv84) to Christ.

Simplicity = ἁπλότης haplotēs = singleness, simplicity, frankness, sincerity.

Sincerity: the quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech (the absence of affectation or pretense).

Purity = ἁγνότης hagnotēs = the quality of moral purity; ‘to be without moral defect, purity.’

An expression of wholehearted inward dedication to Christ.

Here simplicity means singleheartedness.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV 1900)

3But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Sincere devotion, simple devotion, singlehearted devotion. It means devotion, loyalty, and commitment to Christ.

Romans 4:18–24 (NIV84)

18Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.

20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

22This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”

23The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone,

24but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Simplicity that is in Christ (2 Co. 11:3, kjv). Simply believe and trust that God’s Word is true for you.

Little children simply trust their parents.

Abraham displayed a simple, single-hearted devotion to the Lord. He showed that his eyes were good.

He faced the fact that his body was dead or that he was past the age of being able to have children, but…

He was fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised; that God would enable Abraham to be father of many.

We have good eyes when we take God at His Word.

How about bad eyes? Next Week, the Lord willing.

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