Bible Truth #326 - John 9:1-3

John 9:1-3

1  And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

2  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

3  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

And so begins the story of the man who was blind from birth. There were even people who, after his healing, didn’t even recognize him as the blind beggar. This is only one of many illustrations of life where it is clear that God is Sovereign and in control.

It was a common belief among Jews that sickness or even physical maladies were the result of sin, even the sin of the parents because of their children born handicapped - and they had good reason to believe it. God told Israel through Moses that He would “visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation...” (Exodus 20:5). It was literally contained within the 10 Commandments!

But read again the question the disciples asked Jesus - did this man sin before he was born that caused him to be born blind? Did they have some kind of belief unfounded in Scriptures that said an unborn child could sin? That is how some would interpret this question. I see it another way. Romans 14:23 tells us that everything not done in faith is sin, but is there an age limit on this? If a lost farmer is sinning when he plows his field, and if a lost teenager is sinning when she does her chores around the house, and if a lost child is sinning as he plays games with his friends, does this not also mean that an infant, if he is not one of the Elect, is sinning when he is nursing at his mother’s breast? Is Romans 14:23 speaking of only conscious or planned activity? I don’t believe so. The very existence of a lost man, woman, boy, girl, infant, or unborn - IF they are not chosen in Christ - is a stench before God.

Obviously His disciples understood that man is conceived in sin (Psalm 51:5), is born a sinner, and is in dire need of the redemptive work of Christ - from conception! They understood that it is not the actions of a man that make him a sinner, it is the fact that he was descended from Adam that make him a sinner (Romans 5:12). His sinful actions are merely the result of his fallen nature.

As a side note, please see Bible Truth #319 for thoughts regarding the myth known as the Age of Accountability.

But Christ goes on to tell them that neither the man, nor his parents, sinning caused his blindness. He was born blind so that God could show His works in him. God planned it, He intended it, the man’s blindness was no accident, nor was it a mistake that can now be corrected. Giving sight to the blind was a Messianic activity that was prophesied (Isaiah 29:18; 35:5; 42:7), so how could Jesus give sight to the blind if there were no blind? It was clearly God’s intention that the man would be born blind.

Bottom Line - God doesn’t simply work in each situation to bring Him glory (Ephesians 1:11), He has planned each and every event in our lives (Proverbs 16:9; 19:21; 20:24; 21:1). No one lives their life NOT fulfilling God’s plan for them.