A Single Eye (Urbana 1954)
by Stacey Woods
"If a Christian has a single eye...then his whole body will be full of light."
Matthew 6:22-23: The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darknes how great is that darkness!
These words are addressed to Christians, and therefore to us. It is on this basis that we consider the world, the spread of the gospel and God's will for our lives. Perhaps some may not know Jesus Christ personally. If so, we trust that you may meet the Lord. But in the main, we assume that we are Christians.
In this passage our Lord is dealing with the problem of the Christian living his life in the world - a world in which he is called to bear witness to Christ and to His salvation, a life lived in relationship to God as Father. The Lord has just warned against the error of the Christian laying up treasure on earth, of living for physical and mental satisfaction in a material world. He has told us that we should lay up treasure in heaven - that we should live for eternity, not for time, for the things of the Spirit rather than for worldly gain, satisfaction, and reward.
He goes on to say, "The light of the body is the eye." The eye is the lamp of the body. He is really speaking of the way the Christian looks at things, at everything in this life and in the world. The man with a single eye is the man who views life in this world in the perspective of God and eternity. He has but one view of the earthly life and that is God's view.
The man with an evil eye, or to put it another way, the man with double vision, has his view of life colored and conditioned by himself as a man, by his lusts and desires, his personal ambitions and sinful habits. As a
consequence, his vision is not clear, his view of life is out of focus, his judgment is unsound. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Now remember, the man here referred to is a Christian - you and I. Our Lord suggests that as Christians we may have a single eye or a double, or an evil eye. And what is the practical consequence of such vision? What has this to do with a missionary convention?
If a Christian has a single eye, if God is his goal, if he really is living for eternity and not for himself and for earthly prosperity and success, then his whole body will be full of light. He will know God's will . God can speak to him revealing His truth, His will, His way. Such a man will hear God's call. The man with a single eye is a man of unclouded vision. He is not in darkness because of habitual sin. The things of this life do not becloud his vision of the eternal city.
On the other hand, there is the man who has an evil eye or a double vision. He is a Christian who with one hand tries to serve God but with the other serves himself. He has one foot in heaven, but the other foot is firmly planted on earth. He wants God's will for his life, but he also seeks his own will. He confesses to the correct doctrine, but he ignores sin in his life. He is journeying to heaven.
He may even attend a missionary convention, but deep down in his heart his immediate concern is to prepare for his earthly career, to marry a wife, to raise a family, to build a home, to have social and material security; and of course, as well, he wants to serve God. Contemplating his future, he smiles and says, "All this - and heaven, too!"
Deep down in his subconscious, he is singing the popular song, "Heaven Can Wait." Such a man is not full of light. He is full of darkness. The final judgment of this person is, "If the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
A Christian is a man who has Christ living in his heart - Christ, who is the Light of Life. But if such a man has double vision, or what Christ calls an evil eye, how profound is his error, how terrible his sin! Christ who is his Light, or the Light that is in him, becomes darkness, a darkness seemingly more profound than that of an unbeliever who has never met the One who is the Light of the world. Think of it! The very Light which has shined in our hearts becoming darkness because we have turned to God with only half our heart, while with the other half we are of the earth, earthy.
The application is obvious. We are to consider the task of world evangelism, to lift up our eyes and look on the fields, to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His harvest. We are here to consider God's will for our lives and perhaps to pray, "Lord, here am I, send me." We desire a word from the living God, a fresh touch from God. We want to be filled with the light of the knowledge of God's will.
But at the very outset, the Lord would ask us a question: "Have you a single eye, with all that that implies?" If so, we have His promise: "our whole body shall be full of light." We shall know His will. We shall hear His voice. On the other hand, if you, if I, have a double eye, with all that that means, the inevitable result - "our whole body shall be full of darkness." "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."
This is something you and I personally must face up to. We must do something about it. Are we prepared to seek the Lord with our whole heart, regardless of the consequences? Are we prepared to have Him deal with us concerning sin in our lives, regardless of the pain? Are we prepared to make, as did Moses of old, that once-for-all, irrevocable decision to view life and the things of life from God's viewpoint, to turn our backs upon Egypt - the world - and to throw in our lot with the people of God, to live unreservedly for the things of God, regardless of what this may mean to our plans, our life program, our chosen career, our marriage plans?
The decision is up to each one of us.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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