In Charles Dicken’s David Copperfield, David becomes friends with Agnes.  David sees their friendship as a brother and sister type relationship.  Agnes has other thoughts, but keeps quiet.  Meanwhile, David’s aunt sees Agnes as a perfect match for David even while he pursues and eventually marries another girl.  From time to time, his aunt watching her nephew is prone to say: “Blind, blind, blind.”

Blind, blind, blind.  We are all more blind than we like to think – especially as it relates to our sin.  Like David’s aunt, others may see what is incredibly clear to everyone but us.  That is one reason we need the church.  We need others to help us see our blind spots, to see the sins that we are blind to.  Even as we read the Scriptures, our blindness can keep us from seeing obvious applications to our own lives.  This is another reason we need the church – especially the preaching.  The pastor may bring applications from the Word that we would have never made, even though they may be the applications we most need.  Above all, we need to join the Psalmist in crying out to God – “Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  We need to seek God’s help to reveal the sins we are blind to – but again he may do it through the ministry of the church.

John Newton writes in his hymn, Amazing Grace, “I once was blind, but now I see.”  Yes, now we see, but not yet perfectly.  We still need each other and our Lord to help us see the depths of our sin.