The God of This World is Paul’s name for the one who blinds the minds of unbelievers.
He keeps them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The title is terrible and limited.
He is called a god of this age, not the Maker of heaven and earth. The God who said “Let light shine out of darkness” has shone in our hearts.
Paul is explaining why the gospel is veiled to some. It is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this world has blinded their minds so they will not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. The contrast is sharp. There is a god of this age who darkens sight. There is the God of the first day who still speaks light. We do not proclaim ourselves. We proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. The blindness is spiritual. It is aimed at the face of Christ. If that glory were seen, the spell would break.
- Jesus called the same enemy the ruler of this world.
- John said the whole world lies in the evil one.
- Ephesians named the prince of the power of the air.
None of these titles make Satan a second Creator. They name his present claim over an age that is passing and over minds that will not have the true God. The church’s answer is not a better technique of sight. It is the open statement of the truth, and the mercy of the God who shines.
- “God of this world” means god of this age—the present order, not eternity.
- His chief work here is blindness to the glory of Christ.
- The veil is not on the gospel. It is on the perishing mind.
- Light is God’s first word again: He who said “Let light shine” has shone in hearts.
- Preaching Christ as Lord is how the blind are given something to see.
- The title is descriptive of rebellion, not a grant of worship.
- This world’s god is judged. The image of God is the Son.
- Blinder of Minds – The target is the gospel’s light.
- This Age – His claim is timed and passing.
- Counterfeit Title – Called god where the true God is refused.
- Opposed by Proclamation – We preach Jesus Christ as Lord.
- Overcome by Creation-Light – The same God of Genesis shines in hearts.
- Linked to the World – Ruler, prince of the air, evil one.
- No Rival Glory – Christ is the image of God; that glory is the thing hidden and the thing revealed.
- 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 – “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
- John 12:31 – “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”
- John 14:30 – “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me.”
- Ephesians 2:2 – “…following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.”
- 1 John 5:19 – “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
- 1 John 2:15-17 – “Do not love the world or the things in the world… And the world is passing away along with its desires.”
- Matthew 4:8-10 – The devil showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; Jesus said, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
- Isaiah 14:13-14 – “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high… I will make myself like the Most High.’”
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 – The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with false signs; God sends a strong delusion on those who refused to love the truth.
- Acts 26:18 – “…to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.”
- John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
- John 9:39 – “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
- Colossians 1:15 – “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
- Genesis 1:3 – “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
- Isaiah 6:9-10 – “Keep on hearing, but do not understand… Make the heart of this people dull… lest they see with their eyes…”
- Ephesians 4:18 – “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.”
- Revelation 12:9 – The deceiver of the whole world was thrown down.
The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.
He hides the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
We do not proclaim ourselves. We proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.
God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts.
Do not worship the god of this age. Do not despair as if the blind cannot see.
The world is passing. The face of Jesus Christ is the glory that breaks the dark.
Turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.