“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” Ephesians 4:17-19
Truly there may be times in this life where the old saying ignorance is bliss rings true. I certainly am thankful there is much about which I have no knowledge. The primary thrust of the phrase is that by being kept in the dark about bad things, we may live life blissfully unaware of how bad things really are. However, in many instances, ignorance is harmful or even fatal. If one is ignorant of the dangers of a hot stove, chemicals under the kitchen sink, electrical outlets, walking into oncoming traffic, etc., severe injury or death can occur. In such cases, continuing in ignorance is anything but bliss. This is why we do not leave young children or those who are otherwise incapable of understanding such dangers unattended because they simply are unaware (ignorant) of the harm that could befall them.
There is no area of life in which ignorance is more dangerous than that of spiritual things. When pleading with the Ephesians to live differently than their pagan neighbors, Paul revealed this grave danger in the description of their condition. They were living in a state of alienation from the life of God, and it was all because they were ignorant of His will. Paul described their futile walk as the result of futility of mind, darkened understanding, ignorance, and blindness of their heart which led them to be “past feeling” (cf. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 with their consciences seared). The only means to overcome such a rebellious walk of ignorance and begin to live in the life of God is to learn Christ, thereby dispelling the ignorance that put them in such grave danger (4:20; cf. John 6:44-45).
Such ignorance was a consistent threat in national Israel as well. In Isaiah 1:2-3, the Lord lamented the fact that the children He had nourished and brought up had rebelled against Him. The reason was simple as, unlike the ox and donkey who know their master, “Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” Later Hosea would highlight the destructive force of being ignorant of the Lord’s will saying, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hos. 4:6). The saddest part of their demise is that they were not helplessly ignorant, but they were willfully ignorant. Put another way, the destruction that fell upon them was avoidable. All they had to do was want to know/do His will, and the calamity would never have come upon them.
Such was the case with the gentiles as reflected in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul highlighted the wrath of God coming on their ungodliness and unrighteousness, but the key to understanding why it came about is set forth in 1:19-23. They chose ignorance to the point that their hearts were darkened, leading to idolatry and every other sinful practice.
This is where the warning comes home to us. Paul plainly stated “…they knew God…” (1:21), but they drove that knowledge from their minds and paid a steep price for it. We who know God can fall into that same trap if we are not careful (Hebrews 6:4-6). Ignorance will not shield us from the consequences of our sins (Isaiah 30:9-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10), so we must heed Paul’s further instruction to the Ephesians and not be unwise, but “…understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17). Let us always remember, as it pertains to the state of our souls, ignorance is anything but bliss.