“For we walk by faith, not by sight:” – 2 Corinthians 5:7
How can we not walk by sight? Didn’t our mothers teach us to “look both ways”, and “watch where you are going”?
It is true that living in this physical world is greatly helped by sight, but our ability to see with our eyes is not as helpful when it comes to the spiritual realities of living in Christ.
If we can’t see it, how do we know its real?
If we can’t see a change in their life, then how do we know they are saved?
The answer is found in believing the words of God rightly divided. The preaching of the cross is the proof of salvation, but no one has seen the cross Jesus died on. There is nothing to see in the empty tomb, but it is the evidence of the offer of eternal life.
People Who Saw
Without faith in God’s revealed words, people are left only with what they can see.
This is why so many religious people desire to see miracles, physical evidences, and signs from God. They think if they do not see these things then God is not real.
They want God to manifest himself … again. I say ‘again’ because the Bible records the many times God already manifested himself and men rejected them all.
God manifest in the flesh walked the planet, and they killed him.
Thousands saw the miracles that he did, and then later yelled, “crucify him”.
The disciples touched him, ate with him, and heard words from his mouth, and yet they fled when he was arrested (Matt 26:56).
Thomas would not believe until he saw and touched the resurrected Lord. When he was able to touch him the Lord responded:
“Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” – John 20:29
Paul saw visions, received revelations, and wrought signs, but Christ did not heal him so that he could learn to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 12:9).
What more do we need to understand that it is not what we see that matters, but what we believe!
Yet, people still cry for wonders, miracles, signs, and visions, which all perfectly describe how to walk by sight.
We walk by faith, not by sight.
Walking by Faith
If you rely on what you see in visions and dreams from Christ, you are not walking by faith.
If you are relying on miracles or signs from Christ, then you are not walking by faith.
If your testimony of salvation includes miracles, visions, dreams, or what you see in your own life, then it is doubtful that you know what it means to believe the gospel of Christ unto salvation (Rom 1:16).
Walking by faith means you are strengthened through Christ (which you don’t presently see – Phil 4:13), and not by visible manifestations of God in the visible circumstances of your life.
The lesson of walking by faith, and not by sight can only be learned when we do not see miracles, visions, dreams, or healings.
This is the lesson Christ taught Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-11 when he refused to heal him, and which Paul had learned by Phil 4:12 in living as Christ suffering physical infirmities.
The power of God unto salvation is to every one that believes the gospel of Christ, not to everyone that sees a miracle, a vision, a dream, or that can make a pious appearance before men.
Seeing is not believing, and if you are trusting what you see to prove what you can’t see, then you are not walking by faith. Trust the unseen Christ to take your unseen soul and give it eternal life in heavenly places that you don’t see, based on his blood, death, burial, and resurrection which you never witnessed.
Faith is not blind; faith is what enlightens the blind to see spiritual truth. Those who walk by sight are blind to spiritual truth.
Walking in the world requires using your eyes. Walking in Christ requires believing the Bible sitting on your lap.
Article Index Published: February 7, 2015
Last Modified: August 15, 2018