Articles
"For We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight."
For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7)
While everything in the Bible is noteworthy, there are some passages that distill a profound thought down to its essence. We will look at some of those pithy sayings on this page in my (jj) editorship of the bulletin.
In the short declaration above, Paul divides human perception into two parts: what we know via physical senses (sight), and what is true according to God’s revelation (faith). Or, the “seen” and the “not seen” (2 Cor 4:18).
In the context, Paul had been discussing the end of earthly life and what awaits in the spiritual realm (4:16-5:8). We know nothing of this by sensory information. By observation, death is the end of existence. Many believe this because they walk by sight. This results in a bleakness leading to loss of purpose, lack of focus and short-sighted, sinful choices.
But Paul affirms life beyond death. Christians anticipate “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory … a building from God, a house not make with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor 4:17; 5:1). It is this truth, not decline and decay of the “outward man” (4:16), that strengthens, comforts and inspires the Christian. Faith accepts spiritual reality and acts accordingly.
