Common Misunderstanding: "Walk By Faith, Not By Sight"
Have you ever heard the popular phrase, “walk by faith, not by sight”? Maybe you are holding out for a better job or opportunity and cling to this phrase as a declaration of what is to come for your life. Maybe you know someone who is in a hard time with a health crisis, and the only hope they receive is by repeating this verse in belief for their health to be restored. Or, maybe you have seen multiple people pass by you at the beach with this phrase tattooed on their body. Whatever your context, many people use this verse. My question is, are they using it out of its original context? To gain an understanding of this, let’s go back to the author of the phrase.
We must go back in time when a man named Paul is writing to a church in a town called Corinth. This is his second letter (actually third, but that is neither here nor there) to this group of believers. They have many praises as well as areas for growth from Paul’s observation and knowledge of the church’s reputation.
When we get to the part in 2 Corinthians 5:7 where Paul writes, “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (NASB), we are in the middle of an incredible message of encouragement to the church. However, this encouragement has nothing to do with new jobs, opportunities, health issues, or cool tattoos. Rather, this message of encouragement is about something much more incredible that lies beyond this life.
Paul has told the church they are carriers of an invaluable treasure in “earthen vessels”. The treasure, of course, is the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, and the “earthen vessels” are their bodies. We, the church, carry an invaluable message in our bodies that offers the world reconciliation to God. What a privilege! But Paul does not end there.
He continues saying that “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). The church was facing some hard times just as Paul did and was during his writing. His encouragement is that there is a greater blessing or glory that makes these sufferings in this life seem “light” and “momentary”. This language is coming from a man who would later say:
“Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren. I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27, NASB)
What kind of a man is this? Who says beatings and lashings and shipwrecks and countless dangers are “momentary” and “light” afflictions??? But this is Paul’s perspective on his own life. Why? As difficult as it is to walk through hard times, they pale in comparison to the glory that will come when our salvation is realized on the other side of eternity. In short, your faith is worth the struggle.
This leads us to chapter 5. Paul writes of eternity and his longing to be with Christ. Look at verses 1-4,
“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.”
Paul speaks of the reality our faith guarantees: a home and new body with God in heaven that is everlasting and more glorious than we could ever imagine. There is something amazing awaiting us on the other side of our perseverance through sufferings and trials.
It is in this light, as Paul is offering encouragement to a church who needs to be comforted and filled with the hope that is in Jesus that Paul says, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” First and foremost, this verse is a reference to the eternal hope we have that sustains us in this life. We cannot see heaven now, so we walk by faith, not by sight--knowing we will inherit a kingdom through Jesus. This body breaks down, so we walk by faith, not by sight--knowing that we will inherit a body more glorious than we can imagine. We suffer now, so we walk by faith, not by sight--knowing that we will step into an eternity where there are no more tears or pain.
An interpretation of this verse that forgets the context in which it was written does a disservice to the message of encouragement and hope it is designed to bring. If we think “walking by faith, not by sight” is only or primarily believing for a job or opportunity or health or anything else, then we have greatly misunderstood what Paul was trying to communicate to us. Yes, God does open doors, and we need faith to trust Him. Yes, God does heal, and we need faith to believe that He will do the impossible. However, the message of this phrase is so much bigger than those things. .
All in all, my prayer is simply this: If you have understood “walk by faith, not by sight” in a shallow way that disregards the incredible hope and encouragement to which it refers, I pray that God would open your eyes and heart to see and understand the glorious future we have in Christ. I pray that you would begin to see the Gospel message in a new way as the Spirit teaches you each day. And I pray that you will walk through this life by faith, not by sight--knowing the incredible future stored up for those who believe in Jesus.
