"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
2 Corinthians 5:7
Part 1
For the believer, it will be glory to move from these earthly bodies and into the presence of the Lord in heaven. Our verse for today is that small parenthesis in Paul’s explanation to the Corinthians.
“For we walk by faith,”
On this earth, we must walk by faith for we believers cannot see our Lord yet.
“It must amaze the angels that we [live]…for, and serve, and are willing to die for a God we have never seen. Yet we love Him, and live for Him, living by faith, not by sight”1 (Guzik).
Our lives as believers are built upon that which is unseen. We are living in time, but our eye is on eternity.
“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 4:18).
Jesus told His disciple the importance of believing in One whom we have not ever seen.
“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
Our “invisible” God calls for us to live our lives each day based upon an unseen principle, we live, act, move, and serve Him, as we walk with Him by faith.
“Walking is nothing remarkable in itself; it is one of the more mundane aspects of life. But God wants us to walk by faith.” “That man has not yet learned the true spirit of Christianity who is always saying, ‘I can preach a sermon by faith.’ Yes, sir, but can you make a coat by faith? ‘I can distribute tracts and visit the district by faith.’ Can you cook a dinner by faith? I mean, can you perform the common actions of the household, and the daily duties which fall to your lot, in the spirit of faith?”2 (Spurgeon)
What is the difference between “faith” and “sight?” In the realm of faith, we have no control over what happens. We are comfortable living by sight for it gives us the false sense that we are controlling our destinies. We must learn that faith in our Lord is far superior to living by sight. Come back tomorrow as we contemplate faith as better than sight.
1. Guzik, David, David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
2. Spurgeon as quoted by Guzik. Guzik, ibid.