Is Blind Faith Biblical? Part 1
Question: Is it perfectly acceptable to have what most today call “blind faith”? I speak to so many Christians today and most say, “Just trust in Jesus and you’ll be fine.”
Answer: There are two separate areas worth briefly addressing here. Here we’ll look at the first one: Is blind faith biblical?
A Blind Man – If a blind man is asked if it’s safe to blindly walk through his house, he undoubtedly would say it’s something a person could do with relative safety and consistency after a bit of practice. But what if we tried to fly a plane, drive a car, or even ride a bike for that matter without our sight? A blind person has learned to navigate safely and successfully in a variety of earthly situations, however no matter how you look at it, having sight provides opportunities that are otherwise not available. When navigating this temporal planet, having blind faith may seem relatively harmless and sometimes even possible, much like navigating through a person’s house. However, in reality we are not merely learning to traverse through this planet, but very much beyond into eternity. Blindly placing our faith in something is simply unsatisfactory. Preparing for eternity will take much more than wishful thinking.
Spiritual Blindness – Too often when people talk about blind faith, they are starting from a perspective of spiritual blindness. They’ve already embraced certain assumptions or starting points in their life. To say that blind faith is the only kind of faith there is reveals that a person doesn’t understand the role that truth plays in directing and strengthening one’s faith. For example, I can have blind faith that my shoe will start the car, but no matter the amount of faith I muster, in the end, all that will be produced is frustration. No amount of faith can alter the truth.
The Truth – According to God’s Word, each and every person is born separated from God because of sin. In essence we are blinded to the truth and glory of the Creator, yet all humans have been given the capacity and ability to exercise their faith. There have been numerous books and songs written by unbelievers on the subject, but having faith really isn’t the key any more than having feet makes you a good runner. The object of our faith is the key. Romans 1 and 2 are abundantly clear that God has given more than enough evidence from creation and the conscience to lead men to the correct Object of our faith- The Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. Although men are spiritually blind, they do at least have the ability to decide the direction to place their faith.
Emotions – When people say blind faith is all there is, they usually mean that they’ve chosen to let their emotions dictate what they believe. Most of the time it also means that they are unwilling, at least at that point, to allow the facts to change those beliefs. As the saying goes, “Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is already made up!” Instead of allowing our emotions to form our faith, we must simply let the facts, or in the case of eternal life, God’s True Word, form and firm up our faith. In reality, our emotions should never lead us, rather they should be led by a life of reasonable faith in the True and Living God.
Proof – The facts really do matter, and when it comes to eternity, only the truth of the Bible will set men free. John 8:31-32. Jesus doesn’t want us to blindly place our trust and hope in anyone, especially some God. Consider Thomas, the disciple who wanted to see His holes and side. Jesus did not condemn him for wanting proof. (John20:27-28). He simply offered to show him the evidence. Wanting proof and seeking to reason over the Scriptures isn’t a bad thing. It’s the direction of our reasoning that makes all the difference.Reason – If we choose to reason with God, we will never be sent away empty. The problem comes when we choose to reason with men. InLuke 20:14, Jesus taught a parable reminding the listeners, “But when the vine dressers saw [the King’s son], they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’” [Emphasis mine.] Reasoning is good provided we choose to reason with the Lord, letting His Word alone instruct and guide us. Isaiah 1:18 God says, “Come now and let us reason together…” Truly the blind CANNOT properly lead the blind, but God can! (Luke 6:39).
Walking by Faith – Fine, but doesn’t the Bible say we should walk by faith, not by sight? (2 Cor. 5:7). Yes, but walking by faith doesn’t mean we should stop thinking. To stop thinking is eastern mysticism, not biblical Christianity. Walking by faith means we don’t let the wisdom of the world influence our decisions anymore. Instead we allow the wisdom and understanding of the Living God penetrate every fiber of our heart, mind, and soul. The enemy of our souls has spent tons of time and energy to keep the lost entangled in its lies and infiltrate worldly wisdom into the Church. Sadly, too many in the Church have openly embraced it’s empty philosophies and deceptively deadly doctrines as if they are the life rafts sent to rescue the sheep from the sinking ship of “outdated” biblical Christianity.
Understanding – When we walk, we always benefit from the lights being on. Why? Simple. We can see, and if we can see, we can THOUGHTFULLY navigate the terrain. When the Light of Christ has been allowed in, we have been given true and eternal sight. We can for the first time begin navigating this fallen world through the eyes of faith in the Son of God. We finally begin to understand as Jesus does because we now have the “mind of Christ.” 1 Cor.2:16. In Hebrews 11:3 it says, “By faith we UNDERSTAND…” [Emphasis mine.]
Reasonable Steps – True faith is not blind at all, but rather built upon and directed by the truth found exclusively in the Word of God. Instead of referring to our trust in the Lord as a blind leap, it would be much more accurate and biblical to say we take reasonable steps. It’s true that we cannot literally see Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father, but we can go visit His empty tomb in Jerusalem. We cannot see every event recorded in the Bible, however the overwhelming archaeological and historic, not to mention scientific and prophetic evidence proving God’s Word is simply staggering. To choose NOT to believe the Bible is a blind leap of faith! Sadly, in the end every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, but then it will be too late for the blind. (Romans 14:11, Rev. 1:7)
Now is the Time – Now is the time given for men to turn to the One true Savior, Jesus Christ! Receive the full and free forgiveness He offers to all mankind. Now is the day of Salvation. (2 Cor. 6:2). Jesus came as the Light of the World so men could finally and forever see, no longer walking in darkness. This is the faith once for all delivered to the saints – the reasonable, thoughtful, logical, biblical, and glorious faith! The world has nothing like it!
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith…” Philippians 3:8-9.
In the next part, we’ll examine the second issue: What does “trusting in Jesus” really mean?