Why can't I seem to keep a job? Is this relationship healthy, or do I need to end it? Was moving states the right decision for my family? What will happen if I can’t make the rent this month? Will God cure my daughter of cancer?
“Well, we walk by faith not by sight.”
I’ve heard this use of 2 Corinthians 5:7 over and over while friends described unknown circumstances or futures. In this way, faith is portrayed as throwing up our hands and letting God work. Of course, we ought to see God’s sovereignty as a comfort, but I think we’ve misrepresented what faith is in this passage and robbed it of its hopeful message. Paul is not suggesting that our faith is blindly walking through this life and merely hoping for the best outcome. Instead, he’s encouraging the Corinthian church toward a perspective shift: understanding that eternal work is ultimately in the unseen things and how that can give us hope for today.
The Unseen Things
This verse is embedded in a series of passages where Paul encourages the church in the face of affliction and suffering, verses beckoning believers to live with eyes set on eternal promises—namely, our resurrected glory in the presence of God. Paul’s concern is not that our lived experiences don’t matter but that they are temporary. The Corinthians’ physical grief, perplexity, exhaustion, etc., are temporary discomforts that are tangibly seen but won’t last forever; therefore, look to the unseen. The unseen realm is where the God of the universe is enthroned, reigning, working, moving, and accomplishing his plans. The unseen is both what’s to come—a new heaven and new earth, reconciliation of all things to Christ, eradication of sin and evil—and what’s being sanctified, the renewal of the inner self (2 Cor. 4:16).
Paul is providing a beautiful contrast between the brokenness and decay all around us with the strengthening and transforming work of Christ––one is transient and the other eternal (2 Cor. 4:18).
A Faith That Knows
Paul is not ignoring or downplaying hardship; he compassionately acknowledges proper groaning for our heavenly dwelling place (2 Cor. 5:1–2). But groaning and courage are not at odds––“for we walk by faith, not by sight.” Our faith knows exactly what it's placed in: the unseen things. We walk forward in this world, moment to moment and day after day, with trust in the person and work and promises of Christ. We are not merely hoping for the best outcome, we are assured of the greatest outcome––the coming of God’s Kingdom. Our faith doesn’t work like a magic eight ball, trying to tell us every detail of our lives, but our faith is knowledgeable. We may not yet be able to see the reconciliation of all things and the full weight of God’s justice, but we have faith in a God who keeps his promises and accomplishes his will.
Fullness of Sight Will Come
One day, the fullness of sight will come, where every promise, hope, and longing will be realized. What a joyous day that will be! Setting our minds on this future reality gives us guidance and confidence today, rather than directionless meandering. Our walk is actually a clear path—not without its bumps, but we know the final destination. We have faith with every step forward because we know the path leads to our eternal home.
This understanding of faith would have been extremely encouraging to the Corinthians who were experiencing trials, including false teaching. Rather than seeking status, comfort, and esteem, Paul reveals the inverted power of the self-sacrificing Son of God. Whatever we might be facing is not final. Christ has conquered the unconquerable—death—which is a far more defining reality than our momentary trials. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:9, “So whether we are at home or away from the Lord, we make it our aim to please him.” Every time we remind ourselves what the Lord has done for us in Christ, letting it shape how we think and act, we are walking by faith, not sight.
