We Live By Faith, Not By Sight (2 Cor 5:7)

When Saul, a persecutor of the Christians, embraced Christianity, he did not allow the passing of time to diminish or weaken his faith in God, even though he didn’t see the heavenly realities with his physical eyes. He was firm in the faith, writing to the Corinthian believers who had the heavenly hope. The apostle Paul said: “We live by faith, not by sight.”

Living by faith requires implicit trust in God’s ability to direct our lives. We must be fully convinced that he really knows what is in our best interests. As we make decisions in life and act on them, we take into account realities we do not see (Hebrews 11:1), these include the promised Kingdom of God here on earth (Mat 5:5; Dan 2:44; Isa 45:18). On the other hand, living by sight means that we pursue a course of life governed solely by what we perceive with our physical senses. This is dangerous because it can lead to our ignoring God’s will altogether (Ps 81:12; Rom 1:24; Acts 7:42). So each of us should take to heart the admonition to live by faith and not by sight (Luke 12:32).

Let us see how falling victim to the temporary enjoyment of sin, from the snare of materialism and from losing sight of the end of this system of things. Think of Moses. Imagine the life that Moses could have led. Raised among the royal offspring in Egypt, Moses had within his grasp power, wealth and influence. Moses could have reasoned, ‘I have been well educated in all the Egyptian wisdom, and I am powerful in word and deed. If I stay attached to the royal household I can use my position to benefit my oppressed Hebrew brothers’ (Acts 7:22-25). Instead, Moses chose to be ill-treated for the people of God. Why? What moved Moses to turn his back on all that Egypt had to offer? The inspired word of God answers, by faith Moses refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger, he persevered because he saw Him (God) who is invisible (Hebrews 11:24-27). Moses’ faith in God’s sure reward for righteousness helped him to resist sin and indulgence and their fleeting pleasure.

We too are faced with the need to make difficult decisions on such issues as these. What we need to do is just to take Bible advice and to continue setting our hopes on things above, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2). And when Jesus comes we shall enjoy being with him in the Kingdom of God. May the good Lord God strengthen and help us all to reach that destiny.

Bro Paul Chembe (Lusaka, Zambia)