The Nature of Faith

I believe one of the underlying issues for many Christians is that we have bought into the myth that faith equals “blind faith”. This is certainly not how the Bible describes faith, nor is it how we apply faith in other areas of life. Consider John 20:31, when the author gives his purpose statement for the entire Gospel (i.e. that his readers would believe), or 1 John 1:1-3, when the author informs his readers that, as an eyewitness, he is testifying to the truth, so that they would believe. Consider also 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, as Paul reminds them of the gospel and then demonstrates the truth of the resurrection with a long list of eyewitnesses who can verify the claims. In other words, none of these biblical examples expected blind faith, but faith placed in response to the evidence. When we consider how we employ faith in other realms of life, I like to use the example of a chair. If I walk into a room for the first time, see a chair I have never sat in, I size it up quickly. I certainly wouldn’t sit in it if it was missing a leg, a seat, or a back (or had a big wad of gum sticking to the seat)! I cannot know with 100% certainty that the chair will hold my weight, but all the evidence demonstrates the high plausibility that it can. So, in faith, I sit where the evidence has led me to believe it’s safe. The same is true of the Christian truth claims. We have good reason to believe over and against all competing claims. However, because we can’t know with absolute mathematical certainty, we have doubts in different areas at different times. This is not something to be afraid of, but to lean into, knowing that the truth will stand under honest questioning.