Faith is an essential part of the Christian life. The Bible tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). However, there is a difference between true, saving faith in Jesus Christ and blind faith. As Christians, we are called to have an intelligent, reasonable faith that is based on the truth of God’s Word. Blind faith, on the other hand, believes in something without evidence or proof. This post will examine what the Bible teaches about the kind of faith followers of Christ should have.
Introduction
The word “faith” appears over 240 times in the Bible. From Abraham to Moses to the apostles, we read about men and women who exhibited strong faith in God and His promises. However, biblical faith is not blind faith. Rather, it is a reasonable trust in the unseen realities of God built on the evidence of His Word and acts in history. As the book of Hebrews states, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Christians believe in a God who has demonstrated His power and love through events like the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and the transformed lives of believers. While faith involves belief in the unseen realm of God, it is not disconnected from evidence or reason. On the contrary, true saving faith involves the mind as well as the heart.
As we examine what the Bible says about faith and evidence, several key points emerge:
- Faith requires knowledge of God’s Word
- Faith is built on facts, testimony, and evidence
- Faith involves testing, discernment, and reason
- Faith is not naïve or blind acceptance
- Faith trusts in the unseen realities of God
- Faith leads to assurance and conviction in God’s truth
Looking at the teachings of Scripture and examples of biblical faith will help us understand the relationship between faith and evidence. It will also sharpen our discernment regarding blind faith and clarify the type of intelligent, reasonable trust in Jesus that God calls us to.
- Introduction
- Key Takeaways:
- Faith Requires Knowledge of God's Word
- Faith is Built on Facts, Testimony, and Evidence
- Faith Involves Testing, Discernment, and Reason
- Faith is Not Naïve or Blind Acceptance
- Faith Trusts in the Unseen Realities of God
- Faith Leads to Assurance and Conviction in God's Truth
- Conclusion
Key Takeaways:
- Faith in God is not blind but based on divine evidence and testimony.
- While faith trusts in unseen spiritual realities, it is reasonable rather than irrational.
- Biblical faith involves the mind as well as the heart and is based on knowledge of Scripture.
- True saving faith requires testing truth claims against God’s Word to avoid blind acceptance.
- We demonstrate reasonable faith when we place our confidence in the truths of Scripture.
- Jesus rebuked a faith that required signs and wonders, commending those who believed without seeing.
- God calls us to have an intelligent faith that integrates heart and mind.
Faith Requires Knowledge of God’s Word
The Bible makes clear that saving faith is not possible apart from knowing and understanding the truth claims of the gospel. Romans 10:17 declares, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Biblical faith starts with hearing and affirming the revealed truths of Scripture. We cannot exhibit faith in what we do not know. That is why God provides a sufficient basis for reasonable faith through both natural revelation in creation and special revelation in His Word (Psalm 19:1-6). He gives us evidence and reasons to trust in His existence and character. True faith, then, does not start from a position of blindness or ignorance. Rather, it is grounded in knowledge of biblical truth.
The Bible commends the Bereans as noble for the way they demonstrated faith in Paul’s teaching. Acts 17:11 says, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” The Bereans’ faith led them to carefully investigate Paul’s message against the Scriptures they already knew to be true. They wanted to discern whether his teaching matched the revelation of God’s Word. Their faith was not characterized by unquestioning acceptance or blind belief. Instead, it involved reasoned assessment of Paul’s claims according to biblical authority. They examined the evidence thoroughly to confirm the veracity of the gospel message. The Scripture commends this noble character trait, showing that faith integrated with reason is praiseworthy.
Proverbs 18:15 further warns that “The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Faith paired with wisdom seeks to deepen understanding of God’s truth. This requires diligently studying the revelation of Scripture so that our trust rests on comprehensive biblical knowledge.
Faith is Built on Facts, Testimony, and Evidence
While faith is confidence in unseen spiritual realities, biblical faith is not disconnected from evidence or reasons for belief. On the contrary, the apostle John said he wrote down the signs and miracles performed by Jesus “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). John knew that faith integrates reason and evidence. His purpose for recording the eyewitness testimony about Jesus’ miracles was to provide a fact-based foundation for reasonable faith in readers. The signs Jesus performed, including prophecies fulfilled and his resurrection, give evidence for placing our trust in Him as the Son of God.
The apostle Paul continually reasoned with people using evidence and facts from the Old Testament to persuade them to have faith in Jesus. In Thessalonica, for example, Paul went into the synagogue and “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ'” (Acts 17:2-3). Paul built up proof using prophetic evidence from the Old Testament to make a fact-based case that Jesus was the promised Messiah. He combined revelation from Scripture with rational argumentation to encourage reasoned faith, not blind faith.
The writer of Hebrews also appeals to external evidence as a foundation for faith, specifically the reliable testimony of eyewitnesses. He says, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). The truth of the gospel was attested by direct eyewitnesses who could testify to the facts of Jesus’ ministry and resurrection. This provides a rational basis for faith, as opposed to myths or blind acceptance of false ideas. The biblical authors clearly saw evidence and testimony as reasons for placing faith in Christ.
Faith Involves Testing, Discernment, and Reason
If faith were blind acceptance, believers would never need to test truth claims or differentiate between sound and false doctrine. However, the Bible repeatedly instructs us to exercise biblical discernment. Paul commends the Thessalonians for testing what he taught them against the word of God: “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything” (1 Thessalonians 1:6-8). The Thessalonians acted nobly like the Bereans, testing Paul’s teachings against Scripture to confirm their truth before believing.
Paul also affirms in 1 Corinthians 14:20, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” Mature faith involves careful thinking, not childlike credulity. Paul praises the exercise of reason, discernment, and critical thinking in evaluating truth claims. He urges believers to thoughtfully test teachings against the authoritative word of God.
The apostle John likewise instructed early believers, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). The command to test truth claims implies using reason, discernment, and evidence to assess their veracity against what Scripture reveals as true and accurate. Wise and mature followers of Christ learn to separate truth from error by careful evaluation, not blind acceptance. Exercising reason protects believers from deception and falsehood.
Proverbs 18:17 notes that “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.” Just because something sounds plausible does not make it true. We are called to carefully scrutinize truth claims against the light of God’s Word. This testing requires using our minds to apply reason and biblical discernment, refusing to follow ideas blindly. Through examination and careful scrutiny, we learn to distinguish truth from falsehood by God’s grace.
Faith is Not Naïve or Blind Acceptance
If biblical faith integrated no reasoning or discriminating, then naivete and blind acceptance would be virtues. But Scripture often warns against childlike gullibility. Paul exhorts, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (1 Corinthians 14:20). Jesus Himself cautions in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Discerning wisdom is needed alongside moral innocence and purity. The Bible commands sophistication in our faculty of judgment, not blind faith.
In places where blind acceptance of ideas is evident, the biblical authors correct this tendency. For example, in the Berean’s noble faith and the Thessalonians’ testing of Paul’s teaching, we see the ideal of integrating reason with trust in the gospel. Scriptural doctrines can withstand careful scrutiny because they come from God. Truth has nothing to fear from careful, reasoned investigation. Our faith should emulate the Bereans by welcoming examination of its reasoning and evidentiary basis.
Paul also had to rebuke the Galatians for blindly following the different gospel of the Judaizers without carefully analyzing it against the true gospel he preached. Galatians 1:6-9 says, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” The Galatians failed to reason through the Judaizers’ distorted teachings, blindly and naively accepting a false gospel. Paul corrected this dangerous tendency, demonstrating that even authority figures and their claims must be tested against the word of God.
These biblical examples make clear that Christian faith is compatible with careful reasoning. In fact, grounding our trust in Christ in the truth of Scripture protects believers from blind faith. Far from shunning investigation or discernment, followers of Jesus must intentionally integrate the mind with biblical faith.
Faith Trusts in the Unseen Realities of God
While faith relies on evidence and reason, biblical faith also trusts confidently in the unseen spiritual realities that God has revealed in His Word. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Saving faith rests on assurance and conviction regarding the invisible God and the eternal truths of Scripture.
2 Corinthians 5:7 declares, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” By definition, faith interacts with an intangible spiritual realm that is unseen by human eyes and unprovable by scientific methods alone. The author of Hebrews commends believers who trusted steadfastly in God’s promises despite not receiving their complete fulfillment during earthly life. Hebrews 11:13 notes, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” Faith perseveres based on spiritual realities that may never materialize concretely during one’s lifetime.
The realm of faith ultimately transcends what human senses can perceive. This requires spiritual discernment enlightened by the Holy Spirit and Scripture. As 1 Corinthians 2:14 states, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” Through spiritual rebirth, believers gain capacity to trust in unseen spiritual truth. Saving faith relies not merely on observable evidence but on spiritual conviction regarding eternal realities.
At the same time, while faith accepts truths beyond the material realm discoverable by science, it does not require disconnecting completely from reason. Biblical truths are never contrary to sound logic. There is no necessary conflict between faith and reason when both operate rightly in their proper spheres. As Abraham demonstrated, faith in God’s promises can thrive alongside rational analysis. Biblical faith nurtures confidence in God’s Word while also loving God with the mind.
Faith Leads to Assurance and Conviction in God’s Truth
True saving faith produces deep assurance and conviction regarding the truth of God’s Word and the reality of unseen spiritual things. Genuine faith is not characterized by constant doubt or suspicion but by confidence, assurance, and bold conviction. Romans 14:5b states, “…Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Mature faith nurtures unshakable assurance regarding the rightness of biblical truth.
Colossians 2:2 displays this type of full assurance, praying believers would have “the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself.” Assurance of understanding leads to confident knowledge of the truth in Jesus.
Hebrews 6:11 also commends those who have “full assurance of hope until the end.” Despite hardships, true believers demonstrate certainty that God’s promises are trustworthy and will unfold at the proper time. The fullness of biblical faith nurtures unshakable assurance and confidence.
At the same time, this conviction is not hard-hearted stubbornness or unwillingness to evaluate truth claims. As the Bereans show, assurance in the gospel emerges after diligent testing against Scripture to confirm its veracity. Healthy conviction follows earnest effort to discern and validate God’s truth from His Word. Reasonable investigation builds the depth of conviction characteristic of biblical faith. The unshakable assurance faith provides is not contrary to careful thinking but flows from embracing spiritual truth after thorough examination and testing.
Conclusion
The Bible makes clear that true saving faith requires both heart and mind. Biblical faith integrates trust in God’s Word with thoughtful discernment and reasoned evaluation. While faith interacts with unseen spiritual realities, it is not disconnected from logic and evidence. On the contrary, God provides a solid factual foundation for reasonable faith through eyewitness testimony, fulfilled prophecy, and the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bereans’ faith demonstrates that diligently investigating the Scriptures leads to strong convictions. We must test truth claims thoroughly against the yardstick of God’s Word, refusing to accept ideas blindly. Though faith trusts in the invisible God, He has given us ample evidence to ground our beliefs in facts not fiction. When our hearts and minds embrace the truth of the gospel, we demonstrate the type of mature and noble faith Scripture commends. God calls us to an intelligent faith that integrates reason and biblical discernment with heartfelt trust in Jesus Christ.
