How Can We Believe What We Cannot See? (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

What is faith? I’ve used the word for most of my life, yet I still sometimes struggle to fully understand it. Since it shapes how we experience life, not to mention eternity, I thought it’d be helpful to look more closely at its definition in Hebrews.

In short, faith is seeing what our senses can’t perceive. It lets us grasp truth beyond the reach of our senses. That is why faith can be difficult for those who trust only what they can feel, see, smell, taste, or touch.

The author demonstrates this in two ways. First, faith is connected to hope. The word “reality” means assurance or a firm foundation. It can also refer to documents that prove ownership. So you could say that faith gives us the foundation on which we can build our hope. It assures us of what we hope for, just as a title deed proves ownership of a house.

In other words, faith accepts God’s promises as trustworthy, and this conviction enables us to live in light of those promises. Unfortunately, as the author points out later in the chapter, we won’t see all of the prophecies fulfilled until eternity, which certainly makes believing more challenging. Nevertheless, faith is key to seeing God’s promises fulfilled in this life or beyond.

The second area faith touches is the invisible world, including the spiritual realm and anything beyond what our eyes can see. The word “evidence” refers to proof that shows something is true. In other words, faith can help us become convinced of realities that are typically invisible to us.

The author cites the creation of the universe as an example. None of us were there, so there are obviously no eyewitness accounts. Science can investigate, but it can’t, by itself, answer the ultimate question of how our world came into being. Therefore, our beliefs about our origins, whatever they may be, rest largely on faith.

I can hear the comments now: “So, this means there can be no evidence for faith.” This verse doesn’t say that. In fact, the author wrote the first ten chapters of Hebrews to prove that Jesus was the only way to salvation. He understood the importance of having solid reasons to believe.

We do need some proof to back up our beliefs. Even God thinks so; otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent almost two thousand years preparing Israel for the Messiah, nor would he have gone through the trouble of having the Bible written. And Jesus wouldn’t have performed so many miracles to support his claim of being the Messiah.

The historical evidence, fulfilled prophecies, others’ experiences and testimonies, and even our very existence all provide the foundation we need to believe. Still, our senses have their limits, and that’s where faith comes in: it lets us go beyond them. Ultimately, we must choose to accept what we can’t perceive—the proverbial “step of faith.”

Let me use skydiving as an example to illustrate what I mean. The parachute represents all the evidence for faith that our senses can process, and we wouldn’t take the plunge without it. But just sitting in the plane with the parachute on means nothing—we must head to the door and jump. Otherwise, we haven’t skydived. Likewise, we’ll never experience what God has for us unless we step out in faith.

In summary, faith means taking God at his word, which lets us experience him, see his promises fulfilled, and grasp spiritual truth. It will always carry an air of mystery because it operates beyond what we can see, feel, or touch. And yes, it may be a scary step to take, but it’s worth it.