Is Faith Blind?

If you read the gospel of John, and the letter titled 1 John, the writer emphasizes empiricism. That he was a witness of what happened. You see, history isn't a matter of faith, and neither is God's existence. Both can be tested and the best explanation will surface, which is different than claiming it's "proven". But it takes honesty.

The closest synonym to faith is trust. Trust is earned and one can base belief in whether or not claims about future promises are likely true on past performance. Christians are invited in Philippians to test all things.

I posted the above in a thread on another website.  An anonymous commenter asked a couple great questions in reply:

It's not mandatory that one has "witnessed" to accept or "believe", though is it?  Is experience necessary to trust, earned or unearned?

Let me attempt to answer.

"It's not mandatory that one has 'witnessed' to accept or 'believe', though is it?"

John followed Jesus to suffering and death because of what he did witness, but it isn't mandatory as Jesus said in this statement from John 20:29 "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."  Jesus said this to Thomas, who He allowed to touch His wounds, instead of criticizing his much discussed doubt.  No one living has witnessed Biblical events first-hand, but the events in the old and new testaments are recorded as history.

We know the places in the Bible are real not just because they're recorded in its pages, but because we have unearthed so many, if not most, of them. With that track record, I can believe that Sodom existed, though it hasn't yet been discovered. I believed that even before an ancient Syrian tablet was found that chronicled trade with that city.

Many of the battles recorded have been verified archaeologically. Many characters are mentioned in extra-biblical writings from the time they lived. As this article points out, the Hebrews were indeed in Egypt as the Bible said. It is actually an old discovery because much Hebrew writing, from the time specified by scripture, has been found in Egyptian mines, indicating their status as slaves. As a result, Christianity isn't a blind faith, as asserted by many Atheists. There are loads of evidence if one isn't in a state of denial.

If the history confirmed by archaeology, the sound wisdom and morality, the superiority of a civilization, flawed as it may be, that has endeavored to follow its ethics aren't enough, the prophecies about Israel, foretold thousands of years ago and fulfilled before our eyes should be enough, if one is reasonable. As I have told my kids, the Bible can stand up to any criticism or test as long as it's an honest challenge. Nothing can stand up to unreasonable demands.

"Is experience necessary to trust, earned or unearned?"

That's a personal question with an answer that varies with each individual. More often than not experience is necessary, but it occurs in many different ways. It's natural for one to choose to trust based on the perception he has of an individual, but the existence of that individual is never in question. That God exists is obvious to anyone honest enough to acknowledge the ubiquitous evidence in creation. Romans chapter 1, in the new testament says creation points to God's existence, so it isn't just a blind act. It's the most logical and reasonable inference.

The Atheist definition of faith calls it "belief that doesn't require evidence."  For scriptural support, many of them point to Hebrews 11:1 which says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  But that's a quote mine.  It's out of context because the chapter goes on to describe the faith of Moses who had no doubt that God existed because he met Him in a bush that burned, but wasn't consumed.  Moses heard God's voice from it.  God made Moses' hand leprous, then healed it again.  He turned Moses' staff into a snake, then back again.  God went on to destroy Egypt with a series of fantastic plagues and drown their army in the Red Sea, after He parted the water to make a path of escape for the Hebrews.  God established that He existed, His power and demonstrated not only that He could fulfill His promise to their ancestor Abraham, but that He would.

That's empirical evidence and if Moses still lived, he would say he had more than Newton that his theory of gravity is right.  So what is faith in this circumstance?  Moses relinquished the control that we all hold on to so dearly, and trusted that the God he definitely knew was there, would keep and protect him and his people.  He trusted that God would do what was promised and had good reason to based on the incredible things that had happened so far.  It was the "substance" of things hoped for and unseen.  Unlike many other Hebrews, Moses trusted that God would care for them and that He didn't lead them into the wilderness to have them die of hunger and thirst.

A quick Google search on "faith" brings this definition:

1. complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
"this restores one's faith in politicians"
synonyms: trust, belief, confidence, conviction;

...and it's followed by the newly manufactured, Atheist version that I already offered:

2. strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

I think, for Moses and many others throughout scripture, the first is more appropriate.  But for us today it isn't just based on the stories.  It's based on a history that has been reinforced with archaeology and our own experience, to the extent we're willing to test what God promised to see if, and how, He will deliver.

For me, I had very little faith when I first believed. Just enough to believe God existed. But faith grew as I tested what scripture taught, and found it to be true. One challenge is in the book of James which says that faith without works is dead. The hardest tests for me have been with promises of God's providence, like the Hebrews in the wilderness.  Waiting on God in the midst of bad circumstances isn't apathy.  It is a "work" as James said, and faith will grow as one sees Him respond.

It's natural to want to control all one can.  It provides a sense of security, but a false one.  I have had almost all control taken from me this has proved to me how falsely placed my security was.  Physical injury, multiple surgeries, job loss, failed business, incredibly slow disability process which still hasn't materialized after multiple applications over a few years. But during this trial, I have never seen God fail, as odd as that may sound. Things frequently don't work out the way I expect or want, but I, and my family, have never lacked the essentials.

It has been said, outside the Bible, that God is rarely early, but never late. I have discovered the truth of it and that He acts precisely when, and how, He means to and that I don't need to worry, even though I frequently still do. Paul wrote that God's strength is made perfect in weakness and I'm pretty weak now, but expecting to see His strength demonstrated after all I have seen Him do so far.

Faith, at least the Christian variety, isn't blind.  It is a trust in a Creator that obviously exists, and that has earned it by delivering faithfully.