November 13, 2021

In the city where I live, a well-known reputable company includes the biblical city, Jericho, in its name. When I watch the company’s commercials, the owner comes across as a man of faith. In one commercial, he describes how he began his business during an economic downturn and named the business, “Jericho,” because the Israelites, in attacking Jericho, were moving forward in “blind faith.”

(He is in error here, as we will discuss below. The Israelites had good reason to have faith in God’s direction and they had evidence on which to base it.)

His company does many good things and helps take care of disadvantaged people. According to its commercials, the company also helps care for widows and orphan, a noble cause. From everything I can see, the business is dependable, does good work, and is a good employer. If I needed their services, I wouldn’t hesitate to call them. All of this tells me that this is a good Christian man who founded his business on biblical principles.

However, by using the term “blind faith” he is expressing a misunderstanding of true faith. In fact, by saying faith is blind, he is fueling the fire for atheists and other skeptics.

It is not unusual for an unbeliever to ask a Christian how they can have faith in a myth? The only way this is possible, they assert, is to have blind faith.

But not only unbelievers think a Christian’s belief is blind faith. Many Christians do not understand the true nature of faith, or can’t properly explain their faith, or think faith based on evidence is a weak faith.

I suspect our local businesses owner falls into this group.

How Can an Unbeliever or a Christian Think Christianity Requires Blind Faith?

This mischaracterization of faith often comes from misunderstanding the passage in John’s Gospel where portraying Thomas demanding evidence that Jesus rose from the grave. They do this by latching on to one verse, John 20:29 and ignoring the context.

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29 ESV)

Even atheists grab on to this passage as proof that Jesus demands blind faith. Apologist Josh McDowell points this out.

A common example used to show that the Bible denigrates evidence is the story of doubting Thomas. In The Selfish Gene, Dawkins writes, “Thomas demanded evidence…. The other apostles, whose faith was so strong that they did not need evidence, are held up to us as worthy of imitation” (p. 198).

In an article directly addressing the question of blind faith, apologist Greg Koukl responds to those who use John 20:29 to support their contention.

In other words, the whole reason that John wrote the Gospel of John, according to John, is so that he could give evidence that Jesus was the Christ, and the evidence would encourage you to believe in Him and be rescued. Okay, now why is this significant? Because John can’t be recording a statement that Jesus is making that essentially promotes blind faith as a virtue when the very next verse he tells the reason for writing his gospel is to encourage thoughtful evidence-based faith, alright? It would be a direct contradiction. That is not what Jesus had in mind.

Jesus is not arguing against a thoughtful evidenced faith. He is chastising Thomas for requiring an extreme level of evidence, that’s all. You and I haven’t seen. What do we have? We have the evidence of the eyewitnesses. One of them being John writing the Gospel of John so that we’d have the evidences to put our confidence in Christ and be rescued by Him.

True Faith

• True faith always has an object. And its object is God the father, revealed in Jesus Christ the son of God.
• It always has something to grasp. It always has something to look at and pursue.
• The basis for true faith is evidence and historical facts.
• Scripture exhorts us to love God with our mind. This means that true faith is reasonable.

Blind faith is really no faith at all. What is the object of blind faith? Is there a basis for blind faith? What is the rock of blind faith that one can cling to no matter what storms come against it?

What is Blind Faith?

• To have blind faith is to believe in something even when it unreasonable.
• Blind faith doesn’t require evidence.
• It is a faith unfounded in reason. It is irrational.

What is Biblical Faith?

What could this business owner have been thinking when he used the term blind faith? Maybe he was confusing hope with faith. And hope and faith are related, as we read in Hebrews.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Note here that the author of Hebrews says faith is includes both assurance and conviction.

He writes faith is the conviction of things not seen. But things not seen are not the same thing as blind faith. Things not seen would include, for all of us today, Jesus Christ in the flesh. Yet, there is plenty of evidence to show that Jesus Christ is, in fact, who he said he is, God himself.

We have assurance the salvation we hope for, by faith, is ours. We have this assurance for all the reasons supporting and proving the truth of the gospel.

If our faith were blind, how could we have assurance or conviction about anything?

An Example of Faith Based on Evidence vs. Blind Faith

For example, Let’s say I need surgery to raise my eyelids and improve my eyesight by letting in more light. I’m referred to a surgeon, known for his ability to correct this condition. After our consultation, I am convinced that this man can do the job and my hope of improving my eyesight is assured.

The surgery is performed; the results are as I hoped.

Now, this is not a perfect analogy, because the surgeon is not Christ, and the results could have been different. Yet, I did not go into this surgery with blind faith. I underwent the surgery with a certain assurance that this surgeon could do the job. Even though I had never witnessed his work, I knew he could do it.

Blind faith would have me allowing just any surgeon to cut into my skin. I would have no assurance, and I would have no conviction this would turn out well.

Which path would you prefer to follow? The path of reasonable faith? Or the trail of blind faith?

Summing Up

What can we learn from our entrepreneur’s mistake? Here are some things to consider.

• Blind faith is no faith at all.
• The Christian faith is reasonable and based on evidence.
• Taking a Bible verse out of context may lead to serious error. Always study the entire context.

For more reading suggestions, check out this post.

Please comment on this post. I like to know what you are thinking. And I learn from your comments.

Blessings in Jesus Christ!