Biblical Characters Who Walked by Faith Not Sight
Paul's exhortation in 2 Corinthians 5:7—"we walk by faith, not by sight" [1, 2]—captures a principle woven throughout Scripture's narrative of God's people. This posture of trust in divine promise rather than visible circumstance defines the lives of numerous biblical figures whose stories illustrate what it means to move forward when empirical evidence offers little assurance.
Abraham's Journey into the Unknown
Abraham stands as the paradigmatic example. Called to leave his homeland without knowing his destination, he departed Ur in obedience to God's word alone. The promise of land and descendants came before any visible fulfillment, requiring sustained trust across decades. His willingness to offer Isaac demonstrated faith's apex—believing God could raise the dead rather than allow His promise to fail. The Jewish Christians addressed in Ephesians "before hoped in the Christ," waiting for the consolation of Israel in a pattern Abraham established [4].
Moses and the Exodus Generation
Moses led Israel out of Egypt by faith in God's deliverance, not by calculating military odds. At the Red Sea, the Israelites faced an impossible situation: water ahead, Pharaoh's army behind. Adam Clarke notes that "they passed through the Red Sea" by faith, while "the Egyptians thought they could walk through the sea as well as the Israelites; they tried, and were drowned." One group "walked by faith, the other by sight; one perished, the other was saved" [5]. The distinction was not in what they saw—both faced the same waters—but in whether they trusted God's promise or their own assessment.
The Active Character of Faith
Faith in these narratives is never passive assent. The "work of faith" in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 describes "the working reality of your faith; its alacrity in receiving the truth, and in evincing itself by its fruits. Not an otiose assent; but a realizing, working faith" [3]. Abraham walked, Moses stretched out his staff, Israel marched into the sea. Each act required movement before the outcome became visible, embodying trust that God's word was more reliable than present circumstances. The biblical pattern consistently shows faith producing tangible action in the absence of empirical confirmation.
Sources
- 2 Corinthians “2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB) — for we walk by faith, not by sight--”
- II Corinthians “II Corinthians 5:7 (BSB) — For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
- 1 Thessalonians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Thessalonians 1:3: work of faith--the working reality of your faith; its alacrity in receiving the truth, and in evincing itself by its fruits. Not an otiose assent; but a realizing, working faith; not "in word only," but in one continuous chain of "work" (singular, not plural, works), Th1 1:5-10; Jam 2:22. So "the work of faith" in Th2 1:11 implies its perfect development (compare Jam 1:4). The other governing substantives similarly mark respectively the characteristic manifestation of the grace which follows each in the genitive. Faith, love, and hope, are the ”
- Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 1:12: (Eph 1:6, Eph 1:14). who first trusted in Christ--rather (we Jewish Christians), "who have before hoped in the Christ": who before the Christ came, looked forward to His coming, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Compare Act 26:6-7, "I am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: unto which our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come." Act 28:20, "the hope of Israel" [ALFORD]. Compare Eph 1:18; Eph 2:12; Eph 4:4.”
- Hebrews (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Hebrews 11:29: By faith they passed through the Red Sea - See the notes on Exo 14:22. The Egyptians thought they could walk through the sea as well as the Israelites; they tried, and were drowned; while the former passed in perfect safety. The one walked by faith, the other by sight; one perished, the other was saved.”