For we walk by faith, not by sight

2 Corinthians 5:7 - Our faith places the eternal reward ahead of everything in this world

Aug 13, 2025

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“for we walk by faith, not by sight—”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

God is continuing to direct my journey through a number of the books and epistles that make up the New Testament, and today’s verse — though short — is filled with insight into faith.

This verse is from Paul’s Second Epistle to the Corinthians, written by the apostle with the help of his close companion Timothy in 55-56 AD. 18th Century theologian John Gill had this to say about Chapter 5 of Second Corinthians:

The apostle, in this chapter, enlarges upon the saints' comfortable assurance, expectation, and desire of the heavenly glory; discourses of the diligence and industry of himself and other Gospel ministers in preaching the word, with the reasons that induced them to it; and closes it with a commendation of the Gospel ministry from the important subject, sum, and substance of it.1

For a little context, let’s look at the verse just prior to this one:

“Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

What Paul is referring to in our verse today is that we can live our lives in one of two ways. The first way is to live in the world, letting the circumstances of everyday life direct our interactions with others and the short-term, material and physical pleasures and pains distract us from God. The second — Christian — way is to live by walking with Jesus, and that means that our faith places the eternal reward ahead of everything in this world.

Charles Spurgeon had several excellent comments on this diminutive verse:

Those who walk by sight walk alone. Walking by sight is just this—"I believe in myself," whereas walking by faith is, "I believe in God."

and also created this list, which explains the importance of the word “walk” in this verse (note that other translations of the Bible use “live by faith”, while the original Koine Greek word is περιπατέω (peripateō — to walk)):

1. The possession of life. You can make a dead man sit or even stand in a certain position, but to walk necessitates life. In the sense in which the term is here used, the ungodly man does not walk at all.
2. Activity. It is a blessed thing to sit "with Mary at the Master's feet"; but we walk as well as sit. Many can affirm -- "We talk; we think; we experience; we feel"; but true Christians can say, "We walk."
3. Progress. A man does not walk unless he make some headway. God does not say to us, "This is the way," and then stop; but He says, "This is the way, walk ye in it." We are always to be making advances, from faith in its beginnings to faith in its perfections.
4. Perseverance. When a man goes along a step or two and then stops, or returns, we do not call that walking.
5. That in the ordinary actions of life we are actuated by faith. Walking is that kind of progress in which a man continues hour after hour. We often read of men who, by faith, did great exploits, and some Christians are always fixing their eyes upon exploits of faith. But Paul does not speak about running or jumping or fighting, but about walking, and he means to tell you that the ordinary life of a Christian is different from the life of another man; that he has learned to introduce faith into everything he does.

David Guzik, in his Enduring Word commentary, says this (and also cites the very quotable Spurgeon):

i. To walk by faith, not by sight is one of the great — and difficult — principles of Christian living. It must amaze the angels that we live for, serve, and are willing to die for a God we have never seen. Yet we love Him and live for Him, living by faith, not by sight.
ii. To walk by faith means to make faith part of every daily activity. Walking is nothing remarkable in itself; it is one of the more mundane aspects of life. But God wants us to walk by faith. "That man has not yet learned the true spirit of Christianity who is always saying, 'I can preach a sermon by faith.' Yes, sir, but can you make a coat by faith? 'I can distribute tracts, and visit the district by faith.' Can you cook a dinner by faith? I mean, can you perform the common actions of the household, and the daily duties which fall to your lot, in the spirit of faith?" (Spurgeon)

One more beautiful comment, this time by A.W. Tozer cited in Precept Austin:

Faith as the Bible knows it is confidence in God and His Son Jesus Christ; it is the response of the soul to the divine character as revealed in the Scriptures; and even this response is impossible apart from the prior in working of the Holy Spirit. Faith is a gift of God to a penitent soul and has nothing whatsoever to do with the senses or the data they afford. Faith is a miracle; it is the ability God gives to trust His Son, and anything that does not result in action in accord with the will of God is not faith but something else short of it.

Faith can be a difficult thing to have, especially when life itself is difficult. Walking with faith in Jesus rather than depending on ourselves or others ensures that we’ll always be on the right path.

Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:

Today’s prayer comes from Knowing Jesus:

Loving Father, thank You for my great salvation. I pray that You would help me walk by faith, to live by faith, to pray in faith, and to trust all that is written in Your Word of truth - by faith. I pray that I may die to myself and my own abilities, and rest entirely on You and Your sufficient grace in all I say and do. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.

Precept Austin was accessed on August 11, 2025 for commentary on 2 Corinthians 5:7

Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author

Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, as quoted on BibleStudyTools.com

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