Does Hebrews 11:1 Teach Blind Faith?
Does Hebrews 11:1 Teach Blind Faith?
When Christians argue that faith is blind, they often appeal to Heb. 11:1, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." But what is this verse really saying?
Before we take a deep dive into the meaning of Hebrews 11:1, there are two passages we should look at that push back against the idea of blind faith. The first is found in Matthew 15:14 in which Jesus refers to some of the Pharisees as “blind guides.” “If the blind lead the blind,” he says, “both will fall into a pit.” His warning seems to be relatively straightforward. Blindly following religious ideas or authorities should be avoided at all costs since the results can be quite dangerous.
Another text worth considering is Acts 17:11 in which Luke tells us that the Jews of Berea “were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” So, why were these particular Jews commended above others? According to this verse, it was due to the fact that they did not immediately believe Paul, or blindly follow his teaching (even though he claimed to be an Apostle). Instead, they chose to examine his claims carefully, comparing them with the Scriptures to see whether Jesus really had fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies and promises related to Israel’s coming Messiah.
It is interesting to note that in his book, The Proof of the Gospel, the fourth-century bishop Eusebius complained that the Christians of his day were often caricatured by their opponents as “irrational animals” who “shut their eyes and staunchly obey what we say without examining it at all.”1 But as we just saw above, this is a complete misrepresentation since it goes against the clear teachings of both Jesus and Paul. According to Eusebius, “[Our opponents often slander us] with the accusation that we are unable to present a clear demonstration of the truth we hold, and think it enough to retain those who come to us by faith alone.”2 Thus, in his view, faith was not seen as a kind of blind irrational leap, but was a deep and abiding confidence that rests upon certain demonstrable truths.
So, what truths in particular did Eusebius have in mind? Well, in that same passage, he argued that, “Because of the extraordinary foreknowledge shown in the prophetic writers, and of the actual events that occurred in agreement with their prophecies [both Jews and Gentiles should be convinced] of the inspired and certain nature of the truth we hold.”3 In other words, he believed that the study of Jesus’ fulfillment of numerous Old Testament prophecies provides compelling evidence that has the power to convince all men of the truth of Christianity. In fact, at one point he specifically says that Christianity is established “on the basis of the[se] antecedent prophecies.”4 In my reading of both the New Testament and early Christian literature, this appears to be one of the primary apologetic arguments of the earliest period of church history. For example, in the sermons we find throughout the book of Acts, we find the apostles repeatedly appealing to Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.5
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Related Resources
Is Faith Irrational?, Humble Skeptic Episode 2
Is Faith Blind?, Humble Skeptic Episode 3
Is Faith a Feeling?, Humble Skeptic Episode 4
Faith & Experience Part 1, Humble Skeptic Episode 28
Faith & Experience Part 2, Humble Skeptic Episode 29
Eusebius, The Proof of the Gospel (Wipf & Stock, Eugene, OR, 2001), p. 6.
Ibid., p. 5
Ibid.
Ibid.
See for example Acts 2:21–38, 3:15–19, 4:10–19, 5:30–32, 42, 10:39–43, 13:28–38, 17:3–11, 18:28, 26:22–27, 28:23. To give just a few examples outside the New Testament, see Ignatius’ Epistle to the Philadelphians (6:3), The First Epistle of Clement (16:1-17 which walks through Christ’s fulfillment of Isaiah 53), The Epistle of Barnabas (5:1–2, 6–7, 12:10–11), The Epistle to Diognetus (11:5–6), The Apology of Justin Martyr (Book 1, sections 30–54), and Augustine’s Reply to Faustus the Manichaean (sections 43–45).