The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the importance of faith.
But biblical faith is not merely something we possess.
It is something by which we WALK.
Paul wrote:
“For we walk by faith, not by sight:”
(2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV)
That raises an important question:
WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY MEAN TO WALK BY FAITH?
Does walking by faith mean following our feelings?
Does it mean believing that God will give us whatever we desire?
Does it mean acting without evidence?
Or does Scripture reveal a pattern showing us what a life of faith actually looks like?
FAITH COMES FROM GOD’S WORD
Before we can walk by faith, we must know where faith comes from.
Paul wrote:
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
(Romans 10:17, KJV)
Notice:
GOD SPEAKS
↓
MAN HEARS GOD’S WORD
↓
FAITH COMES
Therefore, walking by faith cannot mean walking according to our own ideas.
Biblical faith begins with:
WHAT GOD HAS SAID.
If God has not spoken, our personal opinion cannot become faith simply because we sincerely believe it.
ABEL WALKED BY FAITH
Hebrews says:
“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain…”
(Hebrews 11:4, KJV)
Notice:
BY FAITH
↓
ABEL OFFERED
Faith affected what Abel did.
And because:
“faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”
(Romans 10:17, KJV),
Abel’s faith was a response to what God had revealed.
Faith did not invent its own worship.
Faith responded to God.
NOAH WALKED BY FAITH
God warned Noah about a flood that had not yet occurred.
Hebrews says:
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house…”
(Hebrews 11:7, KJV)
Notice the pattern:
GOD WARNED NOAH
↓
NOAH BELIEVED GOD
↓
NOAH PREPARED THE ARK
↓
NOAH WAS DELIVERED
Noah could not see the coming flood.
But he had something more reliable than sight.
HE HAD GOD’S WORD.
That is walking by faith.
God spoke.
Noah trusted Him.
Noah obeyed.
ABRAHAM WALKED BY FAITH
God called Abraham to leave his homeland.
Hebrews says:
“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed…”
(Hebrews 11:8, KJV)
Notice the word:
OBEYED.
Then:
“…and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”
(Hebrews 11:8, KJV)
Abraham did not know every detail of the journey.
But he knew:
WHO HAD SPOKEN.
Therefore:
GOD CALLED
↓
ABRAHAM BELIEVED
↓
ABRAHAM OBEYED
↓
ABRAHAM WENT
That is walking by faith.
FAITH DOES NOT REQUIRE KNOWING EVERYTHING FIRST
Sometimes we want every question answered before we obey God.
Abraham did not receive every detail before he left.
Noah did not wait until he saw rain before he built the ark.
Israel did not wait until the walls of Jericho began falling before marching.
Faith trusts God enough to obey what He has revealed.
That does not mean faith is blind.
Faith has an object:
GOD.
And faith has a foundation:
GOD’S WORD.
THE WALLS OF JERICHO FELL BY FAITH
Hebrews says:
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.”
(Hebrews 11:30, KJV)
God gave Israel instructions.
They were to march around the city according to His command.
Human reasoning might have asked:
“HOW CAN MARCHING CAUSE WALLS TO FALL?”
But the power was never in marching.
THE POWER WAS GOD’S.
Israel’s responsibility was to trust God enough to obey Him.
Notice:
GOD SPOKE
↓
ISRAEL BELIEVED
↓
ISRAEL OBEYED
↓
THE WALLS FELL
The blessing came from God.
The response was faith.
FAITH AND OBEDIENCE ARE NOT ENEMIES
Some people speak as though faith and obedience oppose one another.
Scripture does not.
James wrote concerning Abraham:
“Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”
(James 2:22, KJV)
Notice:
FAITH
↓
WROUGHT WITH HIS WORKS
↓
FAITH WAS MADE PERFECT
Abraham did not stop having faith when he obeyed.
His obedience demonstrated the faith he possessed.
James concludes:
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
(James 2:26, KJV)
Therefore:
FAITH WITHOUT OBEDIENCE
↓
DEAD FAITH
But:
FAITH THAT TRUSTS GOD
↓
OBEYS GOD
WALKING BY FAITH DOES NOT MEAN FOLLOWING OUR FEELINGS
People sometimes say:
“I FEEL GOD IS LEADING ME TO DO THIS.”
But feelings are not the biblical standard of faith.
Our feelings can be sincere and still be wrong.
Solomon wrote:
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
(Proverbs 14:12, KJV)
Something can:
SEEM RIGHT
and still:
BE WRONG.
Therefore, walking by faith is not:
FOLLOW YOUR HEART.
It is:
FOLLOW GOD’S WORD.
FAITH MUST TRUST GOD WHEN HIS WORD CONFLICTS WITH OUR PREFERENCES
This is where walking by faith becomes difficult.
What happens when God’s Word says something different from what we want?
What happens when Scripture challenges:
OUR RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS?
OUR WORSHIP?
OUR BELIEFS?
OUR RELATIONSHIPS?
OUR BEHAVIOR?
OUR PRIORITIES?
OUR UNDERSTANDING OF SALVATION?
Will we trust ourselves?
Or will we trust God?
Walking by faith means saying:
GOD KNOWS BETTER THAN I DO.
↓
GOD’S WORD IS TRUE.
↓
I WILL TRUST WHAT GOD HAS SAID.
↓
I WILL OBEY HIM.
EVEN WHEN I DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND WHY.
PETER WALKED BY FAITH WHEN JESUS SAID, “AT THY WORD”
Peter had worked all night fishing and caught nothing.
Jesus told him:
“Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.”
(Luke 5:4, KJV)
Peter answered:
“Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing…”
(Luke 5:5, KJV)
Experience told Peter:
WE HAVE ALREADY TRIED.
But then Peter said:
“…nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”
(Luke 5:5, KJV)
Notice those words:
AT THY WORD.
Peter’s experience said one thing.
Christ’s Word said another.
Peter chose:
CHRIST’S WORD.
Then:
“And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes…”
(Luke 5:6, KJV)
That gives us a beautiful picture of faith.
MY EXPERIENCE SAYS…
↓
MY FEELINGS SAY…
↓
MY PREFERENCES SAY…
↓
BUT CHRIST HAS SPOKEN
↓
“AT THY WORD”
↓
I WILL OBEY.
CHRISTIANS MUST WALK BY FAITH EVERY DAY
Walking describes continuing movement.
Paul did not say:
“WE TOOK ONE STEP BY FAITH.”
He said:
“WE WALK BY FAITH.”
The Christian life begins with faith.
But it must continue in faith.
We trust God’s Word when making decisions.
We trust God’s Word when facing temptation.
We trust God’s Word when suffering.
We trust God’s Word when our culture disagrees with Scripture.
We trust God’s Word when religious tradition disagrees with Scripture.
We trust God’s Word when obedience costs us something.
We trust God’s Word when we cannot see what lies ahead.
Why?
Because:
“…we walk by faith, not by sight.”
(2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV)
THE BIBLICAL PATTERN
GOD SPEAKS
↓
WE HEAR HIS WORD
Romans 10:17
↓
WE BELIEVE GOD
↓
WE TRUST WHAT HE HAS SAID
↓
WE OBEY HIS WORD
↓
WE CONTINUE WALKING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL
↓
WE TRUST GOD EVEN WHEN WE CANNOT SEE THE OUTCOME
↓
WE REMAIN FAITHFUL
THAT IS WALKING BY FAITH.
Look at the pattern:
ABEL
↓
BY FAITH
↓
OFFERED
NOAH
↓
BY FAITH
↓
PREPARED
ABRAHAM
↓
BY FAITH
↓
OBEYED
ISRAEL
↓
BY FAITH
↓
MARCHED
PETER
↓
“AT THY WORD”
↓
LET DOWN THE NET
The pattern is consistent.
FAITH HEARS GOD.
↓
FAITH BELIEVES GOD.
↓
FAITH TRUSTS GOD.
↓
FAITH OBEYS GOD.
↓
FAITH CONTINUES WITH GOD.
That is very different from merely saying:
“I BELIEVE IN GOD.”
The question is:
DOES MY LIFE SHOW THAT I TRUST WHAT GOD HAS SAID?
When God’s Word and my preferences disagree:
WHICH ONE DO I FOLLOW?
When God’s Word and religious tradition disagree:
WHICH ONE DO I FOLLOW?
When God’s Word and popular culture disagree:
WHICH ONE DO I FOLLOW?
When God’s Word requires something difficult:
DO I STILL OBEY?
That is where faith becomes a walk.
Don’t accept this conclusion merely because it is written here.
Open your Bible.
Read Luke 5.
Read Romans 10.
Read 2 Corinthians 5.
Read Hebrews 11.
Read James 2.
Read Proverbs 14.
Compare Scripture with Scripture.
Then ask:
AM I WALKING BY FAITH, OR AM I WALKING BY WHAT SEEMS RIGHT TO ME?
Peter said:
“…nevertheless at thy word I will…”
(Luke 5:5, KJV)
That should be our attitude toward everything God has revealed.
GOD HAS SPOKEN.
↓
FAITH HEARS.
↓
FAITH BELIEVES.
↓
FAITH OBEYS.
↓
FAITH WALKS.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight:”
(2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV)
ALLOW SCRIPTURE TO INTERPRET SCRIPTURE.
The Biblical Pattern
Biblical Studies & Books by Kevin L. Walker
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The Biblical Pattern 