Eyes of Faith

While reading the Epistle for Ascension this year, I was reminded of my original drawing connected to the title of this blog: "Eyes of Faith." The passage reads, "having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints," (Eph. 1:18, ESV). In this section Paul prays for the eyes of the Ephesian church to be opened to see the hope that Christ brings. Now, one could say that this is just figurative language. But vision in the mind's eye has long been an emphasis. Sight is a gift that God has given to us, both internal and external vision. It appears like there may be a hang up in Hebrews 11:1: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." In this verse the author of Hebrews is not disparaging vision outright. He is making the point that what we see must be based upon the Word of God. We see regardless. The question is, "How do you see?" In Ephesians 1, Paul is talking about seeing with the right kind of spiritual eyes. How is it that we see with spiritual eyes, to see God's work even in the most mundane or even contrary things? The Christ's cross reveals this to us. By the looks of it, it is a man dying a terrible death. But with the eyes of faith, we behold this Jesus as our Savior, God in the flesh, the Redeemer of the World, who by His cross has defeated sin, death, and power of the devil. To the world, it is foolishness. But in the eyes of faith, it is the power of our salvation (1 Cor. 1:18). In order to see, one must first hear. We must hear God's Word that works by the power of the Holy Spirit to enliven our hearts and minds. As Paul says, in Romans 10:17: "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." This hearing is no less physical. The disciples saw Jesus resurrected with their eyes. Because they saw Jesus' resurrected and heard His promises, their eyes were opened to look at His cross in a different light. By the power of the Holy Spirit from Pentecost on the Gospel of Jesus' death and resurrection for sinners has spread to us, to you. It is proclaimed to us into our ears. By the power of the Word, eyes are opened to see aright, even if dimly for the time being; however, a day is coming when we shall see fully (1 Cor. 13:8). 


I leave you with the words of Job 19:25-27:

          "For I know that my Redeemer lives, 

and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 

And after my skin has been thus destroyed, 

yet in my flesh I shall see God, 

whom I shall see for myself, 

and my eyes shall behold, and not another. 

My heart faints within me!"