Is it possible to know and love someone you have never seen? For the Christian, yes! It is absolutely possible. Referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and full with glory.” (1 Peter 1:8).
God has revealed in the Scriptures everything that is vital for us to know about Jesus Christ, including His conception, birth, earthly life and teachings, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and His second advent. If we believe God’s Word we must accept what it says.
The key to believe and accept Biblical principles and teachings, is faith. Through faith, Christians are able to love and worship the Lord Jesus without actually seeing Him through physical eyesight, And we also believe in Him. Hence we are able to rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and full of glory.
Christians believe “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5). Cephas is Peter.
Christians also believe that Jesus will return for those who have accepted Him as their Savior. Here’s the proof. At His ascension to heaven, two angels present said to the apostles standing there, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11).
In anticipation of the Lord’s return, Paul has this to say, “We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight . . . and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” (2 Corinthians 5:6-9). Christians walk by faith, not by sight. Meaning, living in obedience to God’s word.
Faith is a foundational principle to Christianity. Faith means “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5,6). Faith is essential for salvation because a person receives salvation through faith alone. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). The writer to the Hebrews lists many instances of faith by those who “died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13).
Like Abraham, who was one who died in faith, Christians also look forward “to the city that has foundations whose designer and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:10).
The Bible helps us to maintain faith in God. Paul says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17). This means we must believe and accept what the Scriptures teach, because they are “God-breathed,” profitable, authoritative, and reliably accurate, so that the believer in Jesus Christ is complete, and lacks nothing.
C.I. Scofield, D.D. writes,“The essence of faith consists in believing and receiving what God has revealed, and may be defined as that trust in the God of the Scriptures and in Jesus Christ whom He has sent, which receives Him as Lord and Savior and impels to loving obedience and good works.”
God expects His children to live by faith. Romans 1:17 says, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17). And this means being fully and completely confident knowing “that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28).
God is completely trustworthy. That’s why we can commit any situation to him and confidently leave the outcome to Him because He “is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20). Whatever God says, He will absolutely perform. Therefore, the Christian can willingly and joyfully claim all God’s promises.
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (1 John 5:4). Is your faith showing?