Faith is No Illusion

2 Corinthians 4:18 Paul writes, “…We look not to things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

I really enjoy watching a good magician. I don’t think they call themselves magicians anymore. They’re illusionists. I really enjoy watching a good illusionist. They have the ability to make you see things that aren’t there or to not see things that are there. But when an illusionist is bad, there’s nothing funnier. When an illusion is so poorly executed that it leaves no doubt that it’s all a sham, the show goes out the window and the guy is out of a job. The unseen is so much more powerful than the visible.

Paul is writing about our faith in Jesus. Faith is the belief in the unseen things of God. Faith is not an illusion but it is unseen. Many people in Paul’s day put their trust only in things that they could see, feel and explain. Idols were made by carving stone, wood or shaping metal. They were things that people could see. But stone doesn’t last forever and neither does wood or metal. The seen things are transient. They don’t last. They are a poor illusion gone bad.

“Show me, God!” Many people today look to God as an illusionist and want him to reveal his methods. Show me how it’s done and then I’ll believe. Tell me all your secrets and then, I’ll follow you. And the church, in the grand scheme of things, hasn’t always been so helpful in that. In an effort to please people, God has often been softened and the unseen things have been ignored, downplayed or forgotten. The mystery of God, of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit and the Sacraments is powerful because it is unseen.

The seen things of the church, of our own idols, will not last. They will all fade one day. Churches are buildings made of human hands. Pastors are people whose bodies will not stand the test of time. Hymnals and Bibles will dry up and turn to dust. The things of the world will do the same. Great monuments and statues will crumble. Leaders and celebrities, despite their best efforts, will not live forever. Constitutions, manifestoes, and other official documents of freedom or oppression will one day disappear. They are transient. But those things of God which are unseen are eternal.

Faith is not an illusion, it is unseen. God is not a trick, but a mystery eternal. Our faith, the faith that is a gift from Christ himself, holds to those things which are unseen. Faith, hope, love, these are things unseen. One day, the unseen things will be seen. When Jesus comes back, those things that are eternal will be visible. The communion of saints will be a feast that lasts forever. One day our eyes will see that which cannot be seen. God Himself. What a day that will be!

Heavenly Father, keep me steadfast in faith until the day when the unseen becomes seen, the invisible becomes visible and I see you face to face. In Jesus’ name, amen.