"For we live by faith, not by sight."
— 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
2 Corinthians 5:7 is the "walk by faith, not by sight" verse, one of the shortest and best-known lines Paul wrote. This page gives the verse, what the key words mean, where it sits in 2 Corinthians 4-5, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about faith, Bible verses about trust, and Hebrews 11:1.
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The verse
The King James reads: "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)"
"Live" (KJV "walk") is peripateo (G4043), literally to walk around, and in Paul's letters a common word for how a person conducts their life. "Faith" is pistis (G4102), trust or confidence. "Sight" is eidos (G1491), what is seen or the outward appearance of a thing.
Where it sits in 2 Corinthians 4-5
The thought starts at the end of chapter 4: "we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). Just before that, Paul says "we do not lose heart" (2 Corinthians 4:16) and calls his hardships "light and momentary troubles" (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Chapter 5 continues: "if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands" (2 Corinthians 5:1). Verse 6 says "we are always confident," and verse 7 is the reason. Verse 8 finishes the thought: "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
What the verse is saying
Paul is not telling people to ignore what is in front of them. He is saying that what he can see, a body wearing out and constant trouble, is not the whole story. He lives by what God has promised, even though he cannot see it yet.
Hebrews defines that kind of faith: "faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). Proverbs says it another way: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Questions people ask
What does 2 Corinthians 5:7 say?
In the NIV it says, "For we live by faith, not by sight." The KJV reads, "For we walk by faith, not by sight," and puts the verse in parentheses as an aside.
Is "walk by faith, not by sight" in the Bible?
Yes. It is 2 Corinthians 5:7 in the King James Version and several other translations. The NIV says "live" instead of "walk."
What does "walk by faith" mean?
The Greek word for walk, peripateo, means how you go about your life. Walking by faith means making your choices on the basis of what God has said, not only on what you can see.
What is the context of 2 Corinthians 5:7?
Paul is talking about the body as an "earthly tent" that wears out and about the eternal home God has prepared. He can stay confident because he trusts what God has promised beyond what he can see.
What verses go with 2 Corinthians 5:7?
2 Corinthians 4:18 (fix our eyes on what is unseen), Hebrews 11:1 (assurance about what we do not see), and Proverbs 3:5-6 (trust in the Lord with all your heart) are close companions.
