Is Faith Belief Without Evidence?

No. In Hebrews 11:1Hebrews 11:1 · King James VersionNow faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Hebrews 11:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. The verse uses the word evidence. It does not define faith as believing with nothing in hand. The Gospels and Acts name what the witnesses say they saw. Atheist writers who call faith belief without evidence are describing a habit they reject. They are not quoting Hebrews 11:1.

Key Points

• Hebrews 11:1Hebrews 11:1 · King James VersionNow faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Hebrews 11:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source says faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The Greek words are πίστις and ἔλεγχος.
• John 20:30–31John 20:30 · King James VersionAnd many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:John 20:30 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the signs were written so that readers might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Luke 1:1–4Luke 1:1–4 · King James Version^1:1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, ^1:2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; ^1:3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, ^1:4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.Luke 1:1–4 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the writer investigated and wrote in order, so that Theophilus might know the certainty of the things he had been told.
• Acts 1:3Acts 1:3 · King James VersionTo whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:Acts 1:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source says Jesus showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs. Acts 17:31Acts 17:31 · King James VersionBecause he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.Acts 17:31 · King James VersionOpen the Source says God has given assurance by raising him from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:3–81 Corinthians 15:3–8 · King James Version^15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ^15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ^15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: ^15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. ^15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. ^15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.1 Corinthians 15:3–8 · King James VersionOpen the Source names the people who saw him.
• Dan Barker, for the Freedom From Religion FoundationWhat is a freethinker? · Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation, 7 July 1994Atheism is not a belief. It is the “lack of belief” in god(s). Lack of faith requires no faith.What is a freethinker? · Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation, 7 July 1994Open the Source, writes that atheism is the lack of belief in gods, and that “Lack of faith requires no faith.”
• 1 Peter 3:151 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionBut sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:1 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionOpen the Source says to be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in you. An answer is a reason, offered to a question.
• Is God Real? is the existence question. Did Jesus Exist? is the historical question. Evolution and Creation is the science question.

What Hebrews 11:1 Says

Hebrews 11:1Hebrews 11:1 · King James VersionNow faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Hebrews 11:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source, King James Version:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 · King James Version

“Evidence” is the King James word. The Greek noun is ἔλεγχος, a word for a proof that exposes or tests a matter, and the word for faith is πίστις. The chapter then names people who acted on what God had said: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham. The things hoped for were not yet seen. The chapter does not say the people had no reason. It says the reality they trusted was ahead of what they could already look at. Abraham left because of a call. Noah built because of a warning. The unseen thing is future or heavenly. The word that sent them is treated as something they had.

Calling that “belief without evidence” swaps the verse’s own noun. The King James line says faith is the evidence of things not seen, not the refusal of evidence. A hope can be unseen and still rest on a promise already spoken. What Do Atheists Believe? quotes organizations that define atheism as a lack of belief in gods. That lack is their position about God. It is not a definition of the word Hebrews uses.

What an Atheist Organization Says About Faith

Dan Barker’s essay “What is a freethinker?”What is a freethinker? · Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation, 7 July 1994Atheism is not a belief. It is the “lack of belief” in god(s). Lack of faith requires no faith.What is a freethinker? · Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation, 7 July 1994Open the Source, 7 July 1994, on the Freedom From Religion Foundation site, says:

Atheism is not a belief. It is the “lack of belief” in god(s). Lack of faith requires no faith.

“What is a freethinker?” · Dan Barker, Freedom From Religion Foundation, 7 July 1994

The sentence is about atheism, not about Hebrews. It says that lacking faith is not itself an act of faith. Christians who answer “Is faith belief without evidence?” are often answering a different sentence, one that treats faith as a decision to ignore what can be checked. Barker’s line does not say that. It says the absence of belief carries no duty to believe. What Do Atheists Argue Against God? is the case as atheists put it, including the charge of insufficient evidence.

What the Witnesses Say They Handed On

Luke 1:1–4Luke 1:1–4 · King James Version^1:1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, ^1:2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; ^1:3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, ^1:4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.Luke 1:1–4 · King James VersionOpen the Source says many have taken in hand to set forth the things believed among them, as delivered by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word. Luke says it seemed good to him also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write in order, so that Theophilus might know the certainty of the things in which he had been instructed. The stated aim is certainty, from a report traced to eyewitnesses. That is a claim about research. It can be disputed. It is not a claim that the reader should believe with no account of where the story came from.

John 20:30–31John 20:30 · King James VersionAnd many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:John 20:30 · King James VersionOpen the Source says Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book, and that these are written so that the reader might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and believing might have life. The signs are the evidence the book offers for the belief it seeks. John 20:24–29John 20:24–29 · King James Version^20:24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. ^20:25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the LORD. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. ^20:26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. ^20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. ^20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. ^20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.John 20:24–29 · King James VersionOpen the Source is Thomas, who would not believe until he saw the wounds, and who then said, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus blesses those who have not seen and have believed. He does not say they believe with nothing. He says they have not seen what Thomas saw, and the chapter has just said the signs were written for them.

Acts 1:3Acts 1:3 · King James VersionTo whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:Acts 1:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source says he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen forty days. Acts 17:31Acts 17:31 · King James VersionBecause he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.Acts 17:31 · King James VersionOpen the Source says God has appointed a day to judge the world by the man he ordained, “whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” Assurance, in that verse, is the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:3–81 Corinthians 15:3–8 · King James Version^15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ^15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: ^15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: ^15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. ^15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. ^15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.1 Corinthians 15:3–8 · King James VersionOpen the Source lists Cephas, the twelve, more than five hundred at once, James, all the apostles, and Paul. The Resurrection of Jesus walks through that list. Did Jesus Exist? is the historical question behind it.

1 Peter 3:151 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionBut sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:1 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionOpen the Source says to sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and to be ready always to give an answer to every one who asks a reason of the hope that is in you. The reason is part of the command. Faith, in that sentence, is a hope that can be asked about.

Science and a Different Question

The charge that science replaced faith usually means that a physical account of the world has taken the place of a God who made it. Evolution and Creation quotes what the churches and the texts say about that dispute. Hebrews 11:1 is not a theory of biology. It is a sentence about trusting what is promised and not yet seen. A reader can reject the promise. The verse still does not say the trust was empty of reasons. Is God Real? is where this site states the case that God is, and why the world is not a closed accident. Jesus is God. The faith this page describes is faith in him, on the witness the books say they wrote down.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Faith Believing Without Seeing?

John 20:29John 20:29 · King James VersionJesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.John 20:29 · King James VersionOpen the Source blesses those who have not seen and have believed, after Thomas has seen the wounds. John 20:31John 20:31 · King James VersionBut these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.John 20:31 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the signs were written so that the reader might believe. Not seeing Thomas’s moment is not the same as having no signs written down.

What Does Hebrews 11:1 Mean?

It says faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. The hoped-for things are unseen. The faith is called the evidence, not the absence of evidence. ἔλεγχος is the Greek noun behind “evidence.”

Does Faith Require Evidence?

Luke 1:1–4Luke 1:1–4 · King James Version^1:1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, ^1:2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; ^1:3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, ^1:4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.Luke 1:1–4 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the account was written so Theophilus might know the certainty of what he was taught, from eyewitnesses. Acts 17:31Acts 17:31 · King James VersionBecause he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.Acts 17:31 · King James VersionOpen the Source points to the resurrection as the assurance God has given. 1 Peter 3:151 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionBut sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:1 Peter 3:15 · King James VersionOpen the Source tells Christians to be ready with a reason for the hope. The atheist claim that there is not enough evidence is a judgment about those reasons. It is not what Hebrews 11:1 says faith means.