Hebrews 12:2: “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.” How do we fix our eyes on Jesus? What does that even mean?
The person who wrote these ancient words is tagging on the topic of faith. Earlier he says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.” Those two words, substance and evidence capture the objective side of faith–that while there is a subjective aspect, it is not purely subjective; it has an object–God–who is an objective reality in himself, independent of my subjective approval or disapproval of his existence.
Notice that faith is the “substance” of things hoped for. The Greek word literally means, “that which stands under” or “foundation.” In other words, faith is as concrete as the slab our church auditorium is standing on. Now, we can’t see the slab because there’s a carpet in the way. That’s how life is. We can’t see the slab, but we know it’s there, so we walk on it. So the subjective certainty in our hearts has an objective solidity to it.
Notice also that faith is “the evidence of things not seen.” The Greek word for “evidence” means, “proof.” Richard Dawkins, well-known atheist and outspoken antagonist against the assumption of God, said this: “Science is not religion, and it doesn’t just come down to faith. Although it has many of religion’s virtues, it has none of its vices. Science is based upon verifiable evidence. Religious faith not only lacks evidence, its independence from evidence is its pride and joy.”
But this ancient author to the Hebrews says that faith itself is evidence–the “evidence of things not seen.” I like to think of faith as a higher faculty than reason, and a higher sense than our five senses. It’s kind of like a sixth sense that is able to conceive of realities that go beyond what we see. So when I’m stressed or depressed, I fix my eyes on this God I can’t see and somehow that makes life a lot better for me.