Please Stop Saying Faith Is Belief Without Evidence 

“Reasons To Believe” is a group of Christian scientists who demonstrate that science helps to prove biblical claims. They introduced me to apologetics 😊.

The Lord is blessing this channel, Mike. Thanks for the videos.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

I’m late to the party and as a newbie to my faith, I can’t tell you how helpful I found this video. Thank you.

When the Holy Spirit enters your heart, you know it without a shadow of a doubt, it is the purest form of peace and joy you will ever receive.

This is the answer to so many questions I've had and wondered why so many Christian friends would quote this scripture about their faith. Thank you so much Pastor for sharing your knowledge.

So excited about your upcoming debate!! Praying for you.

Just discovered your channel and so thankful that I recieved a new perspective change and view on the topic.

Saved this one. I really enjoy Your break down.

I'm always late but, I learn and keep going . My JOY is becoming more abundant . The Peace is on the Rise Be Blessed as I know you are . Thank you for your on line classes . Your explainations are so much easier to understand with the back ups plus , I have a pause ,rewind , and replay to go with a new pair of OTC glasses ! Thank you Mr. WINGER .

This is just wonderful my Brother. Thank you so much and thank the Lord most of all for such teachings.

I watched the Matt Dillahunty debate. Mike came in empty handed, unprepared, and with nothing in his ammunition to back up his corner. Matt took him to the cleaners.

Thank you! Timeless wisdom and breakdown!

Aww! I LOVE the kitty! Another great video and well constructed argument for having faith and just what it really means for us, as Christians. :)

I just want to say that I LOVE your channel. You are such a blessing to me with your desire to explain the Bible in a clear and unbiased way. Thanks for all you do. I would love to give to your mission if there is any way to do that. Please let me know!

The teaching on Hebrews 11 is very helpful for our brothers and sisters! In fact, we should be glad when skeptics use this scripture to attempt to weaken the faith of Christians because it provides an opportunity to both explain that we do not follow Jesus without evidence, and a chance to use Biblical exegesis for a skeptic - which in my experience is rare (with atheist skeptics). God bless and Thank you, Mike.

I have faith because I trust in the testimony of scripture. I trust in the testimony of the scriptures because it was written by some of jesus's earliest followers like the apostles (Matthew and John) who saw and reported his miracles and fought for their testimony, and the students of the apostles (mark, luke) who faithfully wrote down what the eyewitnesses saw and never changed it. Almost all the apostles died martyrs! they were so changed by what they saw that they never cared about the threats. They never changed their message to please anyone, it would have been easy for John to have backed down and not put such an emphasis on Jesus' divinity, instead, he could have called him a prophet and pleased many. So for me, i believe because of the scriptures, the strength of their testimony is what really gives me faith, their account is evidence.

Mike thanks for your Work on this. Very Well done.

I admire your clarity and humility in teaching. May God bless you.

I don't know if you'll read this, but your videos have really helped my ministry. I appreciate the content.

I've come across your station recently and I just wanted you to know wow!!!! I honestly love how you make things so clear I feel like sometimes I ask God questions then I watch your videos and God makes the answers clear through you! I think you have a gift from God to really make complex issues understandable thankyou!!!!

Great info, Mike. I wanted to add a thought on Heb 11 that might help some to understand that reference to faith. First, verses from Hebrews really must be taken in context. So many verses, when taken out of context, seem to be totally contradictory to the rest of the New Testament. But when read and understood in context, perfectly dovetail with both the Old and New Testaments. Heb 11:1 can only be understood if you look at the continuing passage through the third verse of chapter 12. When the author says "faith is the evidence" he is talking about the exemplary faith of the Old Testament saints that the 1st century Jews held in such high esteem and that will be expounded on through chapter 11. They all had personal supernatural experiences with God that strengthened their faith in the promises of God that would not be fulfilled in their lifetimes. Most notably, of course, the work of the coming Messiah. Abraham was witness to the work of God in his life so much that, when God told him to sacrifice Isaac, he believed that Isaac would die and God would raise him from the dead. When the story unfolds and God does not allow Abraham to kill Isaac, Abraham understands that in the future God will provide a sacrifice and that sacrifice will be killed on the very mount that Abraham and Isaac had been directed to. All of the characters in chapter 11 had some sort of first-hand experience that grew their faith. Noah, whom you touched on, David, Elijah, Daniel, the 3 Jews who were thrown into the furnace but were unharmed and walked with one "like the son of God". The author mentions these and more to help the 1st century Jews understand that their faith could be strengthened by these, as mentioned in Heb 12:1, "great cloud of witnesses". The faith of the OT saints and the resulting prophetic word concerning the Messiah, because they were eyewitnesses to the reality of God's work, was evidence for the 1st century Jewish Christians to endure in their faith, even though they were facing persecution. The OT saints faith was looking forward to the Messiah. The author doesn't ask the NT Christians to have blind faith, nor to have faith in the OT saints, he urges them to have faith in the resurrected Messiah, their great High Priest and Savior. Their faith could be strengthened from the testimonies of both OT eyewitnesses and NT eyewitnesses, fulfilled prophecies, and the personal relationship with God that they could experience. We today have the same eyewitness accounts, fulfilled prophecies, and that personal relationship through the Holy Spirit. We most certainly don't have a blind faith.

You are such a blessing to all new born christians 🥺 God bless and protect you Mike!

Thank you for the in depth study, WoW!!

God bless you Mike. God had been challenging me lately. I needed to know what FAITH is... and you answered some of my questions! Thank you!

Love most of your videos. The verses that make the biggest impact on my understanding of Biblical faith is John 20:30-31 where one of Jesus' disciples, who spent 3 years under his instruction and observing his behaviors wrote that the purpose of him (John) recording all these historical events was so the people would be persuaded to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. John himself seems to explicitly state that belief (faith) in Christ is founded on evidence, but one must take the last (reasonable) step to act on that evidence.

enjoy your channel so much, learning so much

Literally the definitions of faith: "complete trust or confidence in someone or something." "strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof."

P Mike, you just saved my life! What I mean is this will help me tremendously in responding to an atheist relative, which I have just prepared a response to based on the notes I just took from the points in this video. My aim is to not attempt to convince or debate him, and this video literally answered my prayer for wisdom in how to respond.

I've been watching your videos for years. So it threw me off when you talked about Nez Perce and peyote. I was born and raised on the Nez Perce Reservation (still live there) and am Nez Perce also, Travis W. is one of my brothers, best friends. Lol..... small world.

Love having found you and your entire library

So good, thank you!

Faith is accepting God's way and acting on that .It's not some superstitious hope .When you pray to God let him answer the prayer .you cant manipulate God with faith formulas .You have to have faith that God will answer in His time and way

Thank you, Mike! I have felt a little guilty for 40 years for thinking faith should have evidence.

Thx for posting, great vid.

Re: Hebrews 11:1 I agree what you said about this passage. I cannot imagine treating any other study the way this is by many Christians. I would NEVER use a single sentence as the sum substance of something. You read the context, the chapter, the book. In Hebrews chapters 1-10 the author lays down God’s track record in the past. Moses was great, but what we have in Christ is so much greater and better. We should not develop amnesia as we transition to chapter 11. The Bible was not written to include every truth in every sentence. That would make it very awkward and convoluted. Instead it is like other writings where it relies on what was said before, so in essence Hebrews 11:1 is saying that God’s track record in the past gives us the confidence to trust him for the future. Thank you for your videos.

They heard God, believed God, and obeyed God. They weren't perfect by works of the law. They believed and followed imperfectly by Faith. Always the biblical example when faith is mentioned. Never is it described, defined, or exampled as believing with no evidence. Many people and groups try to redefine Faith, as other words as well. The bible gives it's own definition in the context and intent the author wrote it by Devine inspiration. Great video, as usual. God is good. ❤🔥 Hebrews 11 1Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. 2This is why the ancients were commended. 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed by God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. The Faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death. He could not be found, because God had taken him away.a For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. 7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. The Faith of Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 15:1-7; Romans 4:1-12;Galatians 3:1-9; James 2:14-26) 8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going. 9By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the opportune age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. 17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”b 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death. The Faith of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph 20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. 21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his bones. The Faith of Moses 23By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict. 24By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. 26He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith Moses left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch Israel’s own firstborn. 29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow,c they were drowned. The Faith of Many 30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. 31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies in peace, did not perish with those who were disobedient. 32And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and obtained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,34quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused their release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Still others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned, they were sawed in two,d they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated. 38The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground. 39These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. 40God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.

Every Christian should watch this.

God is using you. Thankful I found you. I needed evidence. I started with Answers in Genesis-Scripture and science commingle - an open, searching mind is one that finds truth.

I love your channel brother, God bless you

6:12 I wouldn't feel like a fool for believing what God Almighty only because He told me to. It only bothers me that it leads to irreverence of the Almighty by unbelievers. Additionally, the Scriptures teach that faith IS the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. So to me, it's built in that faith isn't without evidence. But I also don't mind at all referring folks to the only kind of "proof" that matters to them; I love this info too because it further confirms what I already am soul-certain of. PS: To begin w/, the text of the Bible is built-in of truth! Glory be to God in Christ Jesus!!! 🙏

LOL, i bet those 3 thumbs down are them spiritual troll trio who argued with everyone who was actually trying to pay attention to some life changing stuff here.

Thank you so much Mike..I just discovered your channel.. God bless you :))

Wow I’m actually hyped for your debate with Matt dillahunty

When I first saw the Greatest Showman, at the very beginning of the movie there is an introduction song with a lyric "It's a preacher in the pulpit and your blind devotion" I immediately knew there was something askew about the songwriters. I did a little research and it turned out that one of them is gay. I found it strange that this lyric was in the song since when going through the song that lyric seems out of place. I see the term "blind devotion" or "blind faith" used when non-believers use when describing and mocking Christians. Even when I was a Roman Catholic I knew why I believed what I believed and when I changed over to the church I'm at now, I welcomed different points of view and I check it with scripture. I wish I caught this live stream, I would have mentioned "blind faith" and "blind devotion".

Mike, great video! But my OCD is lit. Your Taylor is sitting uncomfortably.

Great teaching bro.

Thank you, brother!! This is such an annoying definition of our Christian faith!

With sincere curiosity why are there people commenting on a RU-vid channel about thinking biblically when they claim to not believe in Jesus or have any type of faith or religious beliefs? I’m thinking if I thought a topic was rubbish I would skip over it. There are some pretty heated discussions going on here for people that find this all to be make believe.

Hey Mike, is your last name German and pronounced 'Vinger' with a menacing tone? 😊 Great video by the way

I haven’t watched this video yet, but simply put to me faith firstly means a know-that-you-know-that-you-know that what the Bible says about Jesus Christ is true, then secondly actively applying that knowledge by trusting God to the extent of accepting the gift of God’s love, and thirdly continually growing in that knowledge through a living relationship with God through His Holy Spirit. It isn’t ‘blind’ faith as my heart clearly sees and knows the Truth. I’m leaving a lot of things out, but that’s basically it. By the way Mike, I truly appreciate your videos and I’m inspired by the passion you have for teaching, your love for God, your sense of humor and just overall how kind you are. Thank you!

Faith so grows, belief without proof also known as a "leap of faith "

Great teaching as always Mike, but you might want to edit out your reference to Ravi Zacharias. Blessings.

Look up Professor John Lennox; he explains this well in debates and talks.

I just seen your video about Flat earth. Are or will you still be uploading a video on the topic? I would be interested in seeing you tackle the topic.

WEBSTERS: a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof clinging to the faith that her missing son would one day return (2) : complete trust 3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction especially : a system of religious beliefs

As the bibles wonders are timeless, so are its teachings. Thanks again for another great and helpful teaching Mike 🙏🙏

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (NIV) Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see (ERV) Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see (NLT) This says that the faith itself is the evidence. How bizarre!

LOVE YOU MIKE

At around 28:32 I have a question. How do we, in this day and age recognize that it is faith, and not our own wishful thinking or hopes and dreams of the future?

I think the cats are fine. They rule the internet anyways.

Mike Winger, I honestly do respect you for what you try to do. I am a young atheist living in Mississippi (I know alittle deep within the bible belt to be an atheist). I've seen a few of your videos and I also watched your debate against Matt dillahunty (of who I am a huge fan of). I try to watch and listen to both sides of the discussion just to get a better understanding of where everyone is coming from. Just wanted to give you a shout out from an atheist saying good work and keep up the discussion! With that being said I would like to make the point that providing evidence from the bible does not hold any weight until the validity of the bible and those events are proven first. So basically events from the bible cannot be used as evidence for your faith. I know you and matt touched on this, am wondering if your position has changed.

Thanx for this video,I was thinking why alot of Christians would say its faith,believing like a child.but I keep finding evidence and found God with evidence.

Thank you so much I'm giving a lesson on this soon and this was a great resource.

I like your thumbnail on this one 😂

My friend believes single celled organisms evolved over billions of years into the life forms we see today. He exercises faith.

just saying thanks again for making us smarter and well-rounded Christians.

Man you were so close Mike, I think I'm going to share this with Dr. White. ;P

Using things in the bible to prove that faith isn't belief without evidence won't work, because skeptics believe that everything in the bible is fake so if you truly wanted to prove it you would have to use evidence from something that is not the bibel. I don't understand your thinking and how you believe using the bible proves anything

If "faith" is the belief in something without evidence, then the big bang and evolution are faith based. (There's no evidence for either.)

This seems like a good place to ask this. I saw a church you were a guest teacher at that explained some of Progressive Christianity. Where is a "study room" teaching on this? It is so very important to know the twists and subtleties of the undermining of The Word. Thanks!

You make it so clear. Thank you. Just found this channel, was curious before I go further, do you believe baptism is required for salvation?

The blood of six million Jews cannot save even one of us, but the precious Blood of One Jewish Messiah was able to save more than six million Christians around the World...

How do you tell the difference between prophecy and a continuation of the stories, written with the old testament clearly in the minds of the new testament writers? Could you prove, for example that none of the new testament writers had ever seen the old testament? (I'm not expecting an answer so ignore this as usual.)

Hello Mike, what do you know about Servus Christi ? They have some nasty Calvary Chapel apostate video on you tube . I was wondering if you know anything about them ? TY.

I fully agree. I find that belief in God makes sense and behind it lies a certain process of reasoning and experience that also grows with time. I am thinking of 1 Corinthians 13 right now. Love also plays a big role, the more my love for God and people grows the easier it is to have faith. Now I think there is a tendency amongst some Christians to reject reasoning, a certain anti-intellectualism and hence they might say that one needs no evidence in order to believe. It might just be a certain arrogance against others who demand evidence.

That kitty is cute but it would be way cuter if it was a doggy. 😜😄🥰

Mike! You are getting ads to a Mormon website on your videos! Lol

I love the premier of the cat 😂

It seems like some atheists say that what we assert as evidence is not evidence, therefore faith is not based on evidence. But faith, as defined by the Bible, is based on evidence. And strong faith, which many Christians have, is based on what we consider to be evidence.

Every moment I breathe here on earth is evident enough. The sun, the moon, our entire galaxy, all these are proofs. If I were a scientist and fortunate to go out of space to see ⅓of what these guys have, I will be dumbfounded by the awesomeness of This Creator. Don't understand how a human will ever believe everything came out of nothing, when we can't even speak anything to life, not to talk of the sun, moon, Jupiter, EARTH!😱😱😱

I just see faith as trust. Faith isnt really limited to religion in my opinion. You can have faith in a person, have faith in yourself. You can have faith below reason (blind faith) or faith above reason which meens you have direct experience and now "you know". I think if someone really dives into the bible and goes deep into it.....the typology of Christ in the old testament and prophecy is enough to say you have faith because you have proof. Finally our inner being (emotional,mental, spiritual) perceptions and how prayer is answered by people, places and events is another reasons to have faith. I think that prayers that asks for inner spiritual strenght, wealth of virtues (Not gold or money) and support from God during trials or asking for help from God to refine ones self is ALWAYS answered. When your prayer is answered it is always in a way you never expected and large lenghts of time could be between the prayer and Gods intervention. God doesn't give us what we want but what we NEED spiritually. He NEVER promised an easy life for those who love and follow him. God NEVER promised good health and no suffering in this life. He promises only that he will give you the resources to get through it spiritually even if the flesh should parish. I think that every single tragedy, great sufferings in my life have been a gift. From my failings and humilations I have learned and ivolved spiritually and it is the worst times that cause many to seek God. So yes those beloved to the lord get suffering and humiliation because it refines you like gold in the furnace. Example: A person is addicted to drugs and cannot quite even if they want too. So in desparation cries out " please God I need help I am completely lost ". God sees the heart and knows if its legit. So he doesnt give him the willpower he makes his addiction go to the rock bottom end. The person loses everything but that finally makes them quit cause the pain is more than the pleasure. So that person is humiliated and completely brought low. Is that not proof which gives you faith (proof,trust) in Gods presence? People are asking what they want and have no clue what they need. So the atheist laugh and point out that prayer is 50/50 which is simply chance. The famous " you can pray to a molk cartoon and get the same odds of a yes".....is all because we ask the wrong stuff. We ask for carnal, physical, earthly things instead of spiritual things. Those who seek will find FAITH/PROOF.......thats how we get to the truths like the giants, creation instead of BLIND FAITH in evolution There is the scientific method and then there is SCIENTISM which is a religion. When science goes theoretical and not scientific method, when science starts to defend old ideas and not challenge the old conclusions the its BLING FAITH.

What bible app did you use? It looks really good.

The presentation of faith here is so harmonious with the scripture. One verse I still struggle with is 2 Peter 1:1.

You have faith that your car will turn on in the morning. You have faith that your shower will work. You can “have faith” for plenty of things that you can clearly see in the physical realm.

I'm still confused that Mike talks about there being evidence for the Christian faith, but, then goes on to just quote scripture as being that evidence. Was his goal just to strengthen the faith of believers, or, to also reach out to nonbelievers? If it was to reach out to nonbelievers, then I am confused...the bible is lost on nonbelievers, so, I don't see how his evidence is supposed to work for them...

I used to be an avid Matt watcher...those were some horrible days in my life.

Hebrews 11:1, KJV, "Now faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report."

Mike Winger - In brief: "The Bible is evidence of the Bible!" OK guys, enjoy your beliefs!

If your belief in faith is so strong, try this faith exercise, blindfold yourself and try and drive to or from work on faith alone - see how far you get.

Excellent subject. This has needed to be tackled forever. It's always been an artificial definition that doesn't reflect the word how it's actually used in church theology or in scripture.

The more sloppy their response, the less they analyze their faith, & thus the less likely they are to truly live a faith filled life in Jesus and His Cross... Few,, not many... Grow in grace and mature in the Spirit 🙏

My search for God began with creation itself. There is evidance enough when your eyes are open.

Does anyone know the video where Mike talks about why it’s not bad to call himself or Christianity “religious” or a “religion”. I tried searching Bible thinker. Thanks!!

This was a big reason that it was so hard for me to come to Christ. I saw Christians say foolish things like this and as someone who is after truth; this immediately turned me off. Thankfully God worked a miracle in my life and men like Frank Turek helped me wrestle with what faith actually is.

Do you realize that if you had evidence for the existence of a god (yours or someone else's), a Nobel Prize is yours? Yes or No?

Faith is belief without evidence.

Hello Mike. Can you do a video on the Message bible translation?

Work is evidence of faith because work without evidence is not faith.

isn't faith evidence itself? The fact that you have faith is evidence that God is at work in you, you would not have faith if he was not at work in you. the atheist has it backward, and as such will never understand, that God requires faith and not evidence, so if you have hard and fast evidence then you would not need faith, True, but God has said "you must believe that I existe and reward those who seek me" if it were otherwise then faith would not be needed, and you would need evidence. Well Faith is evidence of God because the worldly man can not get or make faith on his own, so it must be given by God to man, and as such it is the evidence of God's work and his exsentis.