“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Many take this as support to the “belief without evidence” definition of faith.

Among the potential problems with this view of faith is the way it impacts the process Biblical interpretation itself.

If faith is, indeed, a spiritual conviction that defies evidential support, then one is free to interpret scriptural passages based on what they feel the passage means.

When someone challenges them to back their interpretation up with such tools as cross-referencing or contextual support, that person is asking for evidence, defying their faith and insulting their spiritual conviction.

This is exactly the trap that one falls into if one reads Hebrews 11:1 without considering the context in which it is given… Joel Furches