The just shall live by faith

(By Rick Lambert)

Romans 1:16 – For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." While there are many profound passages in Scripture, I believe this one is ranks among the highest.  The thought that imperfect man could not only stand before God as truly just/righteous, but that God would make it possible and declare to be a fact is beyond comprehension. This is the verdict of God upon the redeemed.  What a staggering thought!  It is a repeated theme in the Scriptures, first used in Habakkuk 2:4, and used by Paul in Galatians3:11 as well as Hebrews 10:38.

It must be pointed out that this condition is quite the opposite of those who think they are now free to live as they choose.  It’s the righteous that live by faith.  It is the righteous who live constantly being persuaded by the Word and Spirit of God to live defying the flesh in its temptations to live as it desires or to produce its own form of self-righteousness. Faith leads us to obey, and therefore the righteous are learning to obey righteously. 

God has declared us to be righteous and now through his great work of sanctification wills to make us live as righteous ones.  It’s God growing us to be as he sees us to be.  It’s spiritually maturing to live in the reality of what God making us to be.  The just or righteous will live…, but this life is in the context of faith.  If we are not living in the reality of faith, if our sight is not through spiritual eyes whereby we are trusting God to guide us, then we are not living.  If we are not following the course of faith then we must conclude that we either are or are striving to follow the path that leads to death.  This path is based upon our own understanding and perspective of life.  It’s the opposite of wisdom and the true embrace of folly.

The exciting element in this is that we are being led by God.  That’s the meaning of faith.  While to our flesh it may appear as a blind leap in the dark, this could hardly be true, for faith is walking in the light.  Since we are righteous before God, and since we are following his leadership, then I John 1:7 becomes very clear to us in the sense that we are having rich fellowship with God.  I can’t think of a stronger picture of the practice of faith than the constant and ever-growing joy of fellowship with God.  This is the fellowship of obedience on the positive side, and the fellowship of forgiveness when we stop walking by faith and fall into sinful snares and temptations.  Even in this negative condition we are still righteous before God.  Our lives are not defined by the sins that trip us up, but by the mercy and loving-kindness of God that declares us to be, and makes us to be righteous.