The Just Shall Live by Faith

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” –Romans 1:16-17 (ESV).

In these verses the Apostle Paul expresses the theme of his epistle to the Roman Christians—the revelation of God’s judging and saving righteousness in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He wants to make very clear, to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles, that through the message of salvation in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross God both judges sin and shows His mercy and salvation.  Paul makes himself clear that he is not “ashamed” of the gospel.  Scholars hold that Paul wrote this letter to the church at Rome while he was at Corinth on his third missionary journey about 57 A. D.  As we’ve already seen in a previous devotional (June 16), Phoebe was the likely bearer of this important letter to the church at Rome.

We will remember from church history that Martin Luther put his “95 Theses” on the door of All Saints Church at Wittenburg, Germany on October 31, 1517.  Luther had not intended to cause the world-wide Reformation by his action, but by 1518 the printing press had made possible the printing and distribution of his statements about faith and practice to be known throughout Europe.  The Christian movement we call The Reformation was well on its way.  “Justification is by grace through faith” was Luther’s main contention and the doctrine he strongly upheld.  He was advocating this strong theological stand expressed in Romans 1:17.  And Paul himself was citing from Habakkuk 2:4 which reads: “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.”

The gospel proclaimed by Paul, many before him, and many since is powerful, personal, positive and persuasive.  It is powerful in that it has the ability to convince those who hear an believe that salvation is by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is personal in that “The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12, KJV).  It is positive in that it accomplishes the purpose for which it was intended:  “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God:  Not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, NKJV).  It is persuasive in that it gives us security in our faith promising that “we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the tricker of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:14-16).

Yes, indeed, the “just shall live by his faith.”  And the gospel—the word of God—has been the means whereby we have come to faith.  We, as Paul and others, should not be ashamed of the gospel, the power of God unto salvation.”  Thank God just now that you have been redeemed by faith and you will be kept against “that day of the Lord” when all of us who believe and are justified shall  “inherit the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world”  (Matthew 25:34).  Amen!