The Excellence of Faith

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH. In this chapter, I want us to examine the phrase “…the just shall live by faith…”. What does that mean? This scripture phrase occurs four times in the bible. When God says something twice you should pay attention, thrice, you should pay close attention, and the fourth time you better read it carefully. This scripture was the reason why Martin Luther, the theologian and reformer (1483 – 1546) could single handedly stand up against the then established Church. This one scripture changed Martin Luther’s life. He refused to accept the decadence of the church in his days. He declared to them, what you are practicing is not the bible and he stood up and said “No, salvation cannot be bought, the just shall live by faith” One man, because of his conviction based on the word of God, changed the world. This Martin Luther who lived in the 15-16th century inspired the reformation, because the church at that time was away from God. He insisted that the just shall live by faith and salvation is by faith, not by buying it with money. Why is this scripture important? It is the foundation for our Christian faith. A Christian will not be one without faith. We are saved by grace through faith. "For by grace are ye 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). This simply means if you don’t put your faith in Jesus, you can't be born again. So to be born again, you lean on/put your faith in Jesus. In Ephesians 2:8 we learnt that we are saved by grace through the agency of faith. In Romans 5:1 the bible also says “... being justified by faith, we have peace with God.” Being justified by faith means just as if you never sinned. It means that when God looks at your record now, it is clean. That is what it means to be born again. Like the thief on the cross. Jesus said today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43). How did that happen? Right there because he had faith in Jesus, and he received justification. Justification means, you are discharged and acquitted of guilt. That means although last night, you were a criminal, yet because you put your faith in Jesus today, and you say Lord I accept you as my Lord and Savior, your slate is wiped clean. Please understand that as a Christian, that the day you got born again, the sins you committed twenty, ten, and five years ago, and the sin you inherited from Adam have all been forgiven and forgotten because you were justified. By faith we are saved, by faith we are justified, and "the just shall live by faith." In a nutshell, we are saved by faith, we are justified by faith, and we are to live by faith. Who is this just person? The just is a sinner made righteous. It is a state of being right with God, and you are in perfect agreement with Him. So there is neither difference nor barrier between you and God. It means you are at peace with God, and your sins are forgiven. You are His child, and He is now your father. God is committed to you, you are committed to Him, and therefore your works should now be patterned after who you are. A fish swims and not fly, birds fly and not swim, likewise a justified person therefore must behave like God. If you say you are born again of the spirit of God, you have no other way to live, but by faith. For example, if you take the fish out of the water, it will die, if you take a Christian out of faith, she/he will die spiritually. A Christian must live and walk by faith. That is what this scripture is saying. The first time it occurred in the bible is in Habakkuk 2:4: "Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith." Habakkuk is talking about pride here, and then he puts that conjunction "but". Anytime you see that word “but” in the bible pay close attention, and it is very important to note what comes thereafter. “But” is a conjunction, and it’s like when you are driving and you get to a corner you slow down. So anytime you see "but" in the bible, wait for what’s next. So Habakkuk says “...but the just shall live by his faith.” Now this is the only word in the Old Testament from the original Hebrew, and that word “just”, means somebody who is in perfect agreement with the commandment of God. It is because at that time, Jesus had not come, and God had to make provision for justification. So who was just in the Old Testament? Anyone who did (obeyed) the word of God was considered just. It did not mean they were perfect, but as long as they obeyed the voice of God and did what God wanted them to do, they were just before Him. For example, Abraham, David and Elijah were justified before God, but were they perfect? No! But they were just because they agreed with the commandments of God and they lived by their faith in God. Romans 4:3 reveals to us how Abraham’s faith became the yardstick for his justification by God: “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness." (Romans 4:3). Because he believed God, even though Jesus had not yet come. So if you look at Abraham, or David, they both acted in faith. In contrast, Israel looked at Goliath and they chickened out. Some Christians also easily give up even today. They run away from the problems of the world, and run to hide in a safe place. They don’t want to attend to problems and become solution providers, but not David who had faith in God. He looked at Goliath and said, "Who is this uncircumcised philistine? I am going to take him out." What was the propelling force behind David? His faith in God. The others wouldn't believe, but he chose to believe. So we see here that in the Old Testament the justified ones lived by their faith, confirming the words of Habakkuk "...the Just shall live by HIS FAITH".