LIVING FAITH (3)

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from FAITH to FAITH; as it is written, “The just shall LIVE by FAITH” – Romans 1:17

LIVING FAITH is rooted in the Gospel’s revelation of the Righteousness of God: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from FAITH to FAITH; as it is written, “The just shall LIVE by FAITH” (Rom.1:17). The words “from faith to faith” means that the declaration of the Believer’s Righteousness in Christ is by Faith from first to last, from start to finish. That is, Faith is the Foundation and Fulcrum of the Believer’s Life. No one can be declared righteous before God by following the law.

The crux of the Gospel is Faith from first to last. The first Faith is to believe what God has put across to us in the message of the Gospel. The second is to continue living out the message through Christ’s Power manifest in it: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the POWER of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (v.16). “Without Faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb.11:6a). The Christian Life is Faith all the way: Faith to Believe and Faith to Live.

Faith to Believe: Any other way man tries to get right with God other than the way prescribed by Him, would be futile. The Gospel reveals God’s righteousness which is obtained only through Jesus Christ! Our best efforts, self-righteousness, or sets of religious norms, observances, and rituals could never fetch God’s righteousness. No number of good deeds or charity could ever make one right with God. Looking to His Son is God’s Way (Heb.12: 1-2). This means: Accepting what Christ has done on the cross to make us right with Him. Christ died in our place, taking the just punishment of our sins so that we could be set free from sin and brought into a right standing with God. That is our Righteousness by Faith! Obtaining salvation is only the first step of Faith for the Believer.

Faith to Live: Every subsequent step of the Believer’s day-by-day walk is of Faith. Presenting himself as a model, Paul testified of the Faith-Life based on Christ living in the Believer: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I LIVE BY FAITH in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal.2:20). Faith is our Lifestyle in the Kingdom of God. Faith isn’t something we try to acquire; it’s inherent in the New Creation through the Gospel: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Every Believer has received “the measure of Faith” (Rom. 12:3). Therefore, to live triumphantly in the Kingdom, we must put our faith to work.

God has given us authority and power in the Holy Spirit to effect changes, as we act on His Word. Through faith, we activate the blessings and provisions of Christ made available to us in the Gospel. Failure to develop, exercise, and apply their faith is one of the reasons some Christians endure unnecessary and avoidable suffering. Rather than acting their faith, they’re more focused on their condition, complaining bitterly about what they’re going through or their lack.

The Message of Faith does not imply however that it’s going to be a smooth sailing through life, free of any tough times. The fallen world in which we live offers its share of challenges, difficulties, troubles, testing and trials of our Faith. In such times, the difference between the Believer and Unbeliever will be visible where trust is placed. The worldly person who has placed his trust in people, possessions, or pride, will find it all shifting sand that will give way to a final fall. We who believe and put our trust in God, stay strong, not swayed by the wind of adversity, assured that God will bring us through. We grow from Faith to Faith from start to finish!