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Q. Who shall live by faith? A. The just shall live by faith. Q. Who are the just? A. The condemned and dead in sin who have been freely declared righteous by God. The just shall live by faith is a statement about the just, i.e. they shall live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, by whose righteousness they have been freely declared not guilty but righteous by God the Judge. The just shall live by faith is not telling an unjustified man (under condemnation and death) what to do in order to be justified. The latter is what multitudes of Christians choose to believe. |
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November 23, 2019
#The_Just_Shall_Live_By_Faith
Romans 1:17 - KJV
For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
============
For in the gospel - the good news of what God
has done to save for Himself a people through His Son Jesus Christ - is the
righteousness of God revealed.
'The righteousness of God' is at the heart of
the gospel, it refers to God's own provision of righteousness for the eternal
redemption of His people, who do not have any righteousness of their own.
Sin brings condemnation;
Sin is the transgression of God's law.
Salvation requires righteousness;
Righteousness is obedience to God's law.
The righteousness that is a prerequisite to
eternal salvation is EITHER by man's own obedience to God's law or by Christ's
obedience to the same law.
The righteousness of God's provision is
through Christ's faithful obedience to the law. The righteousness of God's
provision is through the faith OF - OF - OF Christ, i.e. His faithfulness in
rendering perfect and complete obedience to the law of God. It is not through
man's faith IN - IN - IN Christ.
Here is the plain declaration of the truth
just stated:
Romans 3 - KJV
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge
of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without
the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by
faith of [ OF - OF - OF - OF - OF] Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe: for there is no difference."
Justification requires righteousness - either
by man's own deeds of keeping the law or by Christ's deeds of keeping the same
law. It is through Christ's FAITHFULNESS of keeping the law that the
righteousness necessary for the salvation of the elect is provided.
This righteousness of God's provision through
the faith OF Christ is revealed in the preaching of the gospel from faith to
faith, THAT IS, from the believing preacher to those whom God the Spirit has
worked the saving grace of faith in their hearts; from the believing preacher
of the gospel to them that are the believing ones.
It is from faith to FAITH - to those already
justified and regenerated and adopted, indwelt with the Spirit of God, who has
worked the grace of faith in them.
ONLY to such is the righteousness of God
capable of being revealed to. The spiritual things of the gospel are INCAPABLE
of being revealed to those still dead in trespasses and sins!
It is 'from faith to faith.'
It is NOT - NOT - NOT 'from faith to them
that are perishing.'
It is 'from faith to us which that are saved,
the believing ones.'
Is there anything plainer than this!
So many think the preaching of the gospel is
the believing preacher revealing the righteousness of God's provision to those
who are DEAD in their trespasses and sins, and God blesses their preaching as
the means to regenerate the dead and bring them to conversion. How deluded!
Paul declares his ministry as 'from faith to faith.'
Ok, now those few words that are most twisted
and perverted by those who hold on to the lies of 'justification before God by
or through faith alone.'
Why? Just look at these few words: "The
just shall live by faith."
Who are the 'just'? 'Just' is an adjectival
noun, those that are justified, i.e. the justified ones, justified by the free
and sovereign grace of when they were in the state of condemnation and death.
Q. Who are able to live by faith? Who are able
to believe the gospel?
A. The JUSTIFIED ones, of course! Who else? Those that are
not justified by God are still under their native state of condemnation of
death! How could such ever hear and believe the gospel and live by faith? How,
pray tell! What has happened to common sense?
The glorious declaration "the just shall
live by faith" - declares the truth about the justified, that they shall
live by faith - HAS BEEN TWISTED and PERVERTED into an offer, i.e. what man
must do in order to get justified and live! What monumental DISASTER!
The sola fideists HAVE perverted and twisted
'the just shall live by faith' into 'the condemned (unjustified) who believe
shall be justified and live.'
And the tragedy is, they are OBLIVIOUS of the
perversion and twisting that they have committed! Just as they have perverted
and twist a wonderful declaration of fact into a conditional offer - i.e
'whoever believes has eternal life' (i.e. the believing ones have eternal life) into 'whoever will believe shall have
eternal life.'
(need a simpler illustration? Whoever eats has life, i.e. the eating ones have life is perverted into the dead ones who eat will have life.
