#The_Just_Shall_Live_By_Faith
#From_faith_to_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 - KJT
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 of the preaching of the gospel as 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 God when they were
in their native state of condemnation and death.
Who
is able to live by faith? Who is able to believe the gospel? 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 just, the justified ones, 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 a 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 twisted a wonderful declaration of fact into a conditional offer - i.e 'whoever believes has eternal life' into 'whoever will believe shall have eternal life.'
