The Just Shall Live
By Terry Cheek Th.D.
McDowell County
Romans 1:16-17
Paul writes in his letter to the Roman church some of the most intense doctrine
and theology in all of God’s word. Among it, we find the following from chapter one
verses sixteen and seventeen. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is
the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to
the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is
written, the just shall live by faith.” 1 We understand these verses to be among the many
that teach the doctrine of justification. Will you join me for a deeper understanding of
these verses and what they reveal about justification?
Paul opens with what I consider a very unusual statement. “For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ” Why would Paul feel it necessary to open with this? If
you have followed this series you know that in previous articles I discussed how Paul
and all of the Church faced persecution from the Roman government, pontifical Jews,
and followers of antagonistic religions. Included in this persecution was their attempt to
disgrace Paul, Church leaders, and ultimately the gospel. If successful the consequence
would make Christians ashamed of the gospel. Therefore, silencing the preaching,
teaching, and witness of its power. I feel it was important for Paul to encourage the
Church, then and now, by letting them know he was not ashamed of the gospel. His firm
footing of the gospel supplied a foundation for his following doctrine of justification.
“for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” Power is the
noun that sets justification in motion. Power translates the Greek word dunamos from
which we also get our word dynamite. The gospel is the dynamite of God’s word. It is
that powerful. We often give a very flippant Amen to this statement, when we should be
zealous toward the gospel. Every time we open our Bible, at home, at church, in public
, and in private. Martin Luther had this say regarding God’s word. 2 “Luther said that in
times past, people would run to the ends of the world had they known of a place where
they could hear God speak. Now that we hear and read God’s Word every day, this
does not happen. We hear the gospel in our homes, where fathers, mothers, and children
sing and speak of it. The preacher speaks of it in the parish church. We ought to lift
our hands and rejoice that we have been given the honor of hearing God speak to us
through His Word. People say, “There is preaching every day, often many times every
day so that we soon grow weary of it. What do we get out of it? I go to church, but I
don’t get much out of it.” Yet, this power isn’t just sitting there for anyone. It is composed
by God the Holy Spirit through the hands and mouths of man only for those who
believe. God’s grace opens the hearts for us to believe, only then does the power
(dunamos) of the gospel reveal itself. We should glorify God through our lives every day
because of the gospel.
Paul moves on to clarify the order of God’s dispersing of the gospel. First, it was
given to his chosen race the Jew, then to the Greek (gentile). This is not a prophecy of
things to come, it is a description of what is taking place at that time. The gospel was
being shared with everyone; there was no restriction. God uses his elect to spread the
gospel, then and now. The understanding that God would use the saved sinner as a
vessel worthy to possess, read, and share his written word is beyond humbling.
Paul continues to write. “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from
faith to faith.” From the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. It is fitting to
interject here that Martin Luther’s eyes and heart were opened by these two verses. As
he prepared preaching and teaching notes on Romans. Luther arrived at this point and
understood the Papacy, Priesthood or the Roman church provided no hope for salvation
of the soul. Salvation comes only by God's righteousness by grace and through faith in
Jesus Christ. “He (Luther) glanced at a manuscript from Augustine and found where
Augustine said that the righteousness here is not God’s righteousness but that which
He provides for people, who do not have any righteousness. It is the righteousness He
makes available by free grace to all who believe. Luther called it “alien righteousness.”
This righteousness is not our own; it is Jesus’ righteousness.” The phrase “faith to faith”
seems to have many thoughts. I agree with the school of thought of this phrase
paralleling “everyone who believeth” from the previous verse. Faith that one has and
shares through the gospel is multiplied by God to others for their belief in Christ as Lord
and Savior. This phrase introduces the final and anchoring phrase of these two verses,
“as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” Paul tells us faith isn’t new to mankind or the
growing Church. “Abraham, the father of the faithful, believed, and it was reckoned to
him as righteousness (Rom. 4:3), just as every person’s genuine faith, before and after
Abraham, has been reckoned to him as righteousness (see Heb. 11:4–40).” John
MacArthur. The just, a.k.a. justified are the redeemed in Christ. I remember an acronym
for justified from years ago, I’ll bet many of you have heard it too. It goes like this, just
as if I’d never sinned. Notice with me Habakkuk 2: 1-4, “I will stand upon my watch, and
set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall
answer when I am reproved. And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision,
and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an
appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it;
because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not
upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” Living by faith means exactly what is
written. A believer’s life is committed to being a vessel justified for God’s righteousness to
work through. When the believer understands this we immediately realize this is
something beyond our ability to fulfill. Therefore, we repent daily, and live humbly before the
Lord, trusting in Jesus to be the author and finisher of our faith. There is much more to
be written about this passage but I submit this rambling to the Lord for his application to
your heart and mind.
Until we meet again, in print or in person, may God bless you is my prayer!
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Terry is the Executive Director and broadcaster of The Inspiring Word media ministry
You can contact Terry by email at theinspiringword@gmail.com
Or by visiting www.theinspiringword.org
Read more from Terry Cheek here.
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