THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH, #2

The Righteous Person Shall Live By Faith.

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17, ESV) Martin Luther worked at being righteous. He confessed his sins until he wore out the patience of his confessors. He performed acts of penance. He had given himself to a life of monasticism. He studied and taught the Bible on the highest level. Yet he knew that he was not righteous. It was as he studied and thought about the message of Romans 1:17 that he saw the truth that liberated him, and millions in who followed behind him. The righteousness that Luther sought and that we all need is not something that we produce or earn, rather it is a gift from God that we must receive (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is received by faith. It has been said that there are two kinds of religion in the world, the kind where we bring something in our hands to trade for favor with God and the kind where we come empty handed as beggars. It is wonderful that God gives us what we need, because we can never earn it. Five-hundred years ago a troubled German Monk found piece based on that truth. Have you found it?   “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:16–18, ESV)   It's STTA (Something To Think About), and to rejoice in..

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH, #1

The Righteous Person Shall Live By Faith.

The words come out differently, depending on what translation you read. They are probably best known from the King James Version of Romans 1:17, "The just shall live by faith." Those words figure prominently in the life of Martin Luther. It was his interaction with those words and the truth they expressed, that led to the Protestant Reformation. This month marks the 500th anniversary of Luther nailing the ninty-five theses to the church door (it was OK to do that, by the way). The words, found three times in the New Testament, are take from the book of Habakkuk.    “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4, NASB95)   Ronald Blue comments, "The key clause “the righteous will live by his faith” sparkles like a diamond in a pile of soot. In the midst of God’s unrelenting condemnations of Babylon stands a bright revelation of God’s favor."* In our world we could use some truth that sparkles, couldn't we? When Luther came to truth of God granting righteousness from His grace, to all who trust Him, the theologian/monk was in a time of dark despair. He was acutely aware of his sin. When he came to the truth expressed in these words, he said he felt like he had been born again and entered paradise. When I look at the end of the little of book of Habakkuk, I see the same kind of Joy in the prophet.    “Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.” (Habakkuk 3:18–19, NASB95) We tend to think of the Reformation as something for scholars, dull and dour. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Reformation is about looking to the scripture, and the Bible gives joy, even in hard times. I encourage you to stay tuned. We'll talk about this some more.   It's STTA (Something To Think About).  *Blue, J. R. (1985). Habakkuk. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1513). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books

Righteousness?

Together with a group of people who attend CBC Sunday Nite, I've been thinking through an incredible concept from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  It is pretty obvious that as Jesus preached this message, and as Matthew, directed by the Holy Spirit, gave his report of it, they had the Scribes and Pharisees in mind.  The Scribes were experts on the Old Testament law.  The Pharisees were totally devoted to living out that law, as they saw it.  Every aspect of the Pharisee's life was marked by attempts to gain or maintain righteousness.  The Apostle Paul, who, in his pre-conversion days, was a leading Pharisee, gives a glimpse into this way of life in Philippians 3.  The Apostles word "Blameless" was the goal of every good Pharisee, but Jesus said that's not good enough.  "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven"  (Matthew 5:20).  They needed, and we need, a new kind of righteousness.   The second half of Matthew 5 describes this new kind of righteousness.  One aspect of it is that it is focused on the welfare of people--other people.  The righteousness of the S & Ps was often based on using others, and/or making others look bad so that the righteousness-seeker could look better.  The kind of righteousness that Jesus puts forth in the Sermon on the Mount is a way of life that respects and elevates others. If my "righteousness" somehow depends making others look bad, I'm not righteous at all.  If you find that to be a problem, or find yourself lacking, I'd encourage you to consult with the One Who preached this message.  (See the link at the end of this email.) It's STTA. God's Story in His Own Words. our Easter message that presents the flow of Divine Revelation from "In the beginning," to the final "Amen." You can find out more our lack of righteousness and how to obtain the kind of righteousness of which Jesus spoke here.