The ones who are righteous by faith

We've recently begun a new Tuesday evening study of Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome. A verse that I keep returning to is 1:17, which we have traditionally translated "The righteous will live by faith."

Now this is true. When we turn to Christ and receive his grace and forgiveness, we enter into a faith relationship wherein we follow him with utmost trust.

But this other way of looking at the verse has captured my attention. The truths imbedded therein deserve a look.

First, we are righteous by faith. There is no other way to have a relationship with God other than through faith in Christ. And once we take that first step of faith, we are declared righteous by the Father. Our attempts to please God with our own righteousness are insufficient. Isaiah 64:6 declares that our righteousness is as filthy rags. Only one is righteous - that being Jesus Christ, the One and Only Son of God. When we receive him we receive his imputed righteousness.

Secondly, because we are righteous, we live - abundantly in this life and eternally in the life to come in heaven. Jesus states in John 10:10, "I have come that they might have life (zoe, from which we get words like zest) and have it in abundance." The life imparted in Christ is both qualitative (zestful) and quantitative (eternal).

Thirdly, being declared righteous is not a license to live as we please. The one who truly knows Christ as his life desires more than anything to live a life that honors the one who gave his life as a ransom.

Come on, saints. We've got a lot of living to do.

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