The Righteous Live by Faith
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith Romans 1:17
The term ‘God’s righteousness’ can have various shades of meaning. It is sometimes understood as a divine attribute, something God is. In this sense God’s actions are in keeping with His character. Justice is part of this understanding (Genesis 18:15) and is supremely displayed through the cross (Romans 3:26).
Another aspect is righteousness as something God does. God reveals His righteousness by His acts of saving power (His salvation) in keeping His covenant faithfulness (Psalm 98:2; Isaiah 46:13).
A further emphasis is that God’s righteousness is something God has achieved (‘a righteousness from God’: Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:21 as well as here in 1:17). This is a righteous status essential to anyone who would stand before God without Him responding in wrath against them. When God justifies the sinner, He gives them a new legal standing before Him by declaring them ‘righteous’ (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Bringing all this together, the righteousness of God is a divine attribute (our God is a righteous God), a divine activity (He comes to our rescue) and a divine achievement (He bestows on us a righteous status). The righteousness of God is God’s righteous initiative in putting sinners right with Himself, by bestowing on them a righteousness which is not their own but His.
‘For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last’ (1:17). This last phrase ‘by faith from first to last’ might mean: God has been faithful (same word as the one translated ‘faith’) to His purposes and promises. To benefit from this you must have an answering faithfulness (the believing obedience spoken of in 1:5) – so, from God’s faith (faithfulness) to our faith (faithfulness). A second plausible meaning is that Paul is emphasising the pivotal place of faith – ‘by faith from first to last’ or by faith through and through.
The passage closes quoting Habakkuk 2:4 ‘as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith”’(1:17). Habakkuk had complained that God was raising up the ruthless Babylonians to punish Israel. God’s response was that the proud Babylonians would fall but the righteous Israelite would live by his faith, by his humble, steadfast trust in God. Some translations emphasise that righteous people should live by faith (NIV, NASB, KJV) while others only those who are righteous by faith will live (NRSV, TEV). Righteousness and life are both by faith and both understandings are valid translations of the text.
The tyranny of what many preachers see as relevancy has submerged the truth of justification by faith until it is no longer visible above the water. But the fundamental problem of humanity is not horizontal (breakdown of human relationships) but vertical (breakdown in any relationship with God). Justification is God’s response to that problem. Through the gospel God unleashes His power to change people, and at the crucial point: in their relationship with Him. When people respond in faith to the gospel, God declares them both innocent and righteous before Him, removing the barrier that exists between all human beings in their natural state and Him. Everything else flows from this.
Don’t ever be ashamed of the gospel. Don’t ever think ‘How can this message radicalise the life of such broken, self-willed people?’ This gospel has changed more than a billion lives. Its power has to be unleashed though and you’re just the one to do it. Ultimately, the power is in the gospel and not in you. Release the word of the gospel and let it do its work.