Articles
The Righteous Shall Live By Faith
“Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4 NASB). The work of Old Testament prophets could not have been easy. False prophets are scattered throughout the Old Testament (Ezekiel 13:9). But true, faithful prophets were easily identified as such when their messages unfolded and proved to be true (Jeremiah 28:9). Calling people to repentance is never easy; reactions are varied and are sometimes violent toward the messenger. When the prophet’s heart burned like a fire, he had something to say. Still, he might find himself in a well (Jeremiah 20:9).
Rather than warnings about sin and rebellion, Habakkuk’s oracle questions the actions and motives of God. “How long, O LORD, will I call for help?” (Habakkuk 1:1). How long would Jehovah wait before punishing the wicked? Can a righteous God fail to punish sin (Habakkuk 1:13)? Of course, God was doing something. He challenged the prophet to stop and look and see the rise of the Chaldeans, who became instruments in God’s hands for His righteous purposes. God would use these pagan idolaters for His own purposes; the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men (Daniel 4). If the kingdoms of men refused to repent, they, too, suffered destruction.
How should Habakkuk respond? How shall we respond to God’s reign over His universe? Will our faith shine through; or will our arrogance and recalcitrance be on display? The importance of faith is clear in the New Testament. Three passages pick up on Habakkuk’s recognition of the need for faith. Romans 1:17: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” Galatians 3:11: “Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” Hebrews 10:38: “But My righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
The righteous shall live by faith; the righteous are justified by faith. The good news of the gospel says that Jesus died for us; we can be righteous, acquitted of the guilt of sin and stand justified in God’s sight. Do we mistakenly believe that self-righteousness is sufficient to save? Are we so good that we keep God’s law perfectly? If yes, then we do not need Jesus. If, no, then we need to have faith in Jesus; we trust Him to do what He says He will do, namely, save us as we walk by faith, hand in hand, with Him. Christians in the book of Hebrews were having problems with their faith. Persecutions, trials, and spiritual weariness wore them down. Their faith was weak; they were in danger. They needed faith; they, and we, too, need grace. “The false dichotomy of ‘Old Testament equals Law and New Testament equals Grace’ is seen in reality to be illusory” (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, David W. Baker, Tyndale, 61). Paul preached the gospel to thousands; the gospel was preached to Abraham.
What does a life without faith look like? Pride, arrogance, deceit, rebellion, blasphemy, and mistreatment of others paint a sordid picture. The foundation of our lives must be a strong, vibrant faith. Without faith, the foundation crumbles. We better listen for the Babylonians. They are on the move.
