Live by Faith
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
“Live by faith” is found five times in the Bible. It was first quoted by the prophet Habakkuk, when he was questioning God’s plans; he was not understanding the ways of God to let Judah go unpunished for their sin. He came to realize God’s sovereignty and control over the universe, and he came to rest in the peace of that understanding. Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. These were some of the first words spoken by the Lord in response to his questions. The proud person elevates themselves and their supposed intellect, no need for God. The humble person understands their place under God, and His control over the world; they rest in their faith, and under His mercy and grace.
The apostle Paul had come to that understanding after his encounter with Christ on the Damascus road. His once prideful spirit had been humbled by the power of God. He had come to see how he had been persecuting the One who could give him all that he desired for eternity. He was humbled at a great cost, he suffered for Christ and the cause of Christ for the remainder of his life. Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Paul saw past this temporal life, he saw into eternal paradise with the One who created both. He knew that all in this life was a preparation for the next; in that his faith was strengthened in the small understanding of God’s sovereignty for this life into eternity. When you humble yourself and approach God in that same spirit; God will strengthen you for your time here.
When Paul finally made it to Rome, early in his teachings he began to present the Gospel of Christ to some of the proudest of that days society. The Romans were the greats of their time, and Paul began to teach them of humility and the rewards of it through Christ. Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” The power of Christ to deliver us from sin, and eternal rewards from the resting in the grace of God for that provision. When you come to grasp all that rests in the grace of God, the forgiveness of your sin in Jesus Christ, you will be moved to a life that you live by faith in Him. You will live your life by responding with your heart and your actions to that He places before you. You will become an example just as Paul of that which is available to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ, the one who came to set you free from all that entangles you, for eternity.
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