#118 – The Just Shall Live By Faith

THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH

Gal. +3:11 “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”

There are at least seven things that is said about faith in Galatians two and three that I want us to look at in this meditation.

Paul talks about the hearing of faith: Chapter 2 and verse 2 says, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Romans +10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith does not create its own things to believe. We are believers as a result of what we have heard. But the hearing of faith is more than just hearing. It is believing what we hear. This is true of the gospel message that brings us to Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” What about those who hear and don’t believe? It is not just hearing the message and knowing it is from God. It is called “the hearing of faith.” Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica and goes over what happened there when he came and preached the gospel. He says in 1 Thess. 2:13: ”For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” It was received by them as the Word of God. It worked effectively in those that believed. It illustrates the hearing of faith.

Then there is the prospect of faith in Gal. 3:24: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Here Paul pictures the law of Moses as a schoolmaster that brings those under the law to Christ. One could never be justified by the law ( +2:16) he is only condemned by the law. But a condemned man is ready to listen to anything that will get him off death row. So the Law says, “I have done my job. I have justly condemned you. I have had no mercy. It is not in my makeup to have mercy. But there is one who has been successful in setting men free whom I have condemned.” Would that be good news to you if you had been condemned and left on death row to await execution? This is the good news that is offered to every man. The words of this verse that say, “that we might be justified by faith.” This is the good news of the gospel. The words “might be justified” is an aorist passive subjunctive verb. The subjunctive mood is the mood of possibility. That means there is hope for the one condemned by the law even thought that condemnation left him on death row. The aorist tense is a point tense and it means that this justification is possible at some point in time in the future since it hasn’t happened yet. It is possible. At what point of time? At the point that you believe. The words “that we might be justified by faith” give us the message of the point of time. This is the prospect of faith.

Then there is the exercise of faith. Paul brings this out in chapter two and verse sixteen: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” The exercise of faith is in the person of Christ. Our justification is based on his faith. He is the only one who had perfect faith in the Father. There was no fault in him including his perfect faith. We put our faith in him and as a result we are justified by the faith of Christ. Our faith is not in our faith it is in him and his faith. Most modern translations of the Bible do not translate this verse right. The King James Bible translates the Textus Receptus exactly as it is. “. . . even we have believed in Jesus Christ,