³⁸ But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.

Two ways to translate this verse show the expanse of application that scholars point out. The first, as rendered by most modern versions, is that a person who would be righteous must live by faith. In other words, it is living by faith that justifies a person. The 16^th century monk, Martin Luther, wrestled with this concept as he labored in the book of Romans. How can a sinful man be just before a perfectly holy and righteous God? He struggled continuously to the point of frustrating his father confessor. The moment he left the confessional booth, he would be reminded of his sinfulness and need to return. Romans 1:17 finally penetrated his soul to the point of release and relief. It is not by works of the Law that a man is justified, but it is God who justifies, and He does it through a person’s faith.

Luther wrote: “At last meditating day and night, by the mercy of God, I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith. Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open.”

At the same time, the verse can also be translated, “The justified by faith shall live.” The one who is justified in God’s eyes lives a life of faith, not a life of rules. Pleasing God and living righteously is a matter of walking each day in light of God’s word and teaching, not as a set of rules but as an expression of faith in God. On God’s side of things, it is all about grace alone. On our side, it is faith alone. Sola Fide, as the reformers said, “Faith alone.”

In Romans, the concern is what we call forensic justification, that is, our legal justification before God. The book of Hebrews concerns the replacement of the ritual worship and the Law of Moses with the once-for-all-time sacrifice of Christ. Whereas righteousness under the Law was impossible, because the Law could not make anyone perfect, now the path to righteousness is through faith in the once-for-all-time sacrifice of Christ. To turn away in unbelief and return to a system of futile human effort invokes the wrath of God (Heb 10:26-31). Now righteousness comes through belief that Christ as the greater High Priest has offered the perfect sacrifice, once for all. This is what pleases God, that we belief this word that He has spoken to us in the “last days” (Heb 1:2).

Lord, thank You for the righteousness graciously given to me. I appreciate so much the sacrifice of Your son for me. In Him I live!