“Be Righteous And Live By Your Faith!”

“Be Righteous And Live By Your Faith!”
There is a sense in which a prophet is a guard, standing on a rampart, challenging any intruder, waiting to hear what the intruder will say and having a reply to either let the intruder in or to deny him entry. Such was the way prophet Habakkuk saw himself.
Exiled Israel was living in the Babylonian captivity without hope. While Habakkuk was pondering whether hope shall ever be restored to his people, he saw a revelation from God. It was a revelation of an end to the exile. The end spelled dissaster to the tormentor, but gave hope to the righteous.
What God says will be, will surely be. It may linger, but it must come to pass! So “wait for it.”
At God’s appointed time “the righteous will live by his faith”(Hab.2:1-4). This verse, “The righteous will live by his faith” is quoted frequently in the New Testament to support the teaching that people are saved by grace through faith. Suffice to mention justtwo here.
In Galatians we read, “Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because ‘The righteous will live by faith'”(3:11). And in Ephesians we are told, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”(2:8). This verse of Habakkuk has become foundational to Protestant theology.
Indeed, we are saved by grace alone and that same grace is sufficient for us. When the storms of life are raging and threatening to engulf us, we should wait in patience knowing that with God delayance is not denial! God’s time is always the best. Remain righteous and be steadfast in your faith because God’s grace is sufficient for you!
Weekend prayer: Holy Spirit make me righteous and to live by my faith trusting in God’s unfailing promise. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!