Three times inspired writers of the New Testament said, “The just shall live by faith.” Paul said it twice (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11), and the Hebrews writer once (Hebrews 10:38). Both men were probably thinking of the words from Habakkuk 2:4 where the prophet wrote, “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”

There are several thoughts that come to mind when we consider this great truth. The primary point of Paul’s use of this clause is that justification comes by accepting Christ by faith as opposed to the perfect living required by the law of Moses. Paul is not advocating salvation apart from obedience as many have misunderstood him to say. He is not teaching that one can be saved without working out his own salvation (Philippians 2:12). What Paul is teaching, at least secondarily, is that one does not have to be perfect in order to be saved. His first goal was to make sure brethren understood that salvation comes from faith in Christ as opposed to the law of Moses. This teaching was necessary in light of some Jewish converts who were claiming that Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to be saved (Acts 15:1; Galatians 6:12). Paul’s response was to teach the truth that “no man is justified by the law in the sight of God” (Galatians 3:11). The reason no man would be justified by the law was that the law demanded perfection (Galatians 3:10), and no man, except Jesus, has ever lived a life of sinless perfection (Romans 3:23). But, it was not just those brethren in the first century who need to hear this truth— twenty-first century Christians need to hear it too. None of us are going to go to heaven because we are perfect. We are going to make it to heaven in spite of our imperfections, as long as we put our trust in Jesus and do our best to walk in the light.

This leads me to another thought about the statement “the just shall live by faith.” It is about time that we, as Christians, believe what the Bible teaches about living. The Bible does not say that the just might, could or should live, it says that the just SHALL live by faith. Who are the just? The just are those who have obeyed the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16) and thus have been declared “not guilty” in heaven’s court. Once again, we are not going to heaven because we are innocent. We are going to heaven because we have been acquitted in spite of the fact that we committed crimes against God. Jesus stepped forward and paid the price for our transgressions by shedding His blood on our behalf (Matthew 26:28; Romans 3:24-25; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 1:18-19). Now, that blood that Jesus shed on our behalf continues to work for us, as long as we walk in the light (1 John 1:5-7). John points out several important facts in the passage just cited. First, we cannot live in sin and expect God to have fellowship with us. God is light and by His very nature He is unable to ignore, tolerate or accept of sin in any way. But John also points out that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin if we repent and confess our sins to our heavenly Father (1 John 1:8-10). What this means for the Christian in everyday living is that as long as we obey God and repent of sins when we slip spiritually, we shall live. It doesn’t matter how far we slip or how bad the sin is that we commit. If we truly repent, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. It is vital that we have repentant hearts, as Christians, and regularly ask God to forgive us of sins that we might even have committed unwittingly. If we live by faith and walk in the light, the blood of Jesus will take care of the rest. If you have been justified by the blood of Christ, you are alive. Period! Stop living as if you are dead. It is one of the great victories of the devil when he can get so many Christians who are victorious in Christ to live defeated lives in which they are always worried about whether or not they are right with God. Listen! Have you obeyed the gospel? Are you walking in the light, i.e., are you living by the Bible? If you can say yes to these questions, then you have been set free from sin (Romans 6:7-8), and you are alive in Christ. Don’t think, “I might be alive.” That’s defeated thinking. Think victoriously! Think “I am alive in Christ.” How can you be sure? Because the Bible teaches, “The just shall live by faith.”