ROMANS 1:17

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS ONE WILL LIVE BY FAITH.’”

I begin a lot of my devotional blogs asking you a question. Today is no exception. The question – What do you have faith in? We place our faith in a lot of things and people. Some people have faith in the government – not too wise. Others place their faith in a person (husband, wife, employer, etc.) – again, not too wise. There is really only one reliable place to place our faith. That is in God, the Father. Paul explains that in today’s verse.

Our righteousness comes as we place our faith in Christ. That’s what Paul is saying. The phrase “faith to faith” really refers to the journey of faith we experience as believers. Matthew Poole says, “The gospel reveals the righteousness of God to be from faith to faith. The beginning, the continuance, the accomplishment of our justification is wholly absolved by faith.” Our faith is developed over time. We get initial faith at salvation, and it continues to grow with each passing day, week, and year until we see our faith fulfilled in glory.

APPLICATION

My late brother-in-law, Dr. Wayne Barber, said today’s verse was the key verse in the whole book of Romans. Why? Because faith is the key to the Christian life. And our righteousness comes through placing our faith in the One who died for us. The quote in today’s verse, “But the righteous man shall live by faith,” comes from Habakkuk 2:4. I know, you probably don’t read Habakkuk very often, but you should. Awesome book!

You could literally translate “from faith to faith” as “out of faith and into faith.” That is how God’s righteousness is revealed. It is revealed out of our faith in Him and also in our continued faith in Him. The bottom line – our righteousness depends on our faith, and our faith depends on God’s righteousness. They are intertwined.

This week as you place your faith in things, place it in Jesus. Let Him be the One who guides your every step. Let Jesus show you where to place your trust. Faith in Jesus is a gift. Ephesians 2:8-9 expresses this perfectly. “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Accept the gift that keeps on giving!

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of faith. Help me continue to grow in my faith as I trust You daily.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis).