The Righteous Shall Live By Faith - Romans 1:17

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” - Romans 1:17

    Martin Luther was convinced that this was the lynchpin of Christianity. "This one and firm rock, which we call the doctrine of justification is the chief article of the whole Christian doctrine, which comprehends the understanding of all godliness. . .  it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us...Nothing of this article can be yielded or surrendered, even though heaven and earth and everything else falls.”
    This sentiment is voiced at least three other times, in the New Testament - Habakkuk 2:4, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38. Truly, it is the bedrock of our Christianity. But exactly what does it mean?
    Prior to the birth of Christ, the Jewish nation was convinced that the only way to salvation was through works righteousness. That’s why there were so many ceremonial laws, sacrifices, and rituals within the Jewish faith. But Christ came to fulfill the Law. And upon doing so in a way that only the Son of God could, He ended the legalism associated with strict obedience and brought forth a New Covenant, one based not upon works but upon His atonement as a substitute for us sinners. After which all we need do is “live by faith” in Him. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’”- John 11:25-26.  Whoever ‘lives and believes’ shall never die.
    Ask anyone about a true believer and they will tell you that yes . . . that man or woman lives and believes what he or she says. Living and believing is the foundation of true faith. But we must look to another mark of that true faith and that mark is trust. We must trust what we live for and believe in, That is the essence of the passage - ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’
    We are facing a national emergency, a crisis of catastrophic proportions the likes of which we have never experienced in the nation. How we behave during this tragic time will be forever recorded in history. How will our reaction to this calamity paint the picture of us as a people, a civilization, a species? So in whom shall we place our lives? In whom shall we place our belief? In whom shall we place our faith? “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” - Psalm 118:8.
    As our government leaders and world leaders struggle to get a handle on this terrible virus, let us remember that God is with us even through our worst times. He is with us now and He will be with us tomorrow without fail. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4.
    Our lives should be a reflection of our belief, trust, and faith in God. If it is not, then we are neither justified nor faithful. Stripping shelves bare so that others are denied their needs during a crisis is not the way Jesus would have behaved and neither is it a way to behave for those who claim to believe in Him. Let us show ourselves as righteous by our behavior and by our conduct. To do otherwise is to show our true colors and the true content of our hearts.
    May God bless us all, bless our nation, and bless our world as we face the greatest pandemic of our time. And may we treat one another as Jesus commanded - “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 7:12.