FROM FAITH TO FAITH

Romans 1:17 “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."

Listen to some of the titles that have appeared in the tabloids: Cow Mattresses Help Cows Produce More Milk - Mom On Diet Of Only Chicken, Lays Huge Egg - World War II Bomber Found On The Moon - Women Gives Birth To Two-Year-Old Baby: Child Walks And Talks In Three Days - Adam And Eve’s Bones Found In Asia: Eve Was A Space Alien.

The sad thing is that many people believe this nonsense. Being gullible is certainly a word that can be used to describe many people. But gullible has also been used to describe Christians. Some people, who consider themselves to be logical or rational, believe that Christians are gullible for their faith in God. We believe in miracles and in an unseen God and (to them) that is evidence of our gullibility. However, there is nothing gullible about believing in the Lord.

The Bible teaches that faith is the key to everything for the Christian. By faith we come to Christ. By faith we live our Christian lives with joy and gladness. Without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is the core of our Christian living.

A famous Baptist evangelist once told the story of an elderly lady who was very upset by all of her real and imaginary troubles. Out of frustration her family told her, "Grandma, we’ve done all we can do for you. You’ll just have to trust God for the rest." A look of despair spread over her face as she replied, "Oh, dear, has it come to that?" To tell the truth, it always comes to that. So we might as well begin with that. Let’s begin with faith and see just what happens.

Paul makes it clear in our scripture that God works in a powerful way with his word. In it we have righteousness revealed to us. In a lot of passages Paul points out the truth that everyone who believes in the message of the Gospel is saved from their sins. This shows us that Jesus Christ is the center point of our faith. When Paul writes that in the Gospel righteousness from God is revealed, he is really speaking of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus Christ is the message of the Gospel. The Gospel centers in the person of Christ. It is all about his sinless life, the atonement of our sins, and the supernatural resurrection. He is the center of the Gospel, so he is the center of our faith.

The way that the righteousness of God is given to us is only through faith. That is why it is called Good News. If all we understand is that Christ is righteous and we are not, that is not Good News. The Bad News is when we don’t have faith in this truth. The righteousness of God is offered to us only if we exercise our faith to receive it. In fact, we are told that this righteousness comes to us by faith from first to last.

True faith is never a work we perform because we are somehow good and worthy. True faith means rejecting all of our works and trusting completely in Christ for everything. Faith is the only way we can live. Faith is not just something by which we enter into a right relationship with God. Faith is also what we live with every single day. It is not that we come to Christ by faith and then we live by good works. Remember, it is "from faith to faith."