Friday, May 14, 2010

Great Quote: "He Who Through Faith is Righteous, Shall Live"

In Romans 1:17, we are accustomed to find the words, "The
just shall live by faith." This declaration has been a clarion
call to faith and has been the text for many a sermon on the
necessity of continued faith throughout life. It is true that
this verse may have this meaning, but it is more probable that
it means, "He who through faith is righteous shall live." This
is in keeping with the whole emphasis of Paul throughout
Romans, which has as its theme "justification by faith" (Romans
5:1). Paul does not present two themes in Romans: the one,
"living by faith," and the other, "justification by faith." His
purpose was to emphasize one great primary truth of Christian
doctrine: the righteousness which comes by faith in God. It is
a kind of imputed righteousness, which has its origin in the
grace of God and its response in the faith of man. Not only is
this translation more in keeping with the Pauline context, but
it is more faithful to the Hebrew of Habakkuk 2:4, of which it
is a quotation.
   ... Eugene A. Nida (b. 1914), God's Word in Man's Language,
         Harper, 1952, p. 73

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