October 4, 2022
Daily Devotion:
"By Faith from First to Last"
Romans 1:17
New International Version
17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
If asked, most of us would say that we ought to be people of faith, characterized by righteous living-and, for the most part, we are such people. Yet if it were that simple, why do you suppose Paul explores at such length the relationship between faith and righteousness? The short answer is that the Jews Were notorious for thinking that righteousness came through strict law-keeping. While we might chide the Jews for practicing a futile "works righteousness," is it possible that even we easily confuse being good with doing good? Herein lies a dangerous trap. To whatever extent we don't do good (would anyone claim perfection?), to that same extent we cannot possibly claim to be righteous. So where does that leave us? As believers who are hopelessly unrighteous? Oh, no, we quickly protest! Our righteousness comes through Christ alone, not anything we might do. Herein lies an equally dangerous trap. To whatever extent we don't have to be good to be righteous, to that extent we often aren't. The temptation is to think that having a professed faith in Jesus is all we need in order to be adjudged righteous. We forget that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness precisely because it was a complete faith, joining trust and belief with faith-prompted action. Righteousness that is "by faith from first to last," is not a righteousness devoid of conscious acts of holiness, purity, and godliness. It is a righteousness that flows toward such actions, not from them. The difference in direction is not a matter of indifference. While deep faith invariably motivates action, actions alone can never prompt deep faith.
The intriguing question is: If I struggle with being righteous, could it be because I am still relying on my own effort rather than being truly transformed?
