The Just Shall Live by Faith

But that no man is justified by the law
in the sight of God, it is evident;
for the just shall live by faith.
Galatians 3:11

Sometimes when I read the accounts of the ancient Israelite people, I get to feeling a little exasperated. I mean, how thick do you have to be to see what they saw and hear what they heard and still not believe that God is God, that He should be trusted and obeyed? But when the sun of reality burns away the fog of fantasy faith, I know that I am so very much like my spiritual ancestors. Stubborn, just like them. Hard-hearted and stiff-necked and rebellious...just like them. If I had been there, I would have worshiped the golden calf. If I had been there, I would have griped about the lack of water and the bland, 'what is that?'  manna. If I had been there, I would have complained about God's leadership choice of Moses. If I had been there, I would have cheered for Jesus when he entered Jerusalem and I would have jeered at Jesus during His trial. When God crafted a people to teach us about Himself, He knew their example would speak to us, because humanity--Jew and Gentile alike--is uniformly broken and sinful.

I am thankful we serve a God of loving mercy and steadfast grace--a God requiring faith, not works in order to save and keep us. Everyone knows this; it's a basic tenet of Christianity. What seems less well known is that Israel knew that God too. No one--whether from Old Testament times or New--has gone to heaven except by the grace of God. If you're not sure I'm right, do a quick Bible review and name one person who was justified by keeping the Law. Take your time. Consult your pastor. Use Google if you want. Name one person--besides Jesus--who never broke any of the commandments...never sinned, never slipped up. Adam? Nope. Abraham? Nope. Moses? Nope. David? Are you kidding me? Every single one of our Old Testament heroes of the faith were men and women of clay who followed the God of Israel as best they could, trusting that a loving and merciful God would extend His salvation to them in the end. 

The just shall live by faith is in the New Testament because Paul was quoting Habakkuk 2:4 (which is definitely in the Old Testament). Somehow between that time and today, we've come to the conclusion that God moved from salvation through the law to salvation despite the law. But God does not have a split personality; He is the same God all through the Scriptures. The Old Testament showcases His plan to create a people and teach them how He was different than the pagan gods. Through the Law* God taught His chosen people His unapproachable perfection and holiness so they would not be tempted to try for their own righteousness. Through the Law they (and we) could see the absolute impossibility of attaining rightness with God on our own. They, just like us, had to trust in the character of God...to trust His plan for salvation. They had to access God through faith.

Many Christian ministries characterize Jesus' earthly ministry as flouting the Law, teaching it was irrelevant...even offensive to God. But He would have had few Jewish followers if that had been the case. The Jews of Jesus' day were well aware that Moses (their revered Law-giver) had given them a test for a false prophet. Anyone one who taught the people to reject and disobey God's commands was immediately identified as a false prophet (Deut. 13:1). That is why the Pharisees and scribes kept trying to catch Jesus saying and doing things that broke a commandment. They were applying Moses' false-prophet test, looking for a valid reason to reject Jesus' teachings and stop His growing ministry. The fact that the religious authorities finally had to rely on false witnesses to condemn Him is a good indication that Jesus nowhere told them to disobey God's commands. Instead He taught them how to follow the spirit of the law rather than the letter. He took the Law and fleshed it out, making it a way of life that was full of life. 

Jesus fulfilled the law....not as in completed and cancelled but as in filling it full. He routinely taught "you have heard it said, but I say to you." Rather than erasing the commandments, He filled them full of the meaning God intended. Jesus tweaked the Pharisees about their traditions, but told His disciples to be even more scrupulous than the Law required (Matthew 5:20). The Law was given for Man's benefit, but God knew men would turn it into a heavy religious burden. Jesus showed how to keep the Law the right way...a way filled with grace and spirit that brings life...life the way God had always intended it to be. Jesus showed the people that the way of God could be lived out in a joyful, abundant way that both pleased God and blessed people. His sacrifice ended the necessity of animal sacrifice to cover sin, but never ended God's plan for how we should live.

Our God never changes. The God of Israel extends hope to the world that does not rest on perfect rules-following but on His character...on His plan for salvation...on His lovingkindness. That makes my heart sing.

...the righteous shall live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4b

*Torah is usually interpreted with the generic English word "law," but it literally means Teaching...essentially, the way God means us to live. As Paul exclaims in Romans 7, "Am I suggesting that these laws of God are evil? Of course not!"