The Hebrew noun [emuwnah 530] in Habakkuk’s famous statement “but the just shall live by his faith [emuwnah 530]” (2:4), actually means faithfulness and not faith as it is translated. It appears around 50 times in the Old Testament and always indicates faithfulness in every context. About half of its occurrences describe God’s faithfulness. Obviously it’s not speaking about God having belief in something or someone else but rather about Him showing faithfulness to us. It’s rather suspicious that in the King James Version, Habakkuk 2:4 is the only place out of 50 where emuwnah is translated as faith! A few translations (CJB, GW, LEB, NET, NIV, NLT, NOG, VOICE) do render it correctly as faithfulness. Furthermore, the Septuagint includes a possessive pronoun that would be rendered into English as “But the just shall live from my faith [faithfulness].” Of course Habakkuk 2:4 is quoted three times in the New Testament (Rom 1:17; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38), and if Habakkuk truly meant faithfulness then this meaning would not have changed in its NT counterpart of the Greek pistis.
The Greek noun [pistis
4102] appears almost 250 times in the NT and is always translated as faith in the King James Version except
in just three places where the context forces it to be rendered faithfulness or fidelity (Rom 3:3; Gal 5:22; Tit 2:10). The word pistis also appears about 30 times in
the Septuagint (Deu 32:20; 1Sa 21:12, 26:23; 2Ki 12:15, 22:7; 1Ch 9:22,26,31;
2Ch 31:12,15,18, 34:12; Neh 9:38; Psa 33:4; Pro 3:3, 12:17,22, 14:22, 15:28;
Sng 4:8; Jer 5:1,3, 9:3, 15:18, 28:9, 32:41, 33:6; Hos 2:20; Hab 2:4), and all
but two (Deu 32:20; Hab 2:4) are rendered as “faithfully,” “faithfulness,”
“truth,” “trust,” “loyalty,” “reliable,” “steadfast,” “assuredly,” and on one
occasion the proper name “Amana.” And the contexts of the two exceptions don’t
force the meaning of faith but only allow
this possibility. In fact, the majority occurrences weigh in favor that these
two exceptions also mean faithfulness.
The point is that in the KJV and most other translations, when liberty allows pistis to be translated as faith then that liberty is taken. However,
the Septuagint translators used it consistently with the meaning of faithfulness.
Look at how the New English Translation and the New
Testament for Everyone render Romans 3:22, 26: “the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ
for all who believe. For there is no distinction … This was also to
demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and
the justifier of the one who lives because
of Jesus’ faithfulness” (NET); “God’s covenant justice comes into operation
through the faithfulness of Jesus the
Messiah, for the benefit of all who have faith. For there is no distinction
… This was to demonstrate his covenant justice in the present time: that
is, that he himself is in the right, and that he declares to be in the right
everyone who trusts in the faithfulness of
Jesus” (NTE). Back in the first chapter of Romans, this is also what Paul
meant when he said “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from [ek
1537] faith [pistis 4102] to [eis 1519
faith [pistis 4102]: as it is written, The just shall live by [ek
1537] faith [pistis 4102]” (Rom 1:17). Paraphrasing, he was saying that
God’s righteousness is on the basis of Christ’s faithfulness to the end result
of our faithfulness; as it is written, the righteous shall have eternal life on
the basis of Christ’s faithfulness.
Was Martin Luther correct in his understanding of “The just
shall live by faith” to mean that we are saved by belief? The argument of Sola Fide is that we are saved by only
believing some facts are true and nothing else, otherwise we are trying to save
ourselves by our works. But does “by faith” mean to believe some facts are true
or does it mean faithfulness to God?
The three main passages where Paul stated emphatically that righteousness
is not by the works of the law, he juxtaposed it with the faithfulness of Jesus
Christ: “For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through
the law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the law the
righteousness of God (although it is attested by the law and the prophets) has
been disclosed—namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For
there is no distinction” (Rom 3:20-22 NET); “yet we know that no one is
justified by the works of the law
but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.
And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the
works of the law no one will be justified.” (Gal 2:16 NET); “and be found in
him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that
comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness—a
righteousness from God that is in fact based
on Christ’s faithfulness” (Phi 3:9 NET). Rather than it being an issue
between working versus believing, Paul taught that it’s an issue between the
Law of Moses versus Christ’s faithfulness.
He quoted from Moses about Christ’s faithfulness to come
down from heaven, die for our sins, and be raised up again: “But the righteousness which is of faith [faithfulness] speaketh on this wise,
Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ
down from above:) Or, Who shall
descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But
what saith it? The word [rhema] is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word [rhema 4487] of faith [faithfulness], which we preach … So then faith [faithfulness]
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word [rhema 4487] of God” (Rom 10:6-8, 17). Was he saying in verse 17
that faith or belief comes by repetitiously hearing God’s word? Actually, he
was saying that the message of Christ’s faithfulness to die for our sins comes
by hearing, and that people hear this message by the word or declaration Paul
was sent to preach.
He taught the same to the Galatians: “I have been crucified
with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the
life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20 NET), “This
only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or
by the hearing of faith [faithfulness]? ... He therefore that
ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or
by the hearing of faith [faithfulness]?” (Gal 3:2, 5). This
“hearing of faithfulness” is hearing his preaching of Christ’s faithfulness to
give Himself for us, “But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in
times past now preacheth the faith [faithfulness] which once he
destroyed” (Gal 1:23).
In this passage, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us
up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages
to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith [faithfulness]; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”
(Eph 2:5-9), Paul meant that we are saved by grace through faithfulness. He will go on to say, “For through him we both have access
[prosagoge 4318] by one Spirit unto
the Father” (Eph 2:18), “This was according to the eternal purpose that he
accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access [prosagoge
4318] to God because of Christ’s faithfulness” (Eph 3:11-12 NET). We now
have access to the Father because Christ is seated at His right hand. Therefore,
we are saved by God’s grace through Christ’s faithfulness to die for our sins
because we died with Him, were made alive with Him, were raised with Him, and
are now seated with Him at the Father’s right hand.
The gospel of Jesus Christ
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein
is the righteousness of God revealed from
faith [faithfulness] to faith [faithfulness]: as it is written, The
just shall live by faith [faithfulness]” (Rom 1:16-17).
That “the gospel of Christ” is the message that Christ
Himself preached is evident by what Paul said at the end of Romans, “Now to him
that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ” (Rom 16:25). Therefore,
the primary litmus test that the Greek pistis
means faithfulness would be through
examining what Jesus Christ Himself preached.
Looking at just a few passages from the Gospel of Matthew: “When
Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto
you, I have not found so great faith [faithfulness], no, not in Israel” (8:10);
“And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and
Jesus seeing their faith [faithfulness] said unto the sick of
the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee” (9:2); “But Jesus
turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort;
thy faith [faithfulness] hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole
from that hour” (9:22); “And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed
him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of
David, have mercy on us … Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to
your faith [faithfulness] be it unto you” (9:27, 29); “Then Jesus answered
and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith
[faithfulness]: be it unto thee
even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour” (15:28).
Did Jesus mean that it was their faith or belief that healed
them? If so, then maybe we really should be listening to “Word of Faith”
teachers claiming we can be healed by our faith! But notice that the two blind
men were crying out “Thou son of David.” What happened is that Jesus healed
these people because of their faithfulness to God in receiving Him as their
Messiah. This is indeed what Christ preached, “Therefore leaving the principles
of the doctrine of Christ, let us go
on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead [nekros
3498] works [ergon 2041], and of faith [faithfulness]
toward God” (Heb 6:1). These “dead works” are the blood of animals, “the
blood of goats and calves … the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of
an heifer … purge your conscience from dead
[nekros 3498] works [ergon 2041]” (Heb 9:12-14). Christ
preached to Israel that they should turn from these dead works and be faithful
to God in receiving Him as their Messiah.
The Jews who reject Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah are
not walking in the steps of Abraham’s faithfulness, “walk in the steps of that faith [faithfulness]
of our father Abraham” (Rom 4:12). God had promised Abraham that he would have
a biological son for his heir, “This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall
come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir” (Gen 15:4), and Abraham
later considered Ishmael to be the fulfillment of that promise. However, God had
not yet indicated the woman through which his heir would come. He would later reveal
to him, “As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her” (Gen
17:15-16). Did Abraham joyfully embrace this? On the contrary, he argued with
God about it, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!” (Gen 17:18). Paul said that
“He staggered [diakrino] not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was
strong in faith [faithfulness], giving glory to God” (Rom 4:20). The Greek diakrino means “to contend with.”
Although Abraham did initially contend with God, he quickly submitted as
evidenced by circumcising himself and his household that same day. He forsook
his hope of Ishmael to a new hope of Isaac, “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father
of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be” (Rom 4:18). He accepted that the promise of “So
shall thy seed be” (Gen 15:5) would actually be fulfilled through Sarah. These
are his steps of faithfulness to God and these events were meant to teach us
about God’s plan of salvation, “Which
things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the
mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar” (Gal 4:24).
Paul revealed that Abraham’s steps of faithfulness to God in
turning his hope from Ishmael to Isaac was figurative of what the Jewish people
were to do in turning their hope of righteousness from the Law of Moses to the
faithfulness of Jesus Christ. Therefore, those who reject Jesus of Nazareth as
the Messiah are contending with God and saying “O that Ishmael might live
before thee!” They are not following the steps of Abraham’s faithfulness by
submitting to God’s righteousness.
When Paul said “from faith [faithfulness] to faith [faithfulness]”
(Rom 1:17), he meant that righteousness is on the basis of Christ’s faithfulness
with the result of our faithfulness. Christ’s faithfulness to the Father in
obedience to death “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”
(Phi 2:7-8), results in our faithfulness to Him as Lord. Faithfulness to Him as
Lord is indeed the gospel He preached: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his
household, to give them meat in due season?” (Mat 24:45); “His lord said unto
him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful
over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the
joy of thy lord” (Mat 25:21); “And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that
which is your own? No servant can serve
two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else
he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
(Luk 16:12-13); “And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities”
(Luk 19:17).
The just shall live by faithfulness in Galatians
“So then they which be of faith [pistis 4102] are
blessed with faithful [pistos 4103] Abraham. For as many as
are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all
things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is
justified by the law in the sight of God, it
is evident: for, The just shall live
by faith [pistis 4102].” (Gal
3:9-11).
When Paul said “So then they which be of faith [faithfulness],” he was referring back to
the faithfulness of Jesus Christ: “yet we know that no one is justified by the
works of the law but by the faithfulness
of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we
may be justified by the faithfulness of
Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no
one will be justified” (Gal 2:16 NET), “I have been crucified with Christ, and
it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in
the body, I live because of the
faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal
2:20 NET). Therefore, to be “of faithfulness” is to be seeking justification by
the faithfulness of Jesus Christ and not by the works of the law.
The Greek pistos in
“faithful Abraham” is an adjective depicting his faithfulness to God. But some
Bible versions render it as a verb “believing Abraham” (DBY, NKJV), or even a
noun “Abraham, the man of faith” (NIV), “Abraham the believer” (NET). It seems
these translations are an attempt to make the text agree with the erroneous assumption
that Abraham was justified by faith or belief. But since Paul was teaching
about faithfulness then this supports the understanding of “The just shall live
by faith [faithfulness].” As Abraham
was justified by being faithful to God, we also will be blessed by our faithfulness.
The just shall live by faithfulness in Hebrews
The faithfulness that Jesus Christ taught, “the doctrine of
Christ … faith [faithfulness] toward
God” (Heb 6:1), is expounded upon later in Hebrews, “Now the just shall live by
faith [faithfulness]” (Heb 10:38), “Now
faith [faithfulness] is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). Faithfulness being
the assurance of things or matters hoped for is that our faithfulness to God
gives us a confident assurance that we can put our hope and trust in Him. After
all, why should He do anything for us if we are not being faithful to Him? Therefore,
if we are not being faithful to Him then we have no basis for hope and trust. And
faithfulness is the convicting of matters not being seen because “By faith [faithfulness] Noah, being warned of God
of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house” (Heb 11:7). Because of
Noah’s faithfulness, God warned or convicted him of the flood that was not yet seen.
He then moved with fear and faithfully obeyed, “Thus did Noah; according to all
that God commanded him, so did he” (Gen 6:22).
“For by it [faithfulness]
the elders obtained a good report … But without faith [faithfulness] it is
impossible to please him” (Heb 11:2,
6). The good report God gave of the Old Testament saints indicates that faithfulness
is what pleases Him. We understand that since God gave by inspiration the
Scriptures that record their faithfulness to Him then faithfulness is what
pleases Him. “Through faith [faithfulness]
we understand that the worlds [aion 165] were framed by the word of
God, so that things which are seen
were not made of things which do appear” (Heb 11:3). This statement is not
about the creation of the material world in the beginning but rather the aion or ages being framed and ordered throughout
history so that Christ would come into the world and save us from our sins. For
four thousand years God spoke to faithful people to bring about the historical events
which transpired or the “things which are seen.” History didn’t just happen by
chance. These events had to have happened the way they did so that the
geographical, political, religious, ethnic, social, economic, and linguistic
climate would be exactly the way it was for God’s Son to come and die for us.
Enoch, Noah, and Abraham were faithful to God because they
all walked with God:
“By faith [faithfulness]
Enoch” (Heb 11:5), “Enoch walked with God” (Gen 5:22, 24)
“By faith [faithfulness]
Noah” (Heb 11:7), “Noah walked with God” (Gen 6:9)
“By faith [faithfulness]
Abraham” (Heb 11:8), “walk before me” (Gen 17:1)
Earlier in Hebrews we were told “And Moses verily was faithful
[pistos 4103] in all his house,
as a servant” (Heb 3:5), which
corresponds to “By faith [faithfulness]
Moses” (Heb 11:24). The Greek adjective pistos
is the same that was used to describe Abraham in Galatians, “So then they which
be of faith are blessed with faithful [pistos 4103] Abraham” (Gal 3:9). It
was because of Moses’ faithfulness to God that he “refused to be called the son
of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of
God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season,” “forsook Egypt, not
fearing the wrath of the king,” “kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood,”
and “passed through the Red sea as by dry land”
(Heb 11:24-29). Moses faithfully obeyed God as a servant, “My servant Moses is not
so, who is faithful in all mine house” (Num 12:7). And he died faithfully
serving, “So Moses the servant of the
LORD died there in the land of Moab” (Deu 34:5), “These all died in faith [faithfulness]” (Heb 11:13).
The testing of our faithfulness
James taught that our faithfulness, not our faith, is what will
be tried or tested, “Knowing this,
that the trying of your faith [faithfulness]
worketh patience” (Jas 1:3). He later cited the testing of Abraham’s
faithfulness as an example, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works,
when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?” (Jas 2:21), “And it came to
pass after these things, that God did tempt
[nacah 5254] Abraham” (Gen 22:1).
The Hebrew nacah
is also used several times for God testing or proving Israel: “that I may prove [nacah
5254] them, whether they will walk in my law, or no” (Exo 16:4); “for God
is come to prove [nacah 5254] you, and that his fear may be before your faces,
that ye sin not” (Exo 20:20); “to prove
[nacah 5254] thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest
keep his commandments, or no” (Deu 8:2); “for the LORD your God proveth [nacah 5254] you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with
all your heart and with all your soul” (Deu 13:3); “That through them I may prove [nacah
5254] Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein,
as their fathers did keep it, or not”
(Jdg 2:22); “Now these are the
nations which the LORD left, to prove [nacah 5254] Israel by them” (Jdg
3:1).
The debate over the centuries between Roman Catholics and
Protestants about faith versus works in James 2:14-26 is bogus because James
wasn’t even talking about faith but faithfulness, “Even so faith [faithfulness], if it hath not works [ergon
2041], is dead, being alone” (Jas 2:17). The Greek ergon simply means actions.
It’s not an issue of belief versus meritorious works but rather of only saying
we are faithful versus actually being faithful! It’s our actions that show our faithfulness,
“though a man say he hath faith [faithfulness],
and have not works [ergon 2041]?” (Jas 2:14), “shew me thy faith [faithfulness] without thy works [ergon
2041], and I will shew thee my faith [faithfulness]
by my works [ergon 2041]” (Jas 2:18).
Repeatedly James emphasized that actions must accompany
faithfulness, “have not works [actions]”
(Jas 2:14), “hath not works [actions]”
(Jas 2:17), “without thy works [actions]”
(Jas 2:18), “without works [actions]”
(Jas 2:20, 26), “not by faith [faithfulness]
only” (Jas 2:24). Tested and proven actions complete or perfect our
faithfulness, “Seest thou how faith [faithfulness] wrought with his works [actions],
and by works [actions] was faith [faithfulness] made perfect [teleioo 5048]?” (Jas 2:22). Faithful actions must accompany
confessed faithfulness otherwise faithfulness is left incomplete and alone.
God told Abraham “I am
the Almighty God; walk before me,
and be thou perfect [tamiym 8549]” (Gen 17:1). The Hebrew
tamiym is used about 40 times in
Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers to describe the requirement of a sacrifice being
“without blemish.” Of course Abraham’s faithfulness was not perfect or complete
until it was tested by offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice. His faithfulness
was seen in his obedient actions, “for
now I know that thou fearest God, seeing
thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son
from me” (Gen 22:12), “because thou hast obeyed
my voice” (Gen 22:18). It’s easy to be faithful to Christ when everything is
going well and we don’t have to give up anything. The test of our faithfulness is
seen when things are not going well and when we must make sacrifices of the
things that are important to us. Walking before God in faithfulness requires
sacrificial actions.
James taught that everyone confessing faithfulness must be
proven, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith [faithfulness], and have not works [actions]? can faith [faithfulness] save
him?” (Jas 2:14). How is a master profited when his servant is not being
faithful? Christ preached “And cast ye the
unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth” (Mat 25:30). And Paul taught that we are slaves, not necessarily
to whom we confess to obey, but to whom we actually obey, “Do you not know that
to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Rom 6:16
NKJV).
He also taught, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation
worketh patience; And patience, experience [dokime
1382]; and experience [dokime 1382],
hope” (Rom 5:3-4). This follows what he had just taught about righteousness being
imputed to Abraham, “it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall
be imputed … Therefore, being justified by faith [faithfulness]” (Rom 4:23-24, 5:1). The Greek dokime translated here as experience
actually means proof. He was saying
that patiently serving through trials and tribulations proves our faithfulness
to the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore gives us reason to hope.
Peter taught that tested and proven faithfulness to the Lord
Jesus Christ is far more valuable than gold, “That the trial of your faith
[faithfulness], being much more precious than of gold that perisheth” (1Pe 1:7),
because the result of faithfulness is salvation which is more valuable than any
amount of gold, “Receiving the end of your faith [faithfulness], even the
salvation of your souls” (1Pe 1:9).
Various statements
That pistis means faithfulness and not faith is also evident by various statements
that make the most sense when understood this way. One example is the parable
of the mustard seed: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his
field: Which indeed is the least of all
seeds: but when it is grown, it is
the greatest among herbs” (Mat 13:31-32), “If ye have faith [faithfulness] as a
grain of mustard seed” (Mat 17:20). Typically this is taken to mean that if we
have just a tiny amount of faith then we can accomplish great things. But it’s
actually about making ourselves the least as faithful servants, “But he that is
greatest among you shall be your servant” (Mat 23:11). A seed planted in the
ground is figurative of death and resurrection from death, “Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not
quickened, except it die” (1Co 15:36). Since a seed produces “after his kind”
(Gen 1:11-12), “and to every seed his own body” (1Co 15:38), then it follows “For
if we have been planted together in
the likeness of his death, we shall
be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (Rom 6:5). As with
a mustard seed, Christ made Himself the least in His death and became the
greatest in His resurrection. Likewise, we will be resurrected “after his
kind,” after the mustard seed kind so to speak. In other words, if we are also
planted in the ground as the least, we will be resurrected to be great.
Another example is this statement: “And he that doubteth [diakrino 1252] is damned if he eat,
because he eateth not of faith [faithfulness]: for whatsoever is not of faith [faithfulness] is sin” (Rom 14:23). How is it that anything we do
that is not out of belief is sin? What in the world does that mean? But since
the context is about the servant and master relationship, “Who art thou that
judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea,
he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.” (Rom 14:4), then what
makes the most sense is that anything we do which is not out of faithfulness to
our Master the Lord Jesus Christ is sin. The Greek diakrino translated here as doubt
actually means contend. The idea is
that a servant contending with what his master has told him to do is not
faithfully serving his master. Therefore, Jewish and Gentile brothers in the
Lord shouldn’t be pushing upon each other their convictions about meats and
observing of days because both groups are striving to be faithful to the same
Lord.
Another final example is this statement: “For in Jesus
Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith [faithfulness] which worketh by love”
(Gal 5:6). How is it that belief works by love? How could we believe more by
loving more? In context, the commandment of love satisfies all of the commandments
of the law, “For all the law is
fulfilled in one word, even in
this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Gal 5:14), which is the law of
Christ, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). The reason it is Christ’s law is
because He commanded it, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye even so to them: for
this is the law and the prophets” (Mat 7:12), “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Mat 22:39-40). Therefore “faith
[faithfulness] works by love” makes the
most sense because faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ can only be
accomplished by keeping His commandment of love.
Trusting God
As with the Greek noun [pistis
4102], its verb form [pisteuo 4100]
also appears almost 250 times in the NT and is always translated as believe in the KVJ except in just eight
places where the context forces it to be rendered commit or trust (Luk
16:11; Jhn 2:24; Rom 3:2; 1Co 9:17; Gal 2:7; 1Th 2:4; 1Ti 1:11; Tit 1:3). And
similarly as with pistis, when
liberty allows pisteuo to be
translated believe then that liberty
is taken. The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB), on the other hand, is one English
version that consistently renders pisteuo
as trust.
To support this contention that pisteuo actually means trust
rather than believe, Abraham again is
the example: “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed [trusted]
God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom 4:3), “Even as Abraham believed [trusted] God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness”
(Gal 3:6), “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed [trusted]
God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness” (Jas 2:23).
The Scripture “And he believed [trusted] in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness”
(Gen 15:6), was fulfilled many years later when Abraham’s faithfulness was
tested, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered
Isaac his son upon the altar? … And the scripture was fulfilled which saith,
Abraham believed [trusted] God, and
it was imputed unto him for righteousness” (Jas 2:21, 23). This indicates that
imputed righteousness is not a one-and-done event but is contingent upon
continued faithfulness. Would God still have counted Abraham righteous had he
disobeyed? What would have been the point of the test?
God had told him “walk before
me” (Gen 17:1), which Paul referenced “before
him whom he believed [trusted], even
God, who quickeneth the dead” (Rom 4:17). Abraham trusted God to raise his son
Isaac from the dead, “By faith [faithfulness]
Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac … Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead”
(Heb 11:17, 19). Nobody else was on that mountain to witness what Abraham was
about to do. Therefore, his faithful sacrifice was in God’s sight alone, “And
Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh:
as it is said to this day, In the
mount of the LORD it shall be seen”
(Gen 22:14). Although multitudes witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as a
common criminal between two thieves, only God saw His faithfulness as the
sacrificial Lamb sent by Him, “God will provide himself a lamb” (Gen 22:8).
Walking before God means that we obey in His sight
regardless of how other people see us or if they see us at all. As living
sacrifices (Rom 12:1), we obey God even when we know we’ll be misunderstood and
mistreated by other people. We’re willing to be seen as fools, deceivers,
ignorant, unscholarly, troublemakers, unimportant, etc. It’s an inverse
correlation—the less glory we get on account of faithfulness to Him, the more
glory He gets. This is why Abraham “was strong in faith [faithfulness], giving glory to God” (Rom 4:20).
Christ didn’t seek a good reputation among people but
willingly died with the reputation of a criminal, “But made himself of no
reputation … and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phl
2:7-8).
And we are to have this same mindset, “Let this mind be in
you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phl 2:5). Our lives are to be “made
conformable unto his death” (Phl 3:10). But if we are seeking to have a good
image in front of people then we are not being conformed to the image of
Christ.
Jesus Christ taught faithfulness and Paul was not ashamed of
the gospel Christ taught, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth [trusts]; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith [faithfulness] to faith [faithfulness]:
as it is written, The just shall live by
faith [faithfulness].” (Rom
1:16-17).
The statement Paul later makes “That if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
[trust] in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Rom 10:9), is often quoted
to claim that if we just make a confession and believe that Christ was resurrected
then we are saved. However, he had already taught earlier “if we believe [trust] on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Rom
4:24). As Peter also conferred, “Who by him do believe [trust] in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him
glory; that your faith [faithfulness]
and hope might be in God.” (1Pe 1:21). It’s not about simply believing that the
resurrection happened, it’s about trusting in God that made the resurrection
happen! We must live in faithful service to the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting God
the Father to defend and reward us, “I am
thy shield, and thy exceeding great
reward” (Gen 15:1). This is what Jesus Christ taught: “reward of your Father
which is in heaven” (Mat 6:1), “thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall
reward thee openly” (Mat 6:4), “thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward
thee openly” (Mat 6:6), “thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee
openly” (Mat 6:18). “But without faith [faithfulness]
it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him” (Heb 11:6).
Conclusion
Abraham’s example is not that of faith and belief but rather
of faithfulness and trust. Now, of course faith and belief are certainly
components of faithfulness and trust because we’re not going to be faithful to
someone we can’t trust and we can’t trust someone we don’t believe. However,
the doctrine of Sola Fide has
dwindled salvation down to a single element comprising the whole. This is not
the gospel of Christ.
I contend that Martin Luther was wrong in his understanding
of “The just shall live by faith” to mean belief.
But who am I to speak? I’m not a scholar, theologian, or even a seminary
graduate. I’m just a follower of “unlearned and ignorant men” (Act 4:13), a
follower of fools, “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are
honourable, but we are despised …
Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers
of me” (1Co 4:10, 16). If I’m seeking the glory of being esteemed as a
great author, scholar, or theologian then I’m the one getting the glory. But if
I’m being scorned, ridiculed, mocked, rejected, seen as a fool, and even seen
as a false teacher on account of faithfulness to my Lord Jesus Christ then He
is being glorified, “strong in faith [faithfulness],
giving glory to God” (Rom 4:20).