The Just Shall Live By Faith - Habbakuk and Romans

Paul’s theme to the book of Romans is stated in 1:17 in the line, “The Just shall live by faith.”  Today this line resonates in the hearts of evangelical believers some nearly 500 years after the Spirit regenerated Martin Luther while he was in the privy and studying the book of Romans.  Indeed this short line rocked the world some nearly 1500 years after Paul wrote it in his epistle to the Romans.  But the fact of the matter is that Paul was merely quoting words penned some nearly 500 years before he was even born.  He was quoting Habakkuk 2:4 which is evident when he wrote, “As it is written.”  In order to understand better what Paul was trying to convey in the book of Romans we would do well to have some understanding of the book of Habakkuk. 

Habakkuk lived in that perilous time after Israel had fallen, and Judah was a weak nation far from the Lord.  Indeed, he was a contemporary of Jeremiah; however, whereas Jeremiah focused more on the people repenting Habakkuk focused more God’s apparent reluctance to judge his people.   He pleads in chapter 1 for God to intervene and stop the destruction, violence, and complete disregard of godliness, and God answers that Habakkuk will not be waiting long for his answer.  The Babylonians (Chaldeans) would soon charge through as the chastening hand of God.  The idea of the Babylonians, an even more vile nation than Judah, being the chastening hand of God was utterly repugnant to Habakkuk who stated such in the rest of chapter 1.   After he had made his case to God in 2:1 Habakkuk says, “I will stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what he will speak to me, And how I may reply when I am reproved.” (NASB). 

Well answer God did, and part of the answer was in 2:4 when he said to Habakkuk “The just shall live by faith” or “his faithfulness.”   The victory of the wicked would be short lived, to be sure.  One may argue that this doesn’t seem like much of an answer, but indeed Habakkuk’s perspective changed dramatically.  We get to see his answer in chapter 3, and the final verses are some of the most encouraging of all verses in scripture.  Habakkuk 3:16-19 (NASB)

¹⁶ I heard and my inward parts trembled,
At the sound my lips quivered.
Decay enters my bones,
And in my place I tremble.
Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,
For the people to arise who will invade us.
¹⁷ Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
¹⁹ The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.

   For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.

To be sure, the whole world could fall apart and Habakkuk’s resolve to serve the Lord had only been steeled. 

 May we all show the faith of Habakkuk.

The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/users/churchoflittleton FW # 65