The Righteous Will Live By Faith
Two words come together like a perfect marriage: Righteousness and Faith. Because both are a running motif through Scripture, they’re the basis for a relationship with God. One could argue that they’re crucial for a relationship with each other.
In regards to righteousness the Old Testament views it as twins to Justice; they’re often seen together. One might say the role of righteousness is to bring justice or to make the wrong right. In the New Testament, Righteousness and Justice are born out of the same Greek word. Anytime you’re reading the New Testament and come across “righteousness,” you can substitute it for “justice” and you won’t be wrong. In regards to faith, it may be the foundation of our relationship with God (Heb. 11:6). The unseen God calls us to see him which forces us to view him and this world through an invisible prism or reality. Thus, we read, “the righteous will live by faith.”
Surfacing four times in Scripture, first in the Old Testament and three times in the New Testament, God beckons his righteous ones to live their lives out in faith. Let’s take a look at each time “the righteous will live by faith” appears in Scripture.
● Habakkuk 2:4 When the prophet Habakkuk steps onto the stage, King Josiah has been killed in battle and his evil son, Jehoiakim, begins an eleven year policy of reversing all the reforms of his father. The gains under Josiah are quickly lost. In Habakkuk’s complaint to God, “justice never prevails (while) the wicked hem in the righteous” (1:4). Essentially, Habakkuk asks God, “What are you going to do about the injustice in Judah?” God’s answer was beyond belief (1:5-6), as he was cultivating the Babylonians, raising them up to punish Judah for their sins. Such a move even surprised the prophet as he stood before the Lord in disbelief. Then came God’s comfort, “the righteous will live by his faith.” When the political forces, even fueled by God’s will, bring destruction and death on your own nation so that the temple is razed and citizens are taken away in captivity, those who continue to trust God are the righteous and their faith will be rewarded. As Peter might say, “Where will we go? God has the words of eternal life” (Jn. 6:68).
● Galatians 3:11 In one of his first written epistles, if not the very first one, Paul combats the false teaching that circumcision is necessary for salvation, or that law-keeping is a prerequisite for Kingdom entrance. Not only does Paul question their legalistic logic as it misaligns with their experience (3:1-5), but he also points to Scripture: Abraham’s faith made him righteous (Gen. 15:6; Gal. 3:6-7), not his law-keeping or his circumcision. To drive his point home, Paul goes to Deuteronomy where those who live under law are under a curse (27:26) because the law is about performance where, when properly graded, we’re deemed a failure. Instead, quoting from Habakkuk, righteousness is about faith. For the Galatians once they embraced circumcision and rule-keeping as a mandate to justify themselves before God, they stopped living by faith.
● Romans 1:17 Underscoring the saving power of the Gospel (1:16), as God reveals his righteousness, Paul links righteousness and faith together in the Habakkuk verse. If Romans was written to a church struggling to keep the Jewish and Gentiles Christians together and unified, then the focus of the gospel’s power is about ethnic diversity in the church. Salvation is for everyone who believes and the Christian life is one rooted in faith from beginning to end. So Paul’s concern is not about how righteous people live, which is Habakkuk’s concern, but on how sinful people become righteous regardless of ethnic background.
● Hebrews 10:38 For fear of the faithful shrinking back from their faith, the Hebrews writer offers a homily of encouragment (13:22) to keep them on track. As the writer nears the end of a section by recalling earlier days when this community of believers stood their ground in faith, he worries they will throw it all away (10:32-36). So to build a bridge that leads to a discussion of faith for those who endured (11:1-4), the writer quotes from Isaiah and Habakkuk. Isaiah 26:20-21 has messianic overtones and quoting it here may reference the Second Coming. Attaching Habakkuk 2:4 to Isaiah means that the righteous ones continue to persevere, patiently waiting for God to act for the good of his people. Specifically, believing Jesus will return one day, even if he delays or difficult days lie ahead, they continue to live, act and walk in faith.
So we find ourselves as the “righteous living by faith,” and wherever our journey is taking us at the time depends on how we view faith. If our national, political infrastructure falls apart, or we fear it’s falling apart, then we trust God to hold us together (Hab. 2:4). If we reject the tallying of rule-keeping as a means for salvation and accept righteousness on faith, then we trust God to save us, not ourselves (Gal. 3:11). If we give our sinful life over to God then he’ll make us righteous (Rom 1:17). If we continue to endure hardship in faith while awaiting his return then we live in faith (Heb. 10:38).
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)
Feel the Bern
Living in the Twilight Zone
The Show Must Go On
Since Sunshine Church implemented COVID protocol safety measures, worship services have had a production feel to it. A need was created and we filled that need, but it still feels “produced.” Jamie and I sit on stools staring into a camera with an empty auditorium to speak to people sitting at home (more than one person has joked about us stepping into a televangelist role). The music we hear is overlaid with the high quality sound from Acappella Praise & Harmony with emphasis on the word, harmony. Jacob Miller has managed the “performance” from behind the scenes to help produce the best visual product possible. All because, when the pandemic hit, the show must go on.
James gives a stern warning for those who want to teach, for those who do will be held to a higher standard than others (Jas. 3:1). He is not decrying teaching, but he is reminding those of us who do teach that practicing what we preach is crucial to teaching. He’s not calling for fewer teachers, but for more teachers to model faith. But herein lies the difficulty. Not only do Sunday sermons come every seven days, but so does the Sunday evening and Wednesday evening bible classes. A lot of content and instruction funnels through the church, and that’s not counting the numerous other bible class instructions. While the pandemic streamlined the teaching, generally the church is begging and pleading with members to step into roles of teaching so that students have their teacher, leaving James’ concern far behind.
“It just seems like there’s something I’m leaving behind, but the show must go on.”*
Following the events of Elijah’s confrontation with the priests of Baal, we find him on the run. Did he believe that his moment on Mt. Carmel would ignite a great awakening and revival in Israel? Did he convince himself that a place of honor and status awaited him in Samaria? Was he that surprised that Ahab and Jezebel sought to have him executed? Did it ever occur to him that Mt. Carmel was too much about him and not enough about God? Regardless, he found himself spiritually and emotionally depleted and alone. Not wanting to go on any further, he was through with preaching and living.
“I just keep pretending to live for the game, so the show must go on.”*
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians for the second time, he included three sections known as “Affliction Lists” (4:8-10; 6:3-10; 11:23-29). In these passsages, Paul underscores the amount of pain he has endured for the sake of Christ (we’re probably more familiar with clay jar section of 4:8-10 and his final list of “boasting” in 11:23-29, than we are with chapter six). While he writes with hope, he refuses to gloss over his experiences, even admitting he felt like Elijah where he despaired even of life (1:8). But God holds Paul together, fueling his strength, passion and joy. And while he’s endured difficult days where he wants to give up, something inside of him wouldn’t quit.
“I just keep on bending the rules to fit the pain so the show must go on.”*
So here we endure while we wade through the floods from COVID. We settle for the online presence and worship, because it’s available with modern technology. But like every other social media platform, it cannot replace togetherness as it causes separation anxiety. We long to gather as a church. We ache to assemble in person so that we can look into each other’s eyes while praising God and encouraging one another. But even when the date is set for in-person worship, COVID will still hover like dark rain clouds. Even though vaccinations are rolling out, questions remain. How long will we have to wear masks? Will my hands ever heal from being chapped from all the handwashing? How long till social distancing is lifted? What will the result of the new virus strains be? I don’t know the answer to these burning questions; I don’t believe anyone really does. But this I do know. Whether online or in-person, whether the auditorium is empty, partially filled or filled, whether COVID hovers or dissipates, we will continue offering a platform for worship. Because the show must go on.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)
* Words by Bill Chaplin & Bruce Gaitsch
Destressing the Stress
Beyond the Lemonade Stand
When Jesus Hosts a Watch Party
On a cool spring afternoon the disciples made their way from the temple grounds through olive groves to a bluff overlooking the temple itself. Herod had overseen the construction of a magnificent edifice that inspired wonder and awe upon onlookers; he captured what Solomon only envisioned. The temple was completed some twenty years earlier and the boy Jesus might have been one of its first attendees. Jews of all walks of life swelled with pride as the temple was a light to the nations.
Naturally, Peter, John and the disciples draw their attention to the building and made a passing commentary on its glorious beauty. I can’t fault them. I’ve stood in awe on top of Rocky Butte overlooking downtown Portland, Oregon amidst Mt. Hood, the Columbia River, and Mount St. Helens. Impressive. I distinctly recall my visit to Washington DC and how awestruck I was in seeing the Capitol building. Speechless. So the disciples’ attention on the building is not beyond something I might have said. But Jesus’ response was exactly Jesus, “All those stones to build the temple will land in a heap of rubble” (Mk. 13:2).
Shocked. Bewildered. Confused. The disciples sought clarification from their teacher. They wanted answers to two questions, “When will it happen?” and “What will be the sign ahead of fulfillment?” What unfolds in Mark 13 (and Matthew 24) is a difficult answer that requires an understanding of the book of Daniel and apocalyptic literature, neither of which is easily assessed by modern, western thinking Christians. Certainly, followers of Christ have exploited his words, in part because Jesus not only answers their questions, but also points even further down history’s timeline to his return. The real difficulty is figuring out when Jesus is talking about Jerusalem’s fall and when he is talking about his return?
The simplest way to understand Mark 13 is that verses 5-32 all deal with the fall of Jerusalem. When Jesus talks about misdirection of the coming Christ (v. 6, 21-23), or nations warring against each other or cataclysmic events (v. 7-8) or the “abomination of desolation” (v. 14), he’s directly addressing events surrounding 70 AD. Certainly, persecution and betrayal (v. 9-13) will always be part of our faith-walk with Jesus, but Jesus is still looking at events unfolding in their next thirty-five years.
While verses 24-31 sound like Jesus is talking about his second coming, two facts say otherwise. First, “But in those days, following that distress,” (v. 24) means that Jesus is still on the AD 70 events, not his second coming. Secondly, the language of these verses continues apocalyptic images and was often used by prophets to describe God’s judgment on a nation. In other words, Jesus uses the Old Testament visuals to apply to Jerusalem facing God’s wrath through the Romans. Jerusalem will fall and the temple will be razed.
Jesus slowly pivots his exposition at verse 32 by saying, “No one knows about that day or hour . . ..” He has just told his disciples about heaven and earth passing away (v. 31) and the enduring power of God’s word, but no one is privy to when the end comes. I’m sure Jesus knew when Jerusalem was going to fall, or at least the general time frame for its fall. But he, the angels and the many so-called “predictors” do not know when God set the time for him to return.
In order to appreciate the ominous foreshadowing words of Jesus, we need to try to feel the despair of watching Jerusalem being breached and the temple being levelled. For a first century Jew the world was emotionally coming to an end. The game was over. The final chapter was written. Go on home because no “end-scene” credit was shot. We know this because we’ve experienced moments where all looked lost. October 29, 1929 when the stock market crashed forcing America into the Great Depression. December 7, 1941 when America was thrust into the throes of a world war for the second time. September 11, 2001 when terrorists high jacked planes and flew them into the Twin Towers and into the Pentagon. Each of those events changed the direction of the world, but didn’t close the book on the world.
The solution Jesus offers to his disciples is to invite them to his own Watch Party. “Watch out that no one deceives you” (v. 5). “Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (v. 33). “Keep watch” because you do not know when he returns (v. 34-35). “What I say to everyone: Watch” (v. 37). So he invites us to his Watch Party because it might be at midnight when he’s praying in the garden (v. 35; 14:32), or just before the rooster crows during his trial (v. 35; 14:72), or at dawn when he was sentenced to die (v. 35; 15:1). We watch because we never know how God will take an “end of the world” disaster and breathe new hope into it.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)