Romans 1:16-17 - The Fruit of Faith

Romans 1:16-17 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Message: The Fruit of Faith

Time: The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57, just three years after the 16 year old Nero had ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. Persecution of Christians wouldn't begin until AD 64. The church was experiencing times of relative peace. From where he wrote, Corinth, was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idol worship.

What the Lord is Saying:

Faith clearly gets a bad rap, because it often is inferred that our faith is blind but it is not. We hold true to the evidence of God's word and the evidence of living rightly and seeing the benefits of right living and seeking first the Kingdom of God in our lives. The idea is very reasonable that I cannot save myself if God is holy and so therefore he expects our holiness to mirror His. And He is trustworthy and will do what He says and has shown this throughout history. 

And life is more rational and has a higher meaning. It is odd to me that once people know you are a Christian, the thought is a person must be perfect and have no sin. The fact that we understand sin does not though make us exempt from it; rather, we simple know it and know it's impact on our lives. 

Yet, with Christ in our lives it is true that we bear righteousness. As I've seen lately in my study the righteous person recognizes his need and is therefore a teachable person. They recognize something higher than them and they are more apt to obedience because they recognize their need to be different and submit to a creator's ways. 

Today's passage from Romans 1:16-17 stating that our obedience is not what declares us righteous as righteousness is not earned but is received by faith and once acknowledged this faith is confirmed throughout out life and moves us to greater and greater obedience. Every day we put our trust in Him. Every day when I seek Him First I am acknowledging my faith in Him and that faith is greater than anything else in my life. It takes first place. Other things take second, but each day that faith in Him takes first place. Each day my loyalty is to Him first as I pledge and live my life out to Him. 

And in turn He gives me a compassion for others and I am loyal to them and want the best for them. It means I trust in Him each day and I want to be obedient and keep my commitment to Him. And I want to keep my commitment to others. 

Promise: As I live by faith, I want to be more trustworthy to others. 

Prayer: Lord, I pray that I would be a trustworthy person always. Thank you Holy Spirit for quickening me always to live by faith each day and to put you number one in my life and let all other things in my life fall into place. Thank you for these lessons on faith and this past year of studying faith. It has taken me a while to get through these lessons and yet they have been rich and I am thankful for the consistency of Your word and its completeness. Help me to hold onto these truths. Lord, help me to be sensitive to sinners each day, as they look to themselves as truth and they are defining and redefining each day in them what is truth. Lord, help me to be a person that radiates truth and if I can point them to their sin and help them acknowledge it, direct me in this way. Thank you for your Law and that it radiates truth and speaks of obedience, but the complete obedience that is needed and reminds me every day of how much I need you because I can never be perfect. Yes, Lord, I need to be a person that keeps your Law but as a response to what you have done not as a condition to be accepted by You, because the only way for me to be justified is by Your Son Jesus. Jesus, you completed obedience as I was and am incapable of this. You have saved me simply out of Your kindness. It is only through you that I can be righteous and because of this I have a right and perfect relationship with You for all eternity. I am still a sinner, but because of your claim on My life You see me as righteous because of Jesus in me. Thank you for the simplicity of faith that sprung up in my life in 1982 and still lives in me today and has only gotten stronger and stronger. I am saved. By faith alone in Christ alone and will live for Christ alone.