BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE
SHALL LIVE BY FAITH: o de dikaios mou ek pisteos zesetai (3SFMI) ek
pisteos: (Habakkuk
2:4;
Romans 1:17;
Galatians 3:11)
In Romans 1:17 Paul uses Hab 2:4 to
emphasize that salvation of both Jews & Greeks is by faith.
In Gal 3:11 he
uses it to show that man is not justified or declared righteous by the Law
but by faith (probably the primary audience in Galatia was Gentile converts
Judaizers were trying to get to undergo circumcision as a necessary adjunct
to their faith) and finally here in Hebrews to emphasize that the not
shrinking back even in persecution equates with saving faith & that the
person who has been made righteous by God lives (and survives the coming
ordeal) by faith.
Habakkuk 2:4,5 is descriptive of the proud who do not live by faith. It is the
proud who are self-sufficient and who fail to realize the necessity of
patient endurance and trust in God. The proud Jew will be rejected if he
does not exercise faith. He will be judged along with the nations.
The opposite of apostasy is faith.
This is a preview of the subsequent chapter. It is faith which pleases God.
The individual who draws back from the knowledge of the gospel and faith
will prove his apostasy. We are not just saved from our sin by faith; we
also must live by faith. This is the theme of Hebrews 11-13.
Here by faith equates with "holding on", not shrinking back
even in the face of persecution, holding fast in obedience (Hebrews
3:6, 14, 4:2)
This was the
divine spark that lit the Reformation when Martin Luther, an
Augustinian monk, found them in his Greek New Testament, illuminated
by the Holy Spirit. That is, the justified person is justified by God
upon the basis of and in answer to his faith in the Lord Jesus.
The opposite of apostasy is faith. This is a preview of the subsequent
chapter. It is faith which pleases God. The individual who draws back from
the knowledge of the gospel and faith will prove his apostasy
Ek is
genitive here so is a marker of instrument = that is ek which
normally means out of here says this person lives "as a result of" or
"by reason of" or "by means of" faith.
Faith
(4102)
(pistis)
is synonymous with trust or belief and is the conviction of the truth of
anything, but in Scripture usually speaks of belief respecting man's
relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of
trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it.
It is notable that only the book of
Romans surpasses the book of Hebrews (click
to study the uses of pistis in Hebrews)
in the number of uses of
pistis
(Romans = 35, Hebrews = 31, out of 243 NT
uses)
Click
for links to all 243 uses of pistis (NAS) which is translated: faith, 238; faithfulness, 3; pledge, 1;
proof, 1.
As pistis relates to God, it is the conviction
that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things well as the
Provider and Bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. As faith relates
to Christ it represents a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus
is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation and entrance into
the Kingdom of Heaven. Stated another way, eternal salvation comes only
through belief in Jesus Christ and no other way.
See related studies on the
specific phrases (1) "the
faith" and (2) the "obedience
of faith". See also study on
pistos
True faith that saves one's soul includes at
least three main elements
(1) firm persuasion
or firm conviction,
(2)
a surrender to that
truth and
(3) a conduct
emanating from that surrender. In sum, faith shows itself genuine by a
changed life. (Click
here for
W E Vine's similar definition of faith)
Respected theologian Louis Berkhof
defines genuine faith in essentially the same way noting that it includes an
intellectual element (notitia), which is
a positive recognition of the
truth”; an emotional element (assensus), which includes “a deep
conviction of the truth”; and a volitional element (fiducia), which
involves “a personal trust in Christ as Savior and Lord, including a
surrender … to Christ.” (Louis
Berkhof, Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1939)
Faith is relying on what God has done rather than on one’s own efforts.
In the Old Testament, faith is rarely mentioned. The word trust is
used frequently, and verbs like believe and rely are used to
express the right attitude to God. The classic example is Abraham, whose
faith was reckoned as righteousness (Ge 15:6). At the heart of the
Christian message is the story of the cross: Christ’s dying to bring
salvation. Faith is an attitude of trust in which a believer receives
God’s good gift of salvation (Acts 16:30,31) and lives in that awareness
thereafter (Gal 2:20; cf. Heb 11:1).
J. B. Lightfoot discusses the concept of faith in his commentary on
Galatians. He notes that in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, the definition of the
word for faith
"hovers between two meanings:
trustfulness, the frame of mind which relies on another; and
trustworthiness, the frame of mind which can be relied upon...the senses
will at times be so blended together that they can only be separated by some
arbitrary distinction. The loss in grammatical precision is often more than
compensated by the gain in theological depth...They who have faith in God
are steadfast and immovable in the path of duty."
Faith, like grace, is not static. Saving faith is more than just
understanding the facts and mentally acquiescing. It is inseparable from
repentance, surrender, and a supernatural longing to obey. None of those
responses can be classified exclusively as a human work, any more than
believing itself is solely a human effort.
Faith is manifest by not believing in spite of evidence but obeying in
spite of consequence. John uses the related verb pisteuo to demonstrate the
relationship between genuine faith and obedience writing...
"He who believes (present
tense = continuous) in
the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see
life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36)
Charles Swindoll commenting on faith and obedience in John 3:36
concludes that...
In 3:36 the one who “believes in the Son
has eternal life” as a present possession. But the one who “does not obey
the Son shall not see life.” To disbelieve Christ is to disobey
Him. And logically, to believe in Christ is to obey Him. As I
have noted elsewhere, “This verse clearly indicates that belief is
not a matter of passive opinion, but decisive and obedient action.”
(quoting J. Carl Laney)...Tragically many people are convinced that it
doesn’t really matter what you believe, so long as you are sincere. This
reminds me of a Peanuts cartoon in which Charlie Brown is returning from a
disastrous baseball game. The caption read, “174 to nothing! How could we
lose when we were so sincere?” The reality is, Charlie Brown, that it takes
more than sincerity to win the game of life. Many people are sincere about
their beliefs, but they are sincerely wrong!" (Swindoll,
C. R., & Zuck, R. B. Understanding Christian Theology.: Thomas Nelson
Publishers) (This book is
recommended if you are looking for a very readable, non-compromising work on
"systematic theology". Wayne Grudem's work noted above is comparable.)
Subjectively faith is firm
persuasion, conviction, belief in the truth, veracity, reality or
faithfulness (though rare). Objectively faith is that which is
believed (usually designated as "the faith"), doctrine, the received
articles of faith.
Click
separate study of "the
faith (pistis)"
True faith is not based on empirical evidence but on divine assurance.
Spurgeon wrote that...
Faith is the foot of the soul by which it
can march along the road of the commandments.
When
missionary
John Paton was translating the
Scripture for the South Sea islanders, he was unable to find a word in their
vocabulary for the concept of believing, trusting, or having faith. He had
no idea how he would convey that to them. One day while he was in his hut
translating, a native came running up the stairs into Paton's study and
flopped in a chair, exhausted. He said to Paton,
“It’s so good to rest my whole weight in
this chair.”
John
Paton had his word: Faith is resting your whole weight on God. That
word went into the translation of their New Testament and helped bring that
civilization of natives to Christ. Believing is putting your whole weight on
God. If God said it, then it’s true, and we’re to believe it.
Nothing before, nothing behind,
The steps of faith
Fall on the seeming void, and find
The rock beneath -- Whittier
Clearly faith is a key word in Hebrews. Study the 31 uses of
pistis
in Hebrews
in context (click the Scripture links to go to the notes on each verse)...
Hebrews 4:2
- For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but
the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith
in those who heard.
Hebrews 6:1
- Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press
on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works
and of faith toward God,
Hebrews 6:12
-so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith
and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 10:22
- let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed
with pure water.
Hebrews 10:38
- BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL
HAS NO PLEASURE IN
Hebrews 10:39
- But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those
who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
Hebrews 11:1
- Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things
not seen.
Hebrews 11:3
- By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of
God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:4
- By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which
he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his
gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.
Hebrews 11:5
- By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT
FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his
being taken up he was pleasing to God.
Hebrews 11:6
- And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 11:7
- By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence
prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned
the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to
faith.
Hebrews 11:8
- By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which
he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he
was going.
Hebrews 11:9
- By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign
land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same
promise;
Hebrews 11:11
- By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the
proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.
Hebrews 11:13
- All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen
them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that
they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Hebrews 11:17
- By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had
received the promises was offering up his only begotten son;
Hebrews 11:20
- By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.
Hebrews 11:21
- By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and
worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.
Hebrews 11:22
- By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons
of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.
Hebrews 11:23
- By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his
parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid
of the king's edict.
Hebrews 11:24
- By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter,
Hebrews 11:27
- By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured,
as seeing Him who is unseen.
Hebrews 11:28
- By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that
he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.
Hebrews 11:29
-By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing
through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.
Hebrews 11:30
- By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for
seven days.
Hebrews 11:31
- By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were
disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.
Hebrews 11:33
-who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained
promises, shut the mouths of lions,
Hebrews 11:39
- And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive
what was promised,
Hebrews 12:2
- fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the
joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down
at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 13:7
- Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and
considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
AND IF HE
SHRINKS BACK MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM: kai ean huposteiletai (3SAMS)
ouk eudokei (3SPAI) e psuche mou en auto:
(26,27;
6:4-6;
Psalms 85:8;
Ezekiel 3:20;
18:24;
Zephaniah 1:6;
Matthew 12:43-45;
13:21;
2 Peter 2:19-22;
1 John 2:19)
(Psalms
5:4;
147:11;
149:4;
Isaiah 42:1;
Malachi 1:10;
Matthew 12:18;
1 Thessalonians 2:15)
If = 3rd Class Condition: Ean (1437) + subjunctive mood implying
uncertainty. The persecution was coming...the question was "Would the
hearers hold fast firm to the end?" So again he goes to the familiar OT
Scriptures to teach that the person who has been made righteous by God
continues to live (and survives -- whether he lives or dies --the coming
ordeal) by faith.
Withdraws, as already in Acts 20:20,27 Used of drawing back or down sails on a
ship. This word is the picture of
lowering a sail and so slackening the course. The point is that the believer
who "lowers his sail and slackens his course" is the one in whom God takes no
pleasure!
Check these parallel NT verses re "shrinking back": Mt 13:21. Lk 8:13, 14,
9:62. 1Ti 1:19, 4:1, 5:15, 6:10 2Ti 4:10, 2Pe 2:19, 20, 21,22, 1Jn 2:19.
Pleasure (eudokeo) is found also in Heb 10:6, 10:8. After stating clearly the manner of gaining a
RIGHTEOUS STANDING before God (~SALVATION) is by faith in Messiah as High
Priest, the writer warns those among his readers who only made a profession
of faith, that if they draw back to the temple sacrifices, renouncing their
professed faith in Messiah, God shall have no pleasure in that person.
Keep in mind that this letter is written to the professing Church which is
made up of true believers and of unbelievers. Here the writer is thinking of
the one who professes to be justified but who has only an intellectual
faith, not a heart trust (cp Simon's profession in Acts 8:13, 21).
He will then proceed to illustrate FAITH that pleases God in Hebrews "hall
of faith" chap11.
