“Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4
Here we see God making a contrast between the proud and the just. To God, the difference is seen clearly when they go through delays in life. In this case, it was the delay of God’s deliverance and the fulfillment of the vision He had given. The way we respond to delays reveal our true character. A proud person is impatient and demanding. Pride takes on many attitudes, and among them is the idea that we ought to have what is promised … immediately!
In all cases, pride is unreasonable. Who are we that God should become our servant and accede to our every whim and fancy? In contrast, a just man is truly humble. Being humble, he does not dare doubt his God, but yields completely to His Word. It is his faith that keeps him persevering under trials and leads him to triumph in Christ all the time. The phrase “the just shall live by faith” is quoted four times in the Bible:
1) Habakkuk 2:4. This verse shows that faith enables a man to live on in peace and humility, even when the promise has not yet come to its maturity. We are filled with joy as we put our hope (i.e. the confident expectation of good things to come) in God!
2) Romans 1:17. “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” Only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished on the cross can give us a life with God.
3) Galatians 3:2. “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” No man is justified before God except by faith. The works of the law only reveals to us that we have all sinned and the wages of sin is death.
4) Hebrews 10:38. “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” The life of faith is a life of perseverance. We need faith while waiting for heaven and the absence of faith causes us to draw back. Therefore, let us bear in mind that since we have begun in faith, let us continue in faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But 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 diligently seek Him.” What can we do if we have no faith? In what other ways can we be accepted by God? Can we please Him without faith? The answer is No!
Let’s declare the hymn of faith in Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
Here we see God making a contrast between the proud and the just. To God, the difference is seen clearly when they go through delays in life. In this case, it was the delay of God’s deliverance and the fulfillment of the vision He had given. The way we respond to delays reveal our true character. A proud person is impatient and demanding. Pride takes on many attitudes, and among them is the idea that we ought to have what is promised … immediately!
In all cases, pride is unreasonable. Who are we that God should become our servant and accede to our every whim and fancy? In contrast, a just man is truly humble. Being humble, he does not dare doubt his God, but yields completely to His Word. It is his faith that keeps him persevering under trials and leads him to triumph in Christ all the time. The phrase “the just shall live by faith” is quoted four times in the Bible:
1) Habakkuk 2:4. This verse shows that faith enables a man to live on in peace and humility, even when the promise has not yet come to its maturity. We are filled with joy as we put our hope (i.e. the confident expectation of good things to come) in God!
2) Romans 1:17. “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” Only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished on the cross can give us a life with God.
3) Galatians 3:2. “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” No man is justified before God except by faith. The works of the law only reveals to us that we have all sinned and the wages of sin is death.
4) Hebrews 10:38. “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” The life of faith is a life of perseverance. We need faith while waiting for heaven and the absence of faith causes us to draw back. Therefore, let us bear in mind that since we have begun in faith, let us continue in faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But 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 diligently seek Him.” What can we do if we have no faith? In what other ways can we be accepted by God? Can we please Him without faith? The answer is No!
Let’s declare the hymn of faith in Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
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