The Just Shall Live By Faith

The Book of Romans was one of the major catalysts for the Protestant Reformation, in particular the idea that the “just shall live by faith” that Martin Luther largely got his inspiration from (Romans 1:17).  Paul rightly focused on the grace of Christ throughout the epistle to the Romans and emphasized that “we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).  From this idea, some would go to the extreme and suggest that there is no need for any sort of “works” as a Christian—only a profession of Christ is needed.  Paul never said, though, that there is no responsibility of righteousness for the follower of Christ.  To the contrary, he clearly stated in the book of Romans the fact that God will “render to every man according to his deeds” (Romans 2:6).  He denounced the “vile affections” and “unseemly” acts of wickedness performed by the Gentiles (Romans 1:26-27).  He condemned “all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;… envy, murder, debate, deceit” among other sins (Romans 1:29-30).  He commended the commandments to not commit adultery or steal or bear false witness and echoed the Savior that one should “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Romans 13:9).  This doesn’t sound like a message that the grace of Christ exempts us from any responsibility.  Furthermore, he stated that “as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law” and said “not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:12-13).  This is language that is very similar to that of the book of James, the book that Martin Luther disliked because of its emphasis on works: “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).  I think that Paul said it most succinctly in Romans 3:31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”  Teaching that we are saved through faith in Christ is not equivalent to saying that there is no need for works; no, the emphasis on faith helps “establish” the law as leading us to Christ and more fully helps us become as the Savior is.  We unequivocally proclaim with Paul that it is by faith in Jesus Christ that we live, and that faith leads us to seek a life like His.