Perhaps you have heard it said that “success is in the details.” This is never more accurate than when studying and living by the Word of God!
The “simplicity of accuracy” is one of the greatest concepts you can lay hold of in your life in the kingdom of God. Let’s look at a prime example of what I am talking about.
We are instructed three different times in the New Testament that “the just shall live by faith.” We find it in Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38. THREE TIMES the New Testament refers to and reminds us of one half of one small verse in one very small book in the Old Testament that most people are not sure how to even find!
And, in a lot of cases, even once someone realizes this verse is there, they allow traditions and traditional thinking to rob them of the power of that verse. One of our callings in ministry is to take people from religion to reality. The religion of “the just shall live by faith” is far different from the reality of “the just shall live by faith!”
Let’s go to the first place in the Bible that this foundational principle was written and look at these differences.
“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” – Habakkuk 2:4 KJV
The first lie that religion will tell you about this passage is that it does not even apply to you because you are not “just” – you’re just a sinner! The reality of the matter is that we have been MADE righteous (2 Corinthians 5:17) and have been justified by faith (Romans 4)!
The next, and perhaps more insidious, thing that the devil attempts to do through religious thinking is to dilute the power and functionality of the Word through inaccuracy, vagueness or misdirection. I was recently reminded, for example, that a lot of religiously minded people understand this passage in a different way. To them, this passage only means that we are to develop a set of moral principles that agree with the moral compass established by the Bible. In other words, we should try to change our lifestyles so that we don’t lie, cheat, steal or do other bad things with which our “faith” does not agree. They use “faith” to mean the set of principles by which you live instead of the spiritual force it actually is. For example, they might refer to the Christian “faith,” the islamic “faith” or the buddhist “faith” in attempting to describe the set of principles that guides a particular person’s conduct.
The reality of “the just shall live by his faith” is vastly different however and is, in fact, what drew me to the things of God! I saw some people who didn’t just talk about what they believed while getting beat up, beat down and destroyed by the storms of life. I saw some people who USED what they believed on purpose with conviction to walk through the storms of life unscathed! The same storms and problems were happening around them but not TO them! And, when something unexpected did somehow happen to them, they ended up victoriously coming out the other side better than when it started!
The reality is that the Lord just told us how to operate victoriously in this life, on this earth, just as His will is for us in Heaven!
As you know, I enjoy digging around in the Word and examining different aspects of the original language words and translations. That word translated “live” in Habakkuk 2:4 makes it very clear as to what this scripture really means.
Chayah: a primitive root; to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive:–keep (leave, make) alive, X certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, (X God) save (alive, life, lives), X surely, be whole.
Did you see the reality of that word the Lord chose to use?! It applies literally, figuratively and CAUSATIVELY! It means to “revive” and “keep alive.” Tell me that wasn’t needed right here in this life in 2020! Look at some of these other definitions . . .
Recover: do you need any recovery of finances or health? It is provided for right here.
Repair: does anything in your body, your family or your relationships need repaired? Here you go!
Preserve alive: are you going into any dangerous situations, have a dangerous job or just live in the earth today?! YOU NEED THIS REALITY!
The second half of this principle is also a reality however. These things don’t just drop on you like ripe cherries falling off a tree! No, they must be laid hold of on purpose by specifically using the spiritual force of faith. That is one reason we need to learn everything we possibly can about faith!
That is why we do what we do! That’s the reason for traveling to minister, that’s the reason for the time, effort and finances we expend to make the weekly broadcasts. That’s the reason we make the audio available through 20 different podcast platforms. That’s the reason we have books, a website and a blog! It is all so that you can learn more about faith and how it operates!
The big difference between religion and reality is that the reality of the Word and faith will produce change and victory in your life!
Let’s make the decision today not to live by men’s words and traditions but that our faith stands in the power of God which is the gospel of Christ!