Faith

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous one will live by faith.’” – Romans 1:17 NASB

The concept of faith meant nothing to most Romans. As scholar Philip Freeman describes, what a person believed “was irrelevant. There were no creeds.” What mattered to them was satisfying their gods.

But Paul knew that faith was a foundation for Christianity, stressing this principle in his letter to the Romans. This letter is filled with references to faith.

In the first chapter alone, Paul wrote about the “obedience of faith” (v. 5) and how the faith of the Romans was known throughout the world (v. 8). Faith was central to the Christian life (v. 12), and “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith” (v. 17).

Paul described how we are “justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Romans 3:28). He taught how Abraham lived a life of faith (Romans 4:9) and how “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God” (Romans 5:1). “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Each of us has been given “a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).

Today, society is filled with people who think only about material things and who encourage us to seek temporary pleasures. But Paul reminded us that faith must be the cornerstone of our lives.

Make sure that you are a person of faith. Remember that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Live by faith. Act in faith. Believe!

Reflection Question: How can you tell whether faith is the cornerstone of your life?