"The just shall live by faith" is found once in the Old Testament, three times in the New Testament.

The phrase is commonly employed to mean if we believe the Christian fundamental doctrines it doesn't matter how we live. If we have faith in God's grace in Christ we are saved apart from works of righteousness.

This is not what it means.

In the first place, the expression appeared in the Old Testament while the Law of Moses was still in force.

Second, "the just shall live by faith" is defined in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews. The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews, the "faith chapter," makes no mention of belief in doctrine but talks about people who chose to live so as to please God rather than in their own strength and vision.

The statement from Habakkuk does not contrast living righteously and living by faith in God. It contrasts living in pride rather than living by faith in God.

The Old Testament (as well as the New) stresses righteous behavior so it would never compare behaving righteously with belief in doctrine. True faith in God always produces righteous behavior.

The righteous shall live by faith is speaking of how we live. If we are persuaded that God exists and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, then the energies of our life will be directed toward seeking the Lord, striving to do His will as we understand it. We do not draw back to destruction but press forward in the Lord each day of our life regardless of the cost. We are persuaded of the value of following after God. Our hope is anchored in the Divine promises. We live righteously because we know that God requires such behavior.

If we are proud we will not spend much time waiting for God. Our trust is in our own strength, wisdom, and abilities. A lot of people are like this. They don't even want you to pray for them. They are filled with their own ways and are no fun to be around.

Proud, self-willed people may believe every word of fundamental Christian doctrine. But they are not righteous and they are not saved. They are not righteous because they do not wait on the Lord Jesus for direction each day but forge ahead in their own zeal. They are the captain of their own soul, the master of their own fate—so they think.

They are here one moment and gone the next, a testimony to the utter folly of not looking to God for every detail of life.

Being a dumb Gentile I am not sure how God ever got through my thick head that God is to be feared, loved, and obeyed, and that there is value in this. But He did. And now as I ride off into the sunset I am ever so thankful that the funeral director does not have the last word.

Burn the family albums and especially the genealogies. The best is yet ahead. The sunset is changing into the most glorious sunrise imaginable.

Want to ride along with me?