The expression "the just shall live by faith" is found once in the Old Testament and three times in the New. The verse above is the third and last time the expression is used in the New Testament.

Chapter Eleven of Hebrews is one long definition of "the just shall live by faith."

The key to understanding the just shall live by faith is the expression (above) "draw back." "But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."

The expression the just shall live by faith is used today to mean if we hold the correct profession concerning Jesus Christ we will go to Heaven when we die. However the just shall live by faith is not speaking of a theological position but of the way the righteous live. The righteous press forward every day into the rest of God. The unrighteous do not press forward every day into the rest of God. Simple as that!

When the Apostle Paul originally compared faith and works he was referring to the works of the Law of Moses. To this day Christian preachers and teachers assume Paul was comparing faith and righteous behavior. Such a comparison would be inconsistent with Paul's other writings because Paul always stressed righteous behavior as an integral part of salvation.

When the Protestant Reformers compared faith and works they were referring to the works of the Catholic Church such as indulgences and various penances. I do not know enough about the Protestant Reformation to know how far the Reformers went in claiming we are saved apart from righteous behavior.

In any case, things are in a mess today. When people say, the just shall live by faith they mean an individual is saved by believing Christ died to make an atonement for his or her sins, and godly behavior, while it is nice, is not really of the essence of salvation.

This error accounts in large part for the miserable condition of the churches of our day.

The just shall live by faith is speaking of how we live. Either we are pressing forward in faith, striving to enter the place where every part of our personality is subject to the Holy Spirit, or else we are drawing back and flowing with the powerful currents of the world.

The Book of Hebrews was written to experienced believers who had a fervent start in the Lord but now were relaxing and paying too much attention to the things of the world. They were neglecting their salvation. This is why the writer said God would have no pleasure in those who draw back.

We enter the Kingdom of God through much tribulation. The way to eternal life is narrow and compressed. The righteous are saved with difficulty.

The tares of sin and ungodliness are coming to maturity today. So is the wheat of righteousness. Christ is being formed in those who are seeking God.

God is looking for those who are willing to live by faith in Him until every aspect of their personality is flowing with the Life of the Godhead.

We are not to draw back. We are to press forward into the rest of God until we are abiding always in God's perfect will.

To draw back is to die spiritually. Push on! Push on!