"The just shall live by faith" has come to mean that if we make an affirmation of faith in Christian doctrine, in the facts of the atonement and the resurrection, then it no longer is essential that we behave righteously. We will "go to Heaven" when we die.

This is to equate living by faith with holding a correct doctrinal position concerning the Christian religion.

But this is not the statement of Habakkuk. Habakkuk was contrasting living in humble dependence on the Lord with living in one's own pride and self-sufficiency. He was not contrasting believing in the facts of the atonement with not believing in the facts of the atonement.

The child readily enters the Kingdom of Heaven because it is not proud, not filled with its own wisdom and strength.

The eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews defines what it means to live "by faith." We obtain the righteousness of faith, not merely by making an initial statement of faith in God but by obeying the will of God as it is revealed to us.

The Kingdom of Heaven is God in Christ in the saints performing God's will whether in the heavens or on the earth. The proud, the rich, the self-sufficient, are filled with their own ways. They are not filled with God and His Christ. The Kingdom of Heaven does not belong to them.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)

There is a futuristic aspect of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are to deny our own life now in the hope of gaining glory in the future.

Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time when we are to reach out to the Lord Jesus in order to obtain mercy and the grace to help us put away our sins and self-love. Jesus is our Redeemer, our Deliverer. If we will seek Him with all our heart He will make Himself known to us and will deliver us from all our afflictions.

Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit whom we have now is a deposit on the fullness of redemption that is yet to come.

We must enter the Kingdom of Heaven through much tribulation. Patience is one of the principal virtues of the Kingdom. In our patience we possess our soul. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. We are to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow the Master.

The doctrine of "positive thinking" is taking the place of the doctrine of patiently suffering the afflictions of the Kingdom. The believers are being taught that since they are the children of God they should be happy at all times. They should possess the best the world has to offer. Pastor James would not have a large following in our day.

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. (James 4:9)

The concept of the Kingdom of Heaven is that those who are mourning now will be comforted in the future. And the reverse is true.

Contrary to popular opinion, the purpose of salvation is not to insure that we will have a better life in the present world. In fact, in the days to come we may be persecuted viciously for professing faith in Christ.

To be continued.