The common interpretation of this passage (and it has hindered the testimony of the Church of Christ) is as follows: we will go to Heaven when we die if we will acknowledge and accept for ourselves the Lordship of Christ and the facts of His virgin birth, His atoning death, and His bodily resurrection from the dead.

"The just shall live by his faith" has come to mean that if we maintain certain theologically correct statements we will go to Heaven when we die.

This is very different from "the individual whose personality and behavior are acceptable to God thinks, speaks, and acts as one who loves, seeks, relies on, hopes in, obeys, and trusts God."

It is obvious that one or the other of these concepts is incorrect. Either living by faith is a way of behaving or else it is the maintaining of a doctrinal position.

"The just shall live by his faith" means, it is claimed today, that we must take a position concerning the truth of the Gospel. If we do not change our mind, when we die we will go to Heaven to live in a mansion forever.

Some of the statements from our Christian creed are as follows: "We believe in the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures. We believe in the Trinity, the eternal Godhead. We believe in the virgin birth and Deity of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We believe that Christ died for our sins and that He rose again from the dead to be Lord of all."

Are the above three statements true? Absolutely.

Does the expression "the just shall live by his faith" mean that if we will adhere firmly to belief in the above statements and to the remainder of the confession of faith that we will go to Heaven when we die to live in a mansion forever?

Absolutely not!

Do the demons understand that these statements are true?

Absolutely.

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. (James 2:19)

Will the demons go to Heaven one day to live in mansions because of their knowledge of theology? Absolutely not.

Why not, when they are so knowledgeable of theological facts? It is because redemption does not come through a correct orientation to theological facts but through thinking, speaking, and acting as one who is loving, seeking, relying on, hoping in, obeying, and trusting God. This the demons will not and cannot do. They understand and believe the true facts of redemption, but salvation is not in such understanding and belief.

Is the unredeemed person the individual who will not acknowledge or accept the statements of our confession of faith? Yes, according to the leaders of several denominations. No, according to God. According to the Lord, the unredeemed person, the one whose personality and behavior are not acceptable to God, is he who thinks, speaks, and acts outside the Presence of God because he does not love, seek, rely on, hope in, obey, or trust God.

To be continued.