“This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’”
Romans 1:17 (NLT)
Romans 1:17 shows us how God makes us right, pure, and clean in His eyes. Our becoming right in God’s sight happens from start to finish by faith. The gospel is the power of God at work, and faith is the vehicle through which we receive its effect in our lives. God’s power does not sit still, stagnate, or remain in neutral. It moves. It does things. Everyone who believes in this good news about Jesus is saved.
Faith does not only allow us to be saved eternally. Through the relationship with Jesus we receive by faith, we continue experiencing eternal life today, each and every day. We can be continually cleansed, made new, strengthened, and made whole through our relationship with God. As Habakkuk 2:4 says, “A righteous person has life.” That life is lasting and permanent when we have faith in Jesus.
We can start in faith by believing in God and trusting in His work of saving us through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection, but then try to finish without faith by resting on our works, religion, practices, or goodness. That will not work. We have to continue being made right in God’s sight through faith, believing that Jesus’ work is more than enough for us. We cannot make ourselves right with God by trying to keep a set of rules.
Our faith must finish. For it to finish, we have to continue in it, not trusting in ourselves or in our ability to follow rules and practices. Our faith must remain in Jesus. When we live by faith, it will produce fruit and make an impact in our lives and the lives of others. God declares us right with Him because of faith and faith alone. So today, we stand on Jesus Christ and nothing else, trusting Him to carry us from faith to faith, by faith.