Living Just by Faith

Hebrews 10-Part 7
Now the just shall live by faith:But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.    Hebrews 10:38-39 KJV

But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
NIV

LET IT GLOW

Looking back over the last 32 years of ministry, I can see where we lived "by faith" more often than not. Our journey of faith began when we left our families, packed up everything, and moved six hours away to attend college, preparing for the ministry. We only knew one couple, who were from our home church, that lived in the same town, attending the same college. That helped to have special friends. Those were precious years as our faith in God grew, watching Him provide daily for our little family's needs. (We had 2 children.)  Another big move of faith occurred when we moved to another part of the state so my husband could atttend siminary. That time we knew no one before moving. God provided jobs and a church, friends for a lifetime. A giant move happened when we moved to West Virginia, 12 hours from home. We had to die to our wants and follow the Lord, but He blessed in so many ways. Lastly, our final move was back to our hometown area, to a church with people we had attended high school together, and older folks that were aquaintances. God is still blessing and providing for us as we walk by faith, living on this country road.
Isn't it faith that pleases God? Hebrews 11:6 says so. Isn't that what our life is about- pleasing, serving, and glorifying God? Let's did a little deeper into the key verses, shall we?

Warren Wiersbe, in his book Be Confident, says: 

The just shall live by faith is a quote from Habakkuk 2:4, and is used in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. Romans emphasizes "the just," Galatians deals with "shall live," and Hebrews centers on "by faith." We are not just saved from our sin by faith; we also must live by faith. This is the theme of Hebrews 11-13. To walk by faith means to obey God's Word and live for Jesus Christ. We lose our lives for His sake-but we save them (Matt.16:25-27). But we can be confident! As we walk by faith, our Great High Priest will guide us and perfect us!

Who are the just? Thayer's Lexicon defines just in this verse as the approved of God, what's acceptable to God by faith.

So living as a just person refers to my life pleasing God, right? If I have trusted Jesus as my Savior, which I have done, then live obediently to His Spirit's leading, am I living as a just person? It isn't the keeping of the law and rituals that if to be a priority

Faith is confidence in God, the firm conviction that He is at work and will come through on our behalf. (Swindoll)

After I wrote the above on my laptop, it didn't look like it was saved, because it notified me of such. I expected to have to retype the whole thing when I got on my home computer, but didn't. To my surprise, it was all saved. So I wonder, can't people look like, act, as though they aren't saved, but really are saved? I think that is a lesson I learned today.
Back to the Word...

It was this verse that got Martin Luther to thinking about salvation being "by faith" instead of the works. Thus the Reformation began.
How am I living? Am I living just by faith? Or do I get caught up in traditions, rules, preferences, works, trying to keep the letter of the law? Is my salvation based on works I do or faith in Jesus and the works He did, dying on the cross in my place, rising from the dead?

Matthew Henry's Commentary says:

It is the honorable character of just men that in times of the greatest affliction they can live by faith; they can live upon the assured persuasion they have of the truth of God's promises.
Faith:
-puts life and vigor into believers,
-results in trusting God,
-waits for His time,
-maintains their spiritual life now,
-shall crown believers  with eternal life hereafter.

Am I just living by faith and not by sight, what I can see?


LET IT GROW

And if he shrinks back, I will have not be pleased with him, says verse 38b.

What does it take for me to loose my faith in Jesus? That's a question I would often ask teens and adults as I taught the Word. Is there anything that can happen to me, that would result in my faith shrinking? How do I handle my stress tests?

Charles Swindoll wrote in a study guide for Hebrews:
Shrinking is contagious. It begins to happen when we get around people who are easily discouraged, or when we face situations that seemingly have no solution. Shrinking is the antithesis of standing firm, of enduring. It is marked by doubt, panic, pessimism, and great insecurity. If we believe that Hebrews 10:38 means what it says-namely, that God "has no pleasure" in the one who "shrinks back"-then we need to know how to cure this problem. No help will assist us until we put it (the Word) to use. Biblical instruction must be transferred from the printed page to flesh-and-blood daily living or it will merely be knowledge riveted to the sterile world of theory.
Nobody wants to shrink in their spiritual life, but sometimes we do just that. Shrinking is a biblical term synonymous with "retreating." Can we measure our spiritual lives? Yes! How? By watching our response to testing. Spiritually speaking, every time a test comes into our lives we step onto the scales and God's measuring rod is placed alongside our lives. We are able to see whether or not we are maturing, whether we are expanding or shrinking. It boils down to how well we respond to testing. James counsels us to allow the process or test to go on so that we may grow up and not shrink. In every Christian there is a muscle called "faith" that has great potential. It can easily become soft and flabby unless it is put under the stress test, which James calls "various trials" and "testing."

How's my walk of faith during the stress test? Is faith a constant struggle for me? Do I have some unresolved conflicts? Does bitterness linger instead of releasing it to the Lord?


LET IT GO

Live by faith, not by sight.

Make sure my faith is growing and not shrinking.