Romans 1:17

Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

According to Paul, this gospel is one in which righteousness is revealed to be from God through faith. It is a righteousness of God that is obtained by faith and is nurtured by an ongoing faith. Just as the grapes in the photo above owe their existence to the vine, they also owe their growth and maturity to the vine. It is also true that salvation begins with faith and continues with faith, as Jesus made clear when he preached that he was the vine and his disciples were the branches.

There is a tendency to believe that salvation comes by faith and is maintained by works or human effort. This is a form of legalism that accepts the grace of God in justification and makes human self-effort the driving force in sanctification. Paul wrote the entire Epistle to the Galatians to refute this terrible error, and here in the theme verse of Romans he plainly states that disciples begin with faith and they live by faith. This point is beautifully illustrated in the great hymn Amazing Grace where John Newton wrote, “Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,And grace will lead me home.”

Brethren, praise God that God gives grace upon grace in salvation and grace will enable Christians to arrive safely home. With this verse Paul begins the task of thoroughly explaining the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ by first explaining the bad news beginning in verse 18.