"The just shall live by his faith." This weighty statement occurs in the second chapter of the
prophet Habakkuk; and it is quoted by an inspired apostle in three of his epistles, namely,
Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, with a distinct application in each. In Romans 1:17 it is applied
to the great question of righteousness. The apostle declared himself "not ashamed of the glad
tidings; for it is God’s power to salvation, to every one that believes, both to Jew first and to
Greek:for righteousness of God is revealed therein, on the principle of faith, to faith:according
as it is written, But the just shall live by faith" (JND).

Then, in the third of Galatians, where the apostle is seeking to recall those erring assemblies to
the foundations of Christianity, he says, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of
God, it is evident:for, The just shall live by faith."

Finally, in the tenth of Hebrews, where the object is to exhort believers to hold fast their
confidence, we read, "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of
reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive
the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the
just shall live by faith." Here we have faith presented not only as the ground of righteousness, but
as the vital principle by which we are to live, day by day, from the starting-post to the goal of the
Christian course. There is no other way of righteousness, no other way of living, but by faith. It
is by faith we are justified, and by faith we live. By faith we stand, and by faith we walk.

Now this is true of all Christians, and all should seek to enter into it fully. Every child of God is
called to live by faith. It is a very grave mistake indeed to single out certain individuals who
happen to have no visible source of temporal supplies, and speak of them as though they alone
lived by faith. According to this view of the question, ninety-nine out of every hundred Christians
would be deprived of the precious privilege of living by faith. If a man has a settled income, if
he has a certain salary, if he has what is termed a secular calling by which he earns bread for
himself and his family, is he not privileged to live by faith? Do none live by faith save those who
have no visible means of support? Is the life of faith to be confined to the matter of trusting God
for food and raiment? What a lowering of the life of faith it is to confine it to the question of
temporal supplies! No doubt it is a very blessed and a very real thing to trust God for everything;
but the life of faith has a far higher and wider range than mere bodily wants. It embraces all that
in anywise concerns us, in body, soul, and spirit. To live by faith is to walk with God; to cling
to Him and lean on Him; to draw from His exhaustless springs; to find all our resources in Him;
to have Him as a perfect covering for our eyes and a satisfying object for our hearts; to know Him
as our only resource in all difficulties and in all our trials. It is to be absolutely, completely and
continually shut up to Him; to be undividedly dependent upon Him, apart from and above every
creature confidence, every human hope, and every earthly expectation.

Such is the life of faith. Let us see that we understand it. It must be a reality, or nothing at all. It
will not do to talk about the life of faith; we must live it; and in order to live it, we must know
God practically_know Him intimately, in the deep secret of our own souls. It is utterly vain and
delusive to profess to be living by faith and looking to the Lord while in reality our hearts are

looking to some creature resource. How often do people speak and write about their dependence
upon God to meet certain wants, and by the very fact of their making it known to a fellow-mortal
they are, in principle, departing from the life of faith! The language of faith is this:"My soul, wait
thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." To make known my wants, directly or
indirectly, to a human being, is departure from the life of faith, and a positive dishonor to God.
It is actually betraying Him. It is tantamount to saying that God has failed me, and I must look to
my fellow for help. It is forsaking the living fountain and turning to a broken cistern. It is placing
the creature between my soul and God, thus robbing my soul of rich blessing, and God of the
glory due to Him.

This is serious work, and it demands our most solemn attention. God deals in realities. He can
never fail a trusting heart. But then, He must be trusted. It is of no possible use to talk about
trusting Him when our hearts are really looking to our neighbors for help. "What doth it profit,
my brethren, though a man say he hath faith?" Empty profession is but a delusion to the soul and
a dishonor to God. The true life of faith is a grand reality. God delights in it, and He is glorified
by it. There is nothing in all this world that so gratifies and glorifies God as the life of faith. "Oh
how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast
wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!" (Psalm 31:19).

Beloved reader, how is it with you in reference to this great question? Are you living by faith?
Can you say, "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave Himself for me"? Do you know what it is to have the living God filling the
whole range of your soul’s vision? Is He enough for you? Can you trust Him for everything_for
body, soul, and spirit_for time and eternity? Or are you in the habit of making known your wants
to man in any way?

These are searching questions; but we entreat you not to turn away from them. Be assured it is
morally healthful for our souls to be tested faithfully, as in the very presence of God. Our hearts
are so terribly treacherous that when we imagine we are leaning upon God, we are really leaning
upon some human prop. Thus God is shut out, and we are left in barrenness and desolation.

And yet it is not that God does not use the creature to help and bless us. He does so constantly;
and the man of faith will be deeply conscious of this fact, and truly grateful to every human agent
that God uses to help him. God comforted Paul by the coming of Titus; but had Paul been looking
to Titus, he would have had but little comfort. God used the poor widow to feed Elijah; but
Elijah’s dependence was not upon the widow, but upon God. Thus it is in every case.

(From Miscellaneous Writings, Volume 5.)

"By faith Moses, being born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw the child
beautiful; and they did not fear the injunction of the king. By faith Moses, when he had become
great, refused to be called son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction along
with the people of God than to have the temporary pleasure of sin; esteeming the reproach of the
Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect to the recompense" (Heb.
11:23-26 JND).

Earlier in this chapter, faith is seen as looking forward to the blessing to come. Now we see the
trials through which it has to pass before it reaches its hope.

Moses is taken here as the great example of this. Faith begins in the parents; and it is a great
comfort to think that there is where it often begins. The apostle speaks to Timothy of the
unfeigned faith that dwelt in his grandmother first, then in his mother, "and I am persuaded in thee
also." When everything was going to pieces, the Spirit of God was pleased to go back to the faith
that dwelt in the bosom of a faithful woman, then in her daughter, and then in her child.

Faith in Moses’ parents was shown in the fact that he was hid by them three months, "because
they saw he was a proper child," or, as Stephen says, "fair unto God." They believed he would
be a fitting instrument for God to use, and so they hid him in spite of the commandment that every
male should be cast into the river. And when his mother could no longer hide him, she took the
king literally at his word. She put the child at the river’s brink, but in the ark_ typically, in
Christ.

So with us now. As we look upon the children God has given us, we say, Oh let them be beautiful
for God throughout eternity! First, we throw every safeguard about them; we try to hide them
from the evil in the world; and as they grow up and we can no longer keep them under our eye
constantly, as we have to launch them out in this great world_first to school and then to some
employment_how faith, by God’s grace, does as Moses’ parents did! They put the child of their
care in the ark and said, If he must be launched out upon the river, we have put him in this ark,
and we will count upon God for him. So godly parents commit their dear ones to Christ as they
send them off_not in a careless way, but counting upon that precious Saviour who has saved us
to keep our dear ones and to bring them unspotted out of all that into which they will be thrown.

Let us not be afraid to have faith for our children, to lay hold upon God for them before they are
able to lay hold upon Him for themselves. People say, A child must believe for himself; you
cannot believe for him. But in a certain sense you can believe for him as Moses’ parents believed
for him. Suppose they had not believed for him. Suppose they had said, If he were large enough,
he might trust in God; but we must cast him into the river. That would have been the end of
Moses as far as human power was concerned. But what a place they put him in! We all know how
he was taken from the river’s brink by Pharaoh’s daughter, adopted by her, and then put back
under his mother’s care until he was of sufficient age to go permanently back to the king’s court.
Every advantage was given to him; but God’s tender care had given him also all the benefit of a
mother’s love and training in the fear of God and His ways. How diligently that dear mother must

have made use of her time! How she must have instilled into his mind the promises of the God of
their fathers! How she must have taught that young child that he was identified with those
bondsmen who yet were the people of God! How she must have told him of the promises of God,
that He would visit them and bring them up out of that land, and give them an inheritance! No
doubt she made faithful and diligent use of her opportunities; and, as Pharaoh’s daughter said to
her (in a higher sense than Pharaoh’s daughter meant, she heard another Voice saying), "Take this
child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages." What wages has a faithful mother
if she has spent time and strength and prayers in bringing up her children in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord!

Moses came to years. His feet were upon the steps that led up to the throne. He was "learned in
all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds." He had every
opportunity that a great civilization could give. What opportunities, what a chance to reform
Egypt! _to make it a place where the children of Israel could have their inheritance, instead of
some vague, intangible thing in Canaan that might never materialize!

Let us note here what the Spirit of God singles out in Moses for His approval. "When he was
come to years he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter"_he gave up that which God
Himself had put him into, as it were. Humanly speaking, there was no limit to his prospects. If
a Joseph, who was brought out of the dungeon, was exalted to a place second only to the king,
what might not a Moses
hope to attain, who was adopted into the king’s family? Was not the throne even a possibility?

Moses was not in the immaturity of his life, for he was forty years old. Then, taking in the whole
field in his survey, seeing the possibilities connected with his position in Egypt, seeing the
disgrace of his own kinsmen according to the flesh, calmly looking at both sides, what does faith
do? It refuses all this greatness, its dignity, its expectations, and says, My place, my heritage is
with those people who are groveling there in the brickkilns, and crying out under the lash of the
taskmasters! That was faith. He chose "rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season."

Ah, Egypt’s greatness may be attractive, its pleasures may be manifold, its power unlimited, but
written over all the greatness of Egypt was, "For a season"; and so it is with all this world has to
offer. Faith says, Those things are temporary, and, thank God, the affliction is temporary too; I
will take the affliction; I will identify myself with my people.

"The reproach of Christ!" Think how the Spirit of God describes it. Here were a people suffering
and rejected; and God calls it the reproach of Christ. "In all their affliction He was afflicted," and
faith sees in that the affliction of Christ Himself. As the Lord Jesus afterwards, in speaking to Saul
of Tarsus, says, "Why persecutes! thou Me?" It was the reproach of Christ, and not merely that
of His suffering people.

Look at it for a moment. Is it possible? Here are the treasures of Egypt:put in that side of the
balance all you can think of wealth and glory of this world. Here is the reproach of Christ:put
in this side all the suffering, the scorn, the self-denial, the poverty, the feebleness, the trials which

come upon us. Read the apostle Paul’s description of some of the reproach of Christ. See what
it means to endure affliction at the hands of persecutors on the one side, and at the hands of those
who were God’s own people on the other. And as you look at those two things, which in your
estimation outweighs? Surely, if we judge according to sight, we would say the treasures of Egypt
will outweigh all that suffering. But Moses, as he looks forward to the recompense of the reward,
as he thinks of the outcome, says, I will cast in my lot with those who are suffering reproach and
affliction, rather than have all this other!

(From Lectures on the Epistle to the Hebrews.)

In view of the great sin into which Peter was so soon to fall (in spite of his protestations), and of
what would follow, the Lord tells him He had already prayed for him. This ministry of our Lord
carries Peter safely through the dark valley_the result of his sin.

But why does the Lord say, "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not" and not, I have prayed
for thee that thou shouldest not sin? Is it not more to the glory of God that we should not sin than
that we should be sustained through the results of sinning? And would we not be much happier
if we were kept from sinning from the very moment of our becoming children of God?

To these questions one has the simple answer:God gets His glory in the way He takes with us,
and it will shine out in due time; and our present happiness is not God’s highest aim. If we were
kept from sinning while in a condition of soul displeasing to God, how could we learn ourselves
and increase in the knowledge of God? Our bad condition of soul breaking out in sin reveals us
to ourselves more fully, humbles us, and brings us face to face with the riches of the grace of
God, not merely in salvation, but also in restoration. We thus learn the value of Christ’s ministry,
not only in obtaining salvation for us, but also in His present, incessant ministry toward our daily
needs in relation to the infinitely holy God to whom we have been brought. Blessed acquaintance
with God is thus produced, the full results of which are yet to come.

Is it necessary then that we should sin to reach such blessed ends? Surely not. Did we in the power
of the Holy Spirit reckon ourselves "dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ
our Lord" (Rom. 6:11), we would acquire the same end in a quicker and happier way. Ever
judging indwelling sin at the root, we would not need to judge its outbreaks. It would be
uninterrupted growth.

Be it the easier way or the more painful one, be we Jacobs or Abrahams, we are moving onward
to the time when we shall prove that eternal bliss is but another name for the knowledge of God.

(From Help and Food, Volume 25.)

FRAGMENT. One does not get rid of the difficulties of the path of faith by trying to avoid them;
one must surmount them by the power of God.

The gift of salvation and eternal life which God offers to all as a result of the atoning death and
resurrection of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is received individually by faith. "For by grace
are ye saved through faith" (Eph. 2:8); "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved" (Acts 16:31); "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" (John 3:36). It is by
belief, trust, or faith (these terms are synonymous) in the finished work of Christ alone, and not
by trusting in our own works or goodness, that we receive God’s salvation.

But it was never God’s intention that our faith should have its beginning and end with the
acceptance of His gift of life. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye
in Him" (Col. 2:6); "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7); "The life which I now live in
the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Gal. 2:20); "Your faith groweth exceedingly" (2
Thess. 1:3); "And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).
These verses are saying, in various ways, that our entire lives as Christians should be
characterized by the exercise of faith, that is, trust and dependence upon the Lord. Just as we
received Christ into our lives by faith and have the blessed confidence that we are saved and
bound for heaven, so we with equal confidence are to entrust Him with every matter and care of
our daily lives, to count upon His guidance and supply for our every need.

There are many things in this Me which naturally tend to cause us concern, and to worry and
upset us. A few examples of these are the inflation which is eating away our life’s savings; the
rampant lawlessness which makes us afraid to walk the city streets or to leave our homes because
of the risk of burglary or vandalism; the economic recession which brings with it the fear of
unemployment; the immorality, drugs, and alcohol which are so commonplace among young
people and adults alike.

Also, we each have our own special personal problems-some small, some large and
overwhelming, some short-term, some ever-present_which upset us. One may be concerned about
finding a wife or a husband "before it is too late"; another may wonder how his family will ever
be able to get out of debt; another may be irritated and disappointed because the promotion he
expected was given to someone else instead; a mother and father may be worried about their son
or daughter who should have been home an hour ago; a student may be apprehensive about an
approaching examination; a gospel worker may wonder why he seems to be getting no results; and
so the list goes on and on. In all of these matters of our daily lives we can either act as if we are
on our own, and thus go on living in a fearful, worried, fretful state, as if our God were off
somewhere meditating, or on a journey, or perhaps sleeping (see 1 Kings 18:27 JND). Or else
we can live by faith, trusting in the Lord to provide for us, to keep us and our loved ones in
safety, to do what He knows is best for us, to give us whatever we need_even if it may not be
what we want or what we think we need (Phil. 4:19), and to guide us into the full knowledge of
His will with regard to decisions which we must make.

"The fruit of the Spirit is … faith" (Gal. 5:22). As the Spirit is allowed ever increasing control
over our lives as Christians, our faith_our ability to trust God for every detail of our lives_will
increase in proportion. While God always knows how much faith we have, He often tests us in

order to provide us with a kind of barometer to tell us how well we are growing in our walk of
faith:"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the
trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:2-4); "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for
a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations; that the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found
unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6, 7). The Bible gives
accounts of many of God’s people whose faith was tried_Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Rahab,
David, and Ruth, to name a few. Hebrews 11 provides a kind of "Who’s Who" of men and
women of faith in Old Testament times (though it is by no means complete ).

However, not every trial recorded in the Scriptures resulted in a triumph of faith. Consider the
children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for forty years because they feared the giants
in the land of promise (Numbers 13 and 14); consider Elijah who went from a major triumph of
faith into a condition of fear and depression the next day when a new trial arose unexpectedly (1
Kings 18 and 19); consider David who put his trust in the size of his army rather than in the Lord
(2 Samuel 24); and consider Peter who denied the Lord three times in order to protect himself
(Luke 22:31-34, 54-62). How immense is the loss in spiritual and other blessings, both to
ourselves and to our families and neighbors and brethren in Christ, when our faith fails and we
are defeated as a result of some testing!

We may, like Peter, have great confidence in our faithfulness (Matt. 26:33). But the Lord, we can
be sure, will soon test to show us whether we have confidence in ourselves or confidence in Him
alone. Often our time of least faith comes, as it did with Elijah, on the heels of a great victory of
faith. How we especially need the ministry and control of the Holy Spirit at such times!

Our faith and trust in the Lord is a moment-by-moment affair. We must not rely on past or present
manifestations of faith in our lives to get us through the trial that will come next. To live a life of
victory is to live in continual trust and dependence upon the Lord, "forgetting those things which
are behind [whether successes or failures], and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
[pressing] toward the mark for the prize of the high calling [or calling on high] of God in Christ
Jesus" (Phil. 3:13,14).

When Israel first became a unified nation at the time of the Exodus, every able-bodied man over
the age of twenty years was expected to serve in the army (Numbers 1:3). These men were not
professional soldiers but more like militia called to service when need arose (Num. 31:1-6). It
would seem that there were no professional soldiers until the time of the kings. Saul evidently had
a standing army of three thousand men (1 Sam. 13:2) and some sort of draft (1 Sam. 14:52).
Abner as captain of the host was definitely a professional soldier. Most of the remaining kings of
Judah and Israel had similar arrangements_a small standing army with professional captains
supplemented by volunteers in special crises.

When we come to the New Testament, Israel no longer had a king nor a real army. There may
have been a small temple guard under the direction of the priests (John 7:32). Most of the soldiers
seen in the land of Israel at that time were in the Roman army. Some of these men were men of
faith, such as the centurion whose servant was ill (Matt. 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10) and Cornelius
(Acts 10). Soldiers in Rome were evidently converted by Paul’s testimony (Philippians 4:22).

The Christian is to be a soldier, not against fleshly (physical) enemies, but against spiritual (2 Cor.
10:3-6; Eph. 6:12). Our warfare is against Satan and his allies-wicked spirits who influence men
and women and who are present in the very heavenlies (Eph. 6:12). This passage in Ephesians
gives us the armor and weapon the spiritual soldier uses. Although Ephesians teaches the truth of
our standing in Christ, the armor here speaks of our actual state. Thus our loins girded about with
truth does not refer to doctrine as such, but the truth applied to our own souls and truth as the
foundation of all our dealings with God and man. Similarly, the breastplate of righteousness is not
the righteousness of Christ given to a person at the moment of salvation, but practical
righteousness in the life. A bad conscience is a gap in the armor which Satan will readily exploit
and which will greatly hinder a saint’s testimony. The word "preparation" in verse 15 can be
translated "firm foundation." The Roman soldier wore sandals with soles thickly studded with
nails. These gave him a firm footing under attack. The religions of the world can provide no firm
foundation, no real assurance on which their adherents may base their hopes for blessing. Only
the foundation of the finished work of Christ can keep us from slipping about under Satan’s attack.

With the shield of faith we will be able to quench all of Satan’s fiery darts. Darts such as "Did
God really say that?" or "Does God really care what you do?" or "Can God love you or use you
after what you’ve done?" can be destroyed by faith in God. This is not a Pollyanna faith that
everything will eventually, somehow, turn out all right, but trust in the nature and promises of
God as revealed in His Word. A Roman soldier who was skillful with his shield could fight all day
without being wounded. At the time Paul wrote, the Roman army often used a phalanx formation.
The phalanx (devised by the Greeks) consisted of heavily armed infantry troops formed in tight
ranks for the attack. These troops protected themselves with overlapping shields. Thus any given
soldier’s shield protected not only himself but helped to protect his neighbor as well. This
formation had great striking power and if commanded properly was almost invincible. What a
powerful force in the war against the enemy would be a united front of the brethren where the
strengths of each soldier would overlap the weaknesses of his brother and vice versa!

The helmet was, of course, for protecting the head. The head controls the rest of the body. The
consciousness of our salvation through the finished work of Christ should protect us from many
of Satan’s attacks and will have its effect in all areas of life.

The only weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6 is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of
God." "Word" here means the word for the time. Only the Holy Spirit can bring to mind just the
right part of Scripture to use at any given moment and can make it effective against Satan or in
the souls of men.

Finally, none of this equipment can be effective without constant prayer for God’s guidance in its
use. Not only prayer for ourselves but for "all saints" is required (this would be the phalanx
thought).

In 2 Timothy 2:3, 4 we find another aspect of being a good soldier_the willingness and ability
to endure hardship. On a march, the Roman soldier carried his own food, armor, and weapons.
This burden weighed fifty to sixty pounds. A day’s march was fifteen to eighteen miles and was
supposed to be carried out between early morning and noon. On occasion, more strenuous
marches were made. Rivers were usually waded, even if the water was up to the soldiers’ necks.
It has been written of Julius Caesar’s legionaries that "they would bear anything and could do
anything."

All of the soldiers in the Roman army were professionals. They enlisted for a period of twenty
years and often spent all of that time in some foreign country. They were paid, but the cost of
their rations was deducted from their pay. The last part of 2 Tim. 2:4, "that he may please him
who hath chosen him to be a soldier," may be obscure to the young man of this country who after
enlisting or being drafted never sees the recruiting officer again during his time of service. From
the time of Julius Caesar to the end of the Roman Empire, the Roman soldier did not swear
allegiance to the empire or even to the emperor but swore personal fealty to the general under
whom he served. The commanding officer decided from the qualifications of the men where and
with what arms each soldier should be allowed to serve. The commanding officer gave out
punishments and rewards at his own discretion. These details have been presented not just for the
sake of historical interest but to help us understand the context of 2 Tim. 2:3,4. May we strive to
be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, who, unlike any human commanding officer, will share His glory
with His soldiers and whose every command is for their good.