HE EVANGELICAL righteousness to which Paul draws our atten-
FAITH
1. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH
HE EVANGELICAL righteousness to which Paul draws our attention in Romans i. 17 is called the righteousness of God. It is of God's appointing, of God's approving and accepting. It is so called to cut off all pretensions to a righteousness resulting from the merit of our own works. It isthe righteousness of Christ, who is God, resulting from a satisfaction of infinite value.
This righteousness is said to be "'from faith to faith'', from the faithfulness of God revealing to the faith of man receiving. Or, from the faith of dependence upon God, and dealing with Him immediately, as Adam before the fall, to the faith of dependence upon a mediator, and so dealing with God. Or again, from the first faith, by which we are put into a justified state, to after faith, by which we live, and are continued in that state. The faith that justifies us is no less than our taking Christ for our Saviour and becoming the Christians according to the tenor of the baptismal covenant. From faith ingrafting us into
Christ, to faith deriving virtue from Him as our root. These are both implied in the words '"'The just shall live by faith"'. Just by faith, there is faith justifying us. Live by faith, there is faith maintaining us. And so there is righteousness from faith to faith. Faith is all in all, both in the beginning and progress of a Christian life. It is not from faith to works as if faith put us into a justified state, and then works preserved and maintained us in it. It is all along, from faith to faith, as 2 Corinthians iii. 18, "from Glory to Glory". It is increasing, continuing persevering faith. Faith pressing forward, and getting ground of unbelief.
To show that this is no novel, upstart doctrine, Paul quotes for it that famous scripture in the Old Testament, so often mentioned in the New, Habakkuk ii. 4, "The just shall live by faith." Being justified by faith, he shall live by it both the life of grace and of glory. The prophet there had placed himself upon the watch-tower, expecting some extraordinary discoveries