The Big Fall

The back end of Habakkuk 2:4 reads, "the just shall live by his faith." Seven simple words, quoted two times by Paul in his epistles, stirred the heart of Martin Luther and provoked a change in him and ultimately in Christendom. What is it about this simple verse that gripped Luther?

A simple understanding of the passage is that those who have confidence, or faith, in God will be spared the unfortunate things in life and will live a life of joy. However, Paul took the verse to the next level. He used it to teach that those who have faith in the Gospel will be saved from their sin. Both are wonderful promises but the latter has eternal possibilities. Imagine the awakening Martin Luther experienced when he realized that his salvation had nothing to do with any work on his part. He understood how it radically changed his walk of faith and also how it would affect all those that followed Christ.

Back when we were studying the Gospel of John, we learned that faith had the idea of "falling upon." Those that put their faith in Christ, then, fall upon Him. This means that there is truly nothing we do other than trust in Him.

I don't know that Habakkuk went this direction with his understanding of faith, but he had to understand that God was more than sufficient to see him through. Where are you in your faith walk? Are you trying to please God with your actions, expecting your good to out weigh your bad? If that is your journey, then you are off course. Correct your walk by falling. Only He is able to see you through your current circumstances and only He is able to save you.

-Mark

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