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The idea that justification is in any sense a process, a series of developments, leading
on to a climax, as Clemens Alex puts it:--
"A common faith is as it were a foundation . . . . . a teleia faith is one that can
remove mountains";
does not seem to be in line with the apostle's continual stress upon the freeness and the
fullness of justification which he preached. As the interpretation of this passage lies very
near the root of the gospel, let us spare no pains to arrive at a right conclusion. We may
attain a true perspective by considering the usage of parallel expressions in Paul's
epistles:--
"A righteousness of God through faith" (dia pisteõs) (Rom. 3: 22).
"Justify . . . . . by faith (ek pisteõs) . . . . . through faith" (dia pisteõs) (Rom. 3: 30).
"Seal of the righteousness of the faith" (tes pisteõs) (Rom. 4: 11).
"The righteousness of faith" (dia dikaiosunēs pisteõs) (Rom. 4: 13).
"Therefore being justified by faith" (ek pisteõs) (Rom. 5: 1)
"The righteousness which is of faith" (ek pisteõs) (Rom. 9: 30; 10: 6).
We need not go further than this very epistle to establish the apostle's usage. In every
case it means a righteousness that is of faith, and in contrast with a righteousness of
works or of law. If these six steps in the development of the doctrine all point one way, it
is surely strange to believe that in the enunciation of the theme of the epistle Paul should
use these words in a different manner. The rendering that does not violate the testimony
of the remainder of the epistle simply supplies the word "righteousness" after the word
"revealed":--
"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed, a righteousness of faith, unto faith,
as it is written, The just by faith shall live" (Rom. 1: 17).
The quotation from Habakkuk seems clearly to confirm this when seen in the original.
There diakios ek pisteõs, "the just by faith", is clearly placed in correspondence with
dikaiosunē . . . . . ek pisteõs. It is quoted by the apostle to confirm his teaching, "as it is
written". The translation, "revealed from faith", when examined does not seem to yield
any good sense.
So far we have dealt with the idea of righteousness and its meaning. We need to give
closer attention to the other term, "faith". This, together with an examination of the
quotation from Habakkuk, we must reserve for another article.