"The just by faith shall live" (Rom. 1: 17). The argument of Rom. 1: is concerning

the provision of righteousness. "The just by faith shall live" (Gal. 3: 11). The argument

of Gal. 3: revolves around works of law, and faith.  "The just by faith shall live"

(Heb. 10: 38). The argument of Heb 10: and 11: is entirely devoted to "living by faith".

Here we have a splendid example of exhortation, where doctrine and practice are both

given their place. Referring once again to Heb. 6: 12 we read of "faith and patience"

inheriting the promises. Out of the thirty-two occurrences of pistis ("faith") in Hebrews,

29 are found in this practical section 10: 19 - 13: 25.

The essence of the test of Habakkuk (2: 3, 4) seems to be found in the words "though

it tarry, wait!" The delay, the silence of God (Hab. 1: 1-4) is solved by the assurance that

"the vision is yet for an appointed time". The waiting does not mean that God is

indifferent. All the details of His purpose have an appointed time. This fact of itself

should enable us to wait. Further, "at the end it shall speak and not lie". When the time

does come, nothing can prevent God from speaking, acting, delivering, or doing whatever

is particularly required. Yet further, the feeling of delay is merely human. "Though it

tarry . . . . . it will surely come, it will not tarry". It is here that the prophet writes the

words which are repeated and interpreted with such fullness by the apostle Paul, "the just

shall live by his faith".

The Hebrew believers had suffered the spoiling of their goods, and a reference to

Hab. 3: 17, with its sixfold failure of fig, vine, olive, field, fold and stall, places them in

the goodly fellowship of the prophets. The better and enduring possessions that they had

are found in Hab. 3: 19, "The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like

hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places". Living by faith is

placed in contrast with "drawing back unto perdition", and this drawing back is in its turn

contrasted with "believing unto the acquiring (not "saving") of the soul".

We are here confronted with a group of problems which will repay all the time

devoted to their solution. The two words that provide the key to the difficulty are

perdition and saving. What is perdition? Does this passage teach that a believer who

does not hold fast the profession of his hope can draw back and finally be cast into hell?

However we may object to the phrasing, that, bluntly, is the difficulty before us. In

searching for an answer which would satisfy the demands of all Scripture, we discovered

that there are three sets of passages in which perdition is used as the alternative to

perfection, and this relationship of the words is of itself illuminating. The first Scripture

is this epistle to the Hebrews. It hardly needs demonstrating that the epistle is summed

up in the words of chapter 6: 1, "Let us go on unto perfection", and that 10: 39 provides

the alternative, "draw back to perdition". It may be objected that as this emphasizes the

very verse we seek to understand, our use of it is biased and unfair. We therefore turn to

the second passage (Phil. 3:), where "Let us go on unto perfection" is expressed by the

words, "Not as though I were already perfect, but I follow after" (Phil. 3: 12).