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person. Thus it is not mere intellectual assent, but rather wholehearted involvement in
the truth believed. To believe in Christ is not only to accept what He says as being true,
but to commit one's self to Him and to become totally involved in the truths that are
revealed in the N.T. concerning Him.
What does the Apostle Paul mean by the phrase "from faith to faith"? (Rom. 1: 17)--
literally "by or out of faith, unto faith". Various ideas have been put forward by
expositors, but it would seem, judging by Paul's usage of the word faith, to express the
fact that in order to personally experience the eternal benefits of salvation, it is on the
basis of faith and trust in Christ from start to finish, apart from any works or merit on the
recipient's part.
No.3.
1: 18 - 2: 11.
pp. 121 - 126
God's righteousness then, is revealed on the basis of nothing but faith or complete
trust in Him. This faith is like a three-fold cord; it is (1) a conviction, that is, it rests
upon the truthfulness and faithfulness of God; (2) it is a cleaving to Him, its outcome
being love and hope, and (3) it is a confidence which controls the walk and manner of
life.
Before he goes any further Paul is constrained to relate the gospel to the need of the
pagan world around him. If God is a God of righteousness, then he was bound to take
account of its terrible condition. The ugly picture which the Apostle draws is more than
confirmed by contemporary pagan literature. It merited nothing less than the wrath of
God:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may
be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the
invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are
without excuse" (1: 18-20).
Many do not like associating "wrath" with God, probably because they think of Him
only as love, and anger as it exists in human life, sinful spite and uncontrolled passion.
But this is not so with God; His anger is the response of His holiness to deliberate
wickedness and rebellion. It is a principle of retribution that must operate in a moral
universe.
Moreover if we study carefully the wrath of God as it is revealed in the Bible we shall
find that it is not poured out on sinners indiscriminately, but rather reserved for the
Satanic system called "the lie" summed up in Babel of the O.T. and Babylon in the N.T.
In the book of the Revelation this Satanic system is seen at the end time in all its naked
horror and it is in this book that God's wrath and the day of wrath figure so prominently.