And he believed in the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). We are made right with God by trusting in his promises. The Talmud (Makkot 23b-24a) says, Moses gave Israel 613 commandments, David reduced them to eleven (Psalm 15), Isaiah to six (Isa. 33:15-16), Micah to three (Micah 6:8), Isaiah reduced them again to two (Isa. 56:1); but it was Habakkuk who gave the one essential commandment: vetzaddik beemunato yichyeh (וְצַדִּיק בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה), literally, the righteous one, by his trust, shall find life (Hab. 2:4). The New Testament likewise distills the various commandments to the first principle that we find life by trusting in God (see Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, and Heb. 10:38). Spiritual life is the blessing of faith, since apart from faith we are spiritually dead and “powerless (ἀδύνατος) to please God (Heb. 11:6). As King David said, “The LORD is near to all who call upon Him - to all who call upon Him in the truth” (Psalm 145:18). God is near to the soul who confesses the truth about his need, just as God distances himself from the proud and puffed up soul.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 12:07:30 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015