For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith..” Romans 1:17
A quick answer as to what to expect from God is 100%. However, God doesn’t stop with that demand. God offers a solution. I like the way Donald Grey Barnhouse explains it in his commentary on Romans 1:17 (Volume 1, page 181):
When our text tells us that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God, it is saying that God must inevitably demand of man that which man can never furnish by himself. Think how unjust it would be if God set a condition for entrance into Heaven that could be met by only a small portion of the human race. If God demanded a certain degree of intelligence, it would be unjust to morons. If He demanded wealth, it would be unjust to paupers. If He demanded moral righteousness, it would be unjust to those born with a nature whose moral fiber has been weakened by the depravity of a long line of sinning ancestors.
Now let’s summarize it. Having realized God demands what we don’t have, then comes to us on a basis that is totally apart from any standard we might offer Him -- God comes to us with the cross. This is the message of Romans 5:6-10.
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
As I read Romans 1:17 the phrase from faith to faith is what Songtime USA is all about. This could accurately be translated — “ out of faith into faith”. Here’s the idea: God doesn’t speak to us directly from heaven, but he does come out of the faith of one heart into the faith of another.
An e-mail I received the other day illustrates this. A young man by the name of Jonathan wrote this:
I am 25 years old and wanted to share with you my story. Before I was born, my mom, who was raised in a Christian home, tuned in to Songtime and for the first time finally heard what it really means to be a Christian. She committed her life to Christ, and some time after my dad got saved as well. My sister and I grew up seeing through my mom a genuine love for God and a consistency in her walk, which one day became our own. My parents nearly committed financial ruin to see us brought up in the way we should go spiritually. Looking back at their sacrifice, I am amazed at my mom’s strong faith in God and touched that she put so much effort to make sure I came out alright with also a lot of prayer. To any parent that feels strained and frustrated, please know that your effort reaps big rewards down the road in the lives of your children. Children are truly a blessing from God, and the parent that is involved and sacrifices will definitely see a difference because when it’s God’s love at the center of a family unit, it’s concrete. No storm is so powerful that it can challenge the Maker of the heavens and the Earth.
As John DeBrine over 25 years ago was used by God to speak of the good news of Jesus Christ and of the extent to which God went to show His love on a cross that greatly impacted my whole family to this day, so every Christian is also an ambassador of the Gospel of Jesus Christ when we choose to be a blessing to others by outwardly showing the impact that Christ’s love has made in our hearts and lives.
This is Romans 1:17 and that is what Songtime USA is all about. Your prayers and gifts for ministry are an eternal investment.