a third revolution?

Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,

but the righteous shall live by his faith.

Habakkuk 2:4

The last half of this verse sparked two revolutions worldwide. The apostle Paul quotes it twice in the New Testament (Galatians 3:11 and Romans 1:17) to emphatically ground our salvation in Jesus alone by grace alone through faith alone. It is a cornerstone of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The book of Hebrews also emphasizes that we live by faith after that salvation (Hebrews 10:38-39). It is a continuous trust in God and in His promises no matter what. It saves us and helps us live.

The second revolution that this verse sparked came in the mind of a German monk named Martin Luther. It gave him the conviction to recover the glorious grace of the gospel during the Protestant Reformation and led to freedom around the world from the clutches of work-based monolithic false religion. Luther too held the tension of the New Testament on this teaching, insisting on grace alone in Christ alone by faith alone, but also proclaiming that Christians live and do what we do by faith.

With two revolutions behind it, this little prophetic truth ought to keep grabbing the attention of the Church today. We are losing its significance worldwide to consumerism (I'm saved by what I choose to save me) and prosperity theology (I'm truly saved when God gives me what I demand of Him). We certainly need yet a third revolution from this verse. It can revolutionize God's people again as it did with Paul and with Luther. How I pray it will happen!