Understanding God’s Word
The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy,
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15
But another of his notable statements about the Gospel, in Romans 1:17, has been translated in such a way as to be almost misleading, resulting in a misunderstanding by many Christians. The KJV reads: “The just shall live by faith.” The NIV is similar: “The righteous will live by faith.” Many Christians take this to refer to their conduct – how they are to “walk.”
Instead, the meaning is captured better in the New English Bible: “he shall gain life who is justified through faith,” and again by Today’s English Version: “He who is put right with God through faith shall live.”
Paul’s Gospel meaning of righteousness is then consistent with sola fide (faith alone) as opposed to by works of the Law. We are not righteous by our “walk,” but by grace alone through faith alone.
This is “handling accurately the Word of truth!”
