Consider the scriptures
#2 – Romans 1:16–17
Romans 1:16–17 (NASB 95)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Several Bible translations have this verse saying the righteousness of God is revealed “from faith TO faith”. What does that really mean?
I like the ESV version which says, “from faith FOR faith”.
This is why having several Bible versions available can be helpful to understanding scripture.
But what does “from faith FOR faith” mean?
FROM, meaning “derived”, or “out of” among other things.
The first “faith” in this sentence in Greek is a Genitive Noun. This denotes that this “faith” has ownership. It is possessed by someone. In this case, God is the source of this faith.
Now we turn to the second “faith” in this sentence.
“FOR faith”. FOR means “into”, a point that has been reached or entered, or the “result.”
This is an Accusative Noun in Greek showing action or that the noun is being acted upon.
To paraphrase these scriptures with this understanding, “the Gospel is the power of God for salvation that reveals righteousness out of God’s faith into a resulting faith that is actively growing in us.”
Then the scripture goes on to say, “as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.”
The word faith here is also Genitive showing ownership. One might assume that we are now the owners of this faith, but we do not live by our faith. We live by the faith of the Son of God.
There is this dynamic that we need to actively renew our faith in God by the power of His own faith that is imparted to us when we hear the Good News of the Gospel.
This is not a one-time event, but something that we must continue in, lest we find our faith shipwrecked or gone.
We don’t need to be saved again, and we are already made righteous, but by hearing the Good News of the Gospel, it gives us the power to live by His faith.
Continue in God’s truth to have overcoming power.