“Looking for love in all the wrong places…” This song made popular in 1980 by Waylon Jennings is iconic to the plight of our culture. People in desperate search of meaning through relationships, and if that can’t happen, then through some other type of fulfillment. The song describes a man that was going to singles’ bars and any place that most people would go to find quick, meaningless relationships. However, it seems that he didn’t really want that, instead he wanted a friend and someone who would really love him.
I won’t pretend the song had much of a spiritual undertone to it, but perhaps it’s representative of how people are constantly looking for something, or someone, to bring meaning to their life. What they search for in those places will always be elusive. Regardless of how close they get to what appears to be the “real deal” it slips out of their fingers or leaves them at a dead end.
Sadly, the search isn’t only made by lonely bar-hoppers but people in the church as well. People are constantly on the search for something spiritual, only to find that where they ended up wasn’t what they were looking for.
Some religious analysts have suggested that the age of contemporary worship is coming to a close. That may be up for debate, however the dropout rate in those arenas aren’t much less than the dropout rate among more conservative churches. Where are they going? What are they looking for? Why can’t they find it?
When I’m building a piece of furniture, it helps to have a detailed picture of the armoire. Just like an engineer, an architect, or even a surgeon, knowing what everything should look like in the end is extremely helpful. That’s just as important for a person who is searching for meaning, it helps to have an idea of the end result.
So without a pattern to follow anything, or everything can be a possibility. The result is a person looks for meaning in all the wrong places. The human mind and heart is typically only going to take so much before it gives up in the search. Satan has offered plenty of detours that lead us to nowhere we want to be.
However, we and Waylon Jennings know the appropriate places to find someone that genuinely loves us and cares about us. The bigger question is are we willing to be there? Then are we willing to accept the fact that we all have faltered? Our goal can’t be in a job, a sport, a school, a hobby, or even a spouse. Those things are fine in their proper place, but the only way to experience true and genuine love is in Christ. That’s where all the hope is found, and he’s also our pattern to follow.
Paul wrote an encouraging letter to a church in Philippi who had set out on a mission to help spread the gospel. Like a lot of us, they started out strong and problems cropped up occasionally. Comparatively, their problems were far less than many other churches, but they were problems that may have caused some to consider going somewhere else. But Paul reminds them in Philippians 1:6, “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” – Stay faithful to the plan.
He also appealed to them not to forget what they had seen and, more likely, heard in the example Jesus left for us. Philippians 2:3-5, “Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” – Understand the designer.
There are a lot of qualities Paul outlines for a church that really was on the right track. A church that demonstrated something that shone brightly to the world. They just needed some encouragement to continue to be that beacon of light to those people still searching for purpose and meaning. One of the key themes to the letter to the Philippians and also happens to be one of the most impressionable qualities a Christian can possess (perhaps outside of faith) is joy.
Joyful people draw others to themselves. That consistent joy becomes one of the greatest ways the gospel is introduced to someone. Without joy, we don’t look to have discovered a true and meaningful purpose, like the purpose we have in Christ. Are you a joyful person? How do you think that impacts how spiritually attractive you are to those desperately searching for meaning in this world? Do you know how to become joyful?
Stay tuned next week to hear what the Bible says about joy.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Obstacles or Opportunities
Few people living today experienced the events of June 6, 1944. D-Day on Omaha beach was a risky attack that we should never forget. The Battle of Normandy was deadly, but it also revealed the determination of the military leaders to overcome the many obstacles between them and success.
History tells us that over 200,000 Allied troops were killed, wounded, or went missing during the battle. In many cases, more than 50% of any one particular infantry unit didn’t make it through the battle. Although some unforeseen obstacles like high tides, overcast, and major logistical problems appeared, there were plenty of risks the commanders had anticipated. The Germans had been preparing for this potential battle for a while, loading the beaches with steel ramrods, logs, and other debris, with landmines and barbed wire. The Allied generals knew the German’s use of the “blitzkrieg” strategy, which would expose their enemy’s weakness when they flinched, but they pressed on anyways.
General Eisenhower was instrumental in convincing the other Allied commanders to take the risk and take the beach. If they could overcome this obstacle the direction of the war would change as well. Eisenhower boldly said at a briefing after the attack was underway, “The present situation is to be regarded as opportunity for us and not disaster.”
A lot could be said about the bravery of those soldiers facing death. But more than just their bravery was their ability to see past the obstacles before them and have a plan that looked beyond the battle and looked to the end of the war.
Sometimes in our own lives we have to realize our obstacles are just strategies of Satan to keep us from reaching our goals. Paul faced many obstacles in his mission, which seemed to be “convert Rome, change the world.” He made it his ambition to be able to present the gospel to those who many Jews viewed as the enemy. Because of his efforts, the Jews falsely accused him and arrested him before he even got out of Jerusalem. “The people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul” (Acts 21:30-32).
Soon afterwards Paul would have to be smuggled out of Jerusalem because of a death threat made by the Jews in which they had made a pledge to “neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul” (Acts 23:12).
While en route, he constantly defended his position. He says in Acts 28:17-19, “Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar…” Paul spent the better part of the remainder of his life in prison; why? He took the mission spoken about him in Acts 9:15-16 seriously. “Paul is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake.”
Did he reach his goal? I think we can confidently say, “Yes.” We read in Philippians 1:12-14, “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”
What if we were as determined as Paul to let our light shine to the world? Paul didn’t look at his obstacles as problems, but opportunities. To have that kind of focus requires an understanding of WHY. It’s critical to understand the WHY in our battle for godliness. The world needs to see the “light of Christ” shining brightly. Perhaps the best place for us to start is in the words of God. He tells us why in the bible. Do you “have an answer for the hope that is in you?”
Throughout scriptures we can see many other people that eventually gained a confident oldness from truly understanding how God was using their circumstances. People like Joseph who told his brothers as they begged for their lives. “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? What you meant for evil, God meant for good in order to save many people’s lives” (Genesis 50:19-21). Also people like David, Daniel, Hosea, Jeremiah, Elisha, and many more. God’s word reveals God’s purpose for our lives, and we are the ones blessed for it. Let’s become diligent students so we can know why we must “GO.”
History tells us that over 200,000 Allied troops were killed, wounded, or went missing during the battle. In many cases, more than 50% of any one particular infantry unit didn’t make it through the battle. Although some unforeseen obstacles like high tides, overcast, and major logistical problems appeared, there were plenty of risks the commanders had anticipated. The Germans had been preparing for this potential battle for a while, loading the beaches with steel ramrods, logs, and other debris, with landmines and barbed wire. The Allied generals knew the German’s use of the “blitzkrieg” strategy, which would expose their enemy’s weakness when they flinched, but they pressed on anyways.
General Eisenhower was instrumental in convincing the other Allied commanders to take the risk and take the beach. If they could overcome this obstacle the direction of the war would change as well. Eisenhower boldly said at a briefing after the attack was underway, “The present situation is to be regarded as opportunity for us and not disaster.”
A lot could be said about the bravery of those soldiers facing death. But more than just their bravery was their ability to see past the obstacles before them and have a plan that looked beyond the battle and looked to the end of the war.
Sometimes in our own lives we have to realize our obstacles are just strategies of Satan to keep us from reaching our goals. Paul faced many obstacles in his mission, which seemed to be “convert Rome, change the world.” He made it his ambition to be able to present the gospel to those who many Jews viewed as the enemy. Because of his efforts, the Jews falsely accused him and arrested him before he even got out of Jerusalem. “The people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul” (Acts 21:30-32).
Soon afterwards Paul would have to be smuggled out of Jerusalem because of a death threat made by the Jews in which they had made a pledge to “neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul” (Acts 23:12).
While en route, he constantly defended his position. He says in Acts 28:17-19, “Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar…” Paul spent the better part of the remainder of his life in prison; why? He took the mission spoken about him in Acts 9:15-16 seriously. “Paul is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake.”
Did he reach his goal? I think we can confidently say, “Yes.” We read in Philippians 1:12-14, “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”
What if we were as determined as Paul to let our light shine to the world? Paul didn’t look at his obstacles as problems, but opportunities. To have that kind of focus requires an understanding of WHY. It’s critical to understand the WHY in our battle for godliness. The world needs to see the “light of Christ” shining brightly. Perhaps the best place for us to start is in the words of God. He tells us why in the bible. Do you “have an answer for the hope that is in you?”
Throughout scriptures we can see many other people that eventually gained a confident oldness from truly understanding how God was using their circumstances. People like Joseph who told his brothers as they begged for their lives. “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? What you meant for evil, God meant for good in order to save many people’s lives” (Genesis 50:19-21). Also people like David, Daniel, Hosea, Jeremiah, Elisha, and many more. God’s word reveals God’s purpose for our lives, and we are the ones blessed for it. Let’s become diligent students so we can know why we must “GO.”
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Losing Money or Gaining a Soul?
"He who loses money, loses much; he who loses a friend, loses much more; he who loses faith, loses all.” -- Eleanor Roosevelt
Jesus said something similar in regards to losing something that’s worth more than money. He said in Matthew 16:26, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Our soul is the most valuable commodity we possess. Therefore we might conclude that souls in general are the most important commodity “on the market.” When we consider the opportunity for significant return is found in the most significant commodities in the market then souls would have to be a wise place to seek great gains.
That may sound like a selfish concept, but consider what our competition is doing to gain the SOULS of the people of the world. Trillions of dollars is spent on buying up as many souls as possible and sabotaging the market through corrupting their minds on false teaching, entertainment, and many other to ruin their lives. As an investor, I have to be poised and ready to get in the game if I want to tap into the greatest investment opportunity in existence. We have to consider our use of the assets that we have now as tools that can allow for those opportunities for gain.
What’s more important than having a bunch of dollars? The ability to use those dollars effectively. Effectiveness doesn’t just include being efficient or thrifty in how you spend it, but investing dollars into things that reach your highest goal. These are the things that many would say will have the biggest impact in your life and the lives around you. To make a big impact a person has to define for themselves what is “an impact”. When do I recognize that a person or a cause can make a big change where I’m at, or even society in general? The big change (in my opinion) is one that transcends beyond my life, which means it really can’t be about ME.
God made us to find some level of gratification from serving others. Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” When Jesus bent down and washed the feet of His disciples (John 13), He was stepping out of the position of a prophet, king, and savior and into a role that would show us how to invest in people to make big impacts in the lives around us.
The apostles witnessed such gracious, selfless acts of kindness during their time with Jesus, that it gave them fuel to know how to invest in the lives of people for a bigger future purpose. What could be bigger than eternal life in the greatest kingdom this world has ever seen during an indefinite time of peace unmatched since the creation of the world? To give of myself and to invest in the lives of someone that needs something to remind them of their greater purpose is an effective investment.
Here are a few common investment tips that I’d like to challenge you to think about in regards to the souls around you:
Untapped Market
Part of being a good investor is being able to spot a great deal, a once in a lifetime opportunity, or a diamond in the rough. The unseen qualities of a potential gold mine is where good investors end up capitalizing most.
“Buy low, sell high.”
We find people at their lowest, and we show them the blessings found only in Jesus Christ. With their new renovated view of life, they can now leave living with a higher purpose. When other people balk at the facade, or they reject the cover, we have been given divine instructions and guidance to see something deeper and act on it.
“The one who delays, often pays”
Another part of being a good investor is being able to find the deals that few people see before others see it. In a spiritual sense we’re not in a competition, but the sense of urgency should motivate us to be ready to move quickly.
I hope you can see the connection between how an investor might look for a deal and how God wants us to look at the people around us. It takes wisdom to see beyond our own selfishness and seek the good of others. In doing that we find that we make impacts in lives. Those lives become friends. Those friends love and care for us when we’re feeling down. In other words, the cycle is endless if we’ll spend our time and energy in things that are good investments – people.
To do that WILL mean we have to sacrifice of our financial means at times. People are hurting, my dollars can become a way to connect with a person and help them to discover their purpose. Pray for wisdom to see money as a tool and not a goal.
Jesus said something similar in regards to losing something that’s worth more than money. He said in Matthew 16:26, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Our soul is the most valuable commodity we possess. Therefore we might conclude that souls in general are the most important commodity “on the market.” When we consider the opportunity for significant return is found in the most significant commodities in the market then souls would have to be a wise place to seek great gains.
That may sound like a selfish concept, but consider what our competition is doing to gain the SOULS of the people of the world. Trillions of dollars is spent on buying up as many souls as possible and sabotaging the market through corrupting their minds on false teaching, entertainment, and many other to ruin their lives. As an investor, I have to be poised and ready to get in the game if I want to tap into the greatest investment opportunity in existence. We have to consider our use of the assets that we have now as tools that can allow for those opportunities for gain.
What’s more important than having a bunch of dollars? The ability to use those dollars effectively. Effectiveness doesn’t just include being efficient or thrifty in how you spend it, but investing dollars into things that reach your highest goal. These are the things that many would say will have the biggest impact in your life and the lives around you. To make a big impact a person has to define for themselves what is “an impact”. When do I recognize that a person or a cause can make a big change where I’m at, or even society in general? The big change (in my opinion) is one that transcends beyond my life, which means it really can’t be about ME.
God made us to find some level of gratification from serving others. Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” When Jesus bent down and washed the feet of His disciples (John 13), He was stepping out of the position of a prophet, king, and savior and into a role that would show us how to invest in people to make big impacts in the lives around us.
The apostles witnessed such gracious, selfless acts of kindness during their time with Jesus, that it gave them fuel to know how to invest in the lives of people for a bigger future purpose. What could be bigger than eternal life in the greatest kingdom this world has ever seen during an indefinite time of peace unmatched since the creation of the world? To give of myself and to invest in the lives of someone that needs something to remind them of their greater purpose is an effective investment.
Here are a few common investment tips that I’d like to challenge you to think about in regards to the souls around you:
Untapped Market
Part of being a good investor is being able to spot a great deal, a once in a lifetime opportunity, or a diamond in the rough. The unseen qualities of a potential gold mine is where good investors end up capitalizing most.
“Buy low, sell high.”
We find people at their lowest, and we show them the blessings found only in Jesus Christ. With their new renovated view of life, they can now leave living with a higher purpose. When other people balk at the facade, or they reject the cover, we have been given divine instructions and guidance to see something deeper and act on it.
“The one who delays, often pays”
Another part of being a good investor is being able to find the deals that few people see before others see it. In a spiritual sense we’re not in a competition, but the sense of urgency should motivate us to be ready to move quickly.
I hope you can see the connection between how an investor might look for a deal and how God wants us to look at the people around us. It takes wisdom to see beyond our own selfishness and seek the good of others. In doing that we find that we make impacts in lives. Those lives become friends. Those friends love and care for us when we’re feeling down. In other words, the cycle is endless if we’ll spend our time and energy in things that are good investments – people.
To do that WILL mean we have to sacrifice of our financial means at times. People are hurting, my dollars can become a way to connect with a person and help them to discover their purpose. Pray for wisdom to see money as a tool and not a goal.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
More Than Enough Evidence
Christianity is more than a religion; it’s a way of life. It changes behaviors, attitudes, convictions, and
more. Christianity encompasses every facet of life, therefore it’s important to truly believe that what we
read in scriptures are factual, trustworthy, and reliable as a resource for our lives.
Apologetics is the defense of a person’s beliefs from an objective view rather than simply a subjective perspective. Having a firm conviction is important in order not to be pushed over by someone else's convictions. Colossians 2:8-9, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
The Bible is full of warnings about the attempt to destroy our faith, our trust in the scriptures, and God’s authority, or even His existence. For the people living during the time that Jesus lived on earth, there were miracles, teachings, and behaviors that confirmed His authority. John 20:30-31 states the main purpose in performing miracles: “...so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” Even Nicodemus recognized His power (John 3:2).
These signs and teachings confirmed it for those in the presence of Jesus, but how about for those that would come after them? The Bible has always been under attack one way or another. Fortunately, there are many manuscripts that help defend the validity of many of the events recorded in scriptures, including the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the capstone event that verifies His claims to deity and authority.
A thorough investigation of Biblical documents will tell us that there are approximately 5,000 Biblical manuscripts of some form that confirm the story found in our New Testament. In fact, many of these ancient documents helped to form the Bible as we know it. Documents like the Codex Sinaiticus, Viticanus, Alexandrinus, Ephremaic, and Bezae, which are a more complete form of the letters found in our Bibles, which were written between 350-400 AD, and even more fragments of scriptures written less than 150 years after the inspired authors finished the recognized Biblical writings found in our New Testament.
Many non-Biblical writers of history have acknowledged the existence of Jesus Christ, a fact that too many people in modern times have tried to denounce. Writers and historians like Thallus, who wrote in about 52 AD about "the darkness that occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus," which he attributed that to an eclipse. Or like Mara Bar-Serapion who wrote to his son around 73 AD while in prison urging him to consider the problem with persecuting wise men like Socrates, Pythagoras, and Christ. Not to mention the familiar Josephus and his statements about Jesus being "doer of marvelous deeds."
We can also see writers that describe events that match up with events in Scriptures as well. Writers like Cornelius Tacitus who mentions that Christians as "the followers of Christ, whom Pilate crucified." Suetonius wrote, describing a time when Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome, something we see confirmed in Acts 18:2 where Luke records that event.
Each of these extra-Biblical writings accompanied by the more than sufficient manuscripts of scripture that have survived over the centuries should help us in our faith. At least it should help relieve some of the pressure to disregard the Bible as a made-up story.
Nearly every nation, especially those in the Northern Hemisphere, have been heavily influenced by the standards that the Scriptures invoke. What made their leadership adhere to a Christian lifestyle, Christian standards, which all contribute to a Christian culture? They believed the message taught in Scriptures. Why did they do that? The proof was confirmed by many witnesses in many different ways. The message had credibility due to the fact that it passed the tests unofficially required to be accepted as valid, authentic, and genuine.
Luke earned a reputation of an extraordinary historian over the span of time. He took time to carefully list details that were undeniable to anyone alive and aware of events happening around them. Christianity has always allured people into the mystery of what Jesus was revealing. While there are many that oppose the power in His words, there have not been any real discrepancy in what was written about Him historically (outside of the Bible), just a denial of His claims.
Having a more firm awareness of the way God works today and has definitely worked in the past helps us defend our faith more confidently and allows us to stand by Paul in his statement to the Romans in Romans 1:16-17, “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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.”
Apologetics is the defense of a person’s beliefs from an objective view rather than simply a subjective perspective. Having a firm conviction is important in order not to be pushed over by someone else's convictions. Colossians 2:8-9, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
The Bible is full of warnings about the attempt to destroy our faith, our trust in the scriptures, and God’s authority, or even His existence. For the people living during the time that Jesus lived on earth, there were miracles, teachings, and behaviors that confirmed His authority. John 20:30-31 states the main purpose in performing miracles: “...so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” Even Nicodemus recognized His power (John 3:2).
These signs and teachings confirmed it for those in the presence of Jesus, but how about for those that would come after them? The Bible has always been under attack one way or another. Fortunately, there are many manuscripts that help defend the validity of many of the events recorded in scriptures, including the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the capstone event that verifies His claims to deity and authority.
A thorough investigation of Biblical documents will tell us that there are approximately 5,000 Biblical manuscripts of some form that confirm the story found in our New Testament. In fact, many of these ancient documents helped to form the Bible as we know it. Documents like the Codex Sinaiticus, Viticanus, Alexandrinus, Ephremaic, and Bezae, which are a more complete form of the letters found in our Bibles, which were written between 350-400 AD, and even more fragments of scriptures written less than 150 years after the inspired authors finished the recognized Biblical writings found in our New Testament.
Many non-Biblical writers of history have acknowledged the existence of Jesus Christ, a fact that too many people in modern times have tried to denounce. Writers and historians like Thallus, who wrote in about 52 AD about "the darkness that occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus," which he attributed that to an eclipse. Or like Mara Bar-Serapion who wrote to his son around 73 AD while in prison urging him to consider the problem with persecuting wise men like Socrates, Pythagoras, and Christ. Not to mention the familiar Josephus and his statements about Jesus being "doer of marvelous deeds."
We can also see writers that describe events that match up with events in Scriptures as well. Writers like Cornelius Tacitus who mentions that Christians as "the followers of Christ, whom Pilate crucified." Suetonius wrote, describing a time when Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome, something we see confirmed in Acts 18:2 where Luke records that event.
Each of these extra-Biblical writings accompanied by the more than sufficient manuscripts of scripture that have survived over the centuries should help us in our faith. At least it should help relieve some of the pressure to disregard the Bible as a made-up story.
Nearly every nation, especially those in the Northern Hemisphere, have been heavily influenced by the standards that the Scriptures invoke. What made their leadership adhere to a Christian lifestyle, Christian standards, which all contribute to a Christian culture? They believed the message taught in Scriptures. Why did they do that? The proof was confirmed by many witnesses in many different ways. The message had credibility due to the fact that it passed the tests unofficially required to be accepted as valid, authentic, and genuine.
Luke earned a reputation of an extraordinary historian over the span of time. He took time to carefully list details that were undeniable to anyone alive and aware of events happening around them. Christianity has always allured people into the mystery of what Jesus was revealing. While there are many that oppose the power in His words, there have not been any real discrepancy in what was written about Him historically (outside of the Bible), just a denial of His claims.
Having a more firm awareness of the way God works today and has definitely worked in the past helps us defend our faith more confidently and allows us to stand by Paul in his statement to the Romans in Romans 1:16-17, “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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.”