When Paul uses the expression "From faith to faith" (Rom 1:17) he is thinking not just of the development of faith personally and historically, but also of faith's power to save.

Liberation from Slavery

Paul said to the Christians in Rome:- "I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, 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, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith'" (Rom 1:15-17) .

Note how the expression "from faith to faith" is linked to the idea of "salvation". In his letter to the Romans, Paul is very concerned about this matter of salvation. In particular what it is that we are saved from. In simple terms Paul teaches us that we are saved from the wrath of God by the love of God which rescues us from our enslavement to sin. So the expression "from faith to faith" carries with it the idea that the faith of one enslaved develops into the faith of one who is saved.

Romans 6 is a key chapter in understanding the development of faith. The chapter may be divided into two halves: The first half (verses 1-11) , is about being buried with Christ, and rising to walk in new life, as one who is born again. Paul also introduces another idea in verses 8-7 which he later develops in the second half of the chapter (verses 12-23) , about being set free from slavery to sin and becoming instead the slaves of the righteousness of God.

In this lesson, we are going to examine just how the transition is made from one state to the other, how one is liberated from enslavement to sin and death, and brought into the household of Jesus where there is righteousness, new life, and liberty. Our study concentrates on Romans 6:17-18.

Exposition of Romans 6:17-18

"God be thanked" The Greek way of saying "God be thanked" is, "Grace be to God". We must, like Paul acknowledge that our salvation is possible because of God's grace, and without his grace we could not be justified in his sight. But this does not mean that our salvation is "all of God and none of self" in the sense that there is no contribution that we can make. On the contrary, in making the transition from a condemned sinner to a person born again, there is action required on our part. Paul goes on next to say,

"You were slaves of sin" Paul is not thanking God that they were slaves of sin, but rather that in spite of this, "Having been set free from sin, you became the slaves of righteousness" (Rom 6:17-18) . So we see that a transition has taken place, from being slaves of sin to being slaves of right. And this is the same transition (or "conversion" as we call it) that he describes in the first half of Romans 6, where the old person is crucified with Christ and buried with Christ, and a new person is born and raised to walk in new life. We are interested to know how this transition takes place --how we progress from condemnation and death as slaves of sin, to justification and life as slaves of right. The next thing Paul says in verse 17 will answer that question.

"But you obeyed from the heart" The second and fourth steps are matters of the heart. Without faith and repentance in the heart, any work would be ineffectual. That is why Paul says that a man is justified (brought into a state of righteousness) "by faith apart from works" (Rom 3:28) . There is no use obeying the works of God's law unless you have, besides those actions, a heartfelt faith in Christ, and a heartfelt repentance from sin. That is just as true of the gospel as it was of the law of Moses. In that regard, nothing has changed. Next Paul states what was obeyed from the heart:

"That form of doctrine"This form (or pattern) of doctrine is, of course, the gospel of Romans 1:16-17. This gospel lays down certain actions which are required to make the transition or conversion from slavery in sin to salvation in Christ. These actions are essential alongside what is in the heart. They are a form or pattern to be obeyed, and you will see them included in the six steps below.

1. Hear the gospel of Christ (Rom 10:11-17)
2. Have faith (belief) in Christ (Rom 1:16-17, 8:34)
3. Confess faith in Christ (Rom 10:8-10)
4. Repent of sin (Rom 2:4-5, 6:1-2)
5. Be baptized into Christ (Rom 6:3-4, 8:1)
6. Continue in his way (Rom 12:1-2, 12:11-12)
 

The faith in our heart (step 2) is matched by the action (step 3) of confession with the mouth. The faith in the heart is not sufficient alone. It must be accompanied by the work, by the verbal confession (Rom 10:9) , as was required of the Ethiopian (Acts 8:35-38) .

The repentance in our heart (step 4) is matched by the action (step 5) of baptism, also illustrated by the Ethiopian's conversion. Baptism symbolises the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Repentance is the desire and the decision to be crucified and buried with Christ. Baptism brings the decision into effect (Rom 6:3-4) .

So when Paul says, "You obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine" he has in mind the four middle steps in the six. Faith and repentance in the heart are accompanied by acts of obedience namely confession and baptism. The remaining steps, the first and last on the list, are encompassed in Paul's next words:

"To which you were delivered" The word "delivered" here has the meaning of entrusted, committed, or given over. People were put, as it were, into the hands of the gospel which is God's power for their salvation. They were taught what the gospel required them to do. It was up to them to conform heart and body to that form of doctrine.

When Paul preached the word of faith (another term for the gospel) he delivered people to the form of doctrine which had the power to justify them if they conformed to it.

The Faith of the Enslaved,
and the Faith of the Saved

We understand that the same gospel they were entrusted to for their justification, they were also entrusted to for their establishment (Rom 16:25) . They were not only to obey it from the heart initially, but also to continue in it, as especially Romans 12 teaches. This leads us to observe two stages faith:

(1) The faith of the enslaved.
Before we can be freed from slavery to sin, we must believe the gospel. Faith is essential for the transition or conversion.

(2) The faith of the saved
After we are set free from sin, faith is essential to stop us falling back into bondage.

Questions about the progression of faith

Now behind what we have been saying, their are two key questions:

(1) Can the enslaved sinner have faith before being saved, so as to make the transition into the saved state?

(2) If so, what act marks the critical point in the development of a person's of faith where that faith brings them into the saved state?

Some people would look upon these questions as nonsense, and the transition we have been talking about as impossible. They don't see how faith can develop in one who is enslaved in sin. They see the first instant of faith as the moment that marks the transition into the saved state. They can't accept that there is a progression of faith, and that faith needs to develop to a certain point, suitably marked by an appropriate act of faith, at which the person becomes saved by faith.

However, our lesson text (Rom 6:17-18) , reveals a most definite progression of faith.

Relating this progression to the six steps

1. When a person hears the gospel (step 1, Rom 10:11-17) , that person is "delivered to the form of doctrine" which is the power for salvation. The person learns from the gospel about Jesus, his death, burial, resurrection, how Jesus can thereby save the person from the wrath of God and bondage to sin, and what action is needed to obtain that salvation and be counted among the righteous. The person has not yet "obeyed from the heart" but is ready to do so.

2. The person now believes the gospel, but that faith in Christ (step 2,Rom 1:16-17,8:34) has not yet moved the person across the line. The person is still among the unsaved, the "slaves to sin", but now has the power to be "set free from sin".

3. The person now wants the sinful self to die, to be crucified and buried with Christ, wants release from bondage to sin, wants to become the slave of Christ instead. This is not only a desire, but a decision, a change of heart called repentance (step 4, Rom 2:4-5, 6:1-2) . The person is now closer to being saved, but has other steps to go in obeying from the heart.

4. The person next makes a confession of this faith (step 3, Rom 10:8-10) , developing it from a conviction hidden in the heart to a faith made known to others. This brings the person nearer to the saved state, but not yet into it.

5. The person goes through the waters of baptism (step 5, Rom 6:3-4,8:1) , is buried with Christ, comes into his death, is born again, and freed from sin. Now faith is no longer the faith of the enslaved, but the faith of the saved, those who are "enslaved to righteousness".

6. As we have noted, faith must still continue to develop (step 6, Rom 12:1-2,12:11-12) , but the transition has been made, the line has been crossed. The person has progressed "from faith to faith", from the faith of one enslaved to sin, to the faith of one saved from sin.

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