The Righteous Shall Live By Faith

The following is an exposition of Habakkuk and the quotation of Habakkuk 2:4 in Galatians 3. It was written for my advanced hermeneutics class, thus the confusing big words here and there. Don't worry if you find it boring. It's not supposed to be particularly interesting, just jam-packed full of interpretive considerations. enjoy! 

Theological Themes

There are a few theological themes I glean from this text, and they all revolve around salvation, or to be more specific, sparing one from judgment. From Habakkuk’s point of view, he is pleading to God to be spared, with the other righteous people in Israel, from the oppressive force of the Chaldeans (Babylon) and God is responding to that plea.

Literary Genre

The genre for chapters 1 and 2 is prophetic oracle (1:1 – “The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.”) Chapter three is a psalm that Habakkuk prays to God.

Message

The message of the book can be summarized from Habakkuk’s point of view as if he were saying, “Even in the midst of utter destruction, I will rejoice in the God of my Salvation.” Habakkuk’s message is for Israel to rejoice in God’s salvation, even though they are being destroyed by Chaldeans, because God is true to his word and he will resurrect them in the end to live in His kingdom.

Do Babies Go to Hell?

If you believe the true gospel, you have to have had this thought.

Before we get going on this, please know that if this question is personal for you, you may be offended by my “callous” or “heartless” approach. Know that I feel deeply for you and weep with you. It’s personal for me to. But in this post, I am trying to give the most clear and logical answer that I can from the biblical text, and that may mean saying things that you don’t want to hear.

 Here’s the Dilemma

1.     Everyone is born sinful. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and it’s something all of humanity did, “in Adam” (Romans 1-8 [5:12], 1 Corinthians 15). Everyone, from before the moment of conception, has a sin nature ready to be imparted to them. (Some would argue it is passed down through the man, which is why the immaculate conception is so essential to Christ’s sinlessness, but I digress.)

2.     All sinners die (and go to hell). The wages of sin is death. Theologically speaking, some would say it’s eternal spiritual death, a continuation of the spiritual death into which we were all born, as sinners. You’ve been dying since before the day you were born. You can’t do anything about it. Revelation 19-20 promises us that if our name is not in the book of life, written before the foundations of the earth, then we will be sent into “the lake of fire,” where we will be tormented forever and ever. (That’s what I’m talking about when I say “hell.”)

3.     Faith in Jesus is the only way to be saved. He is the way of salvation. By believing that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, you may have life in his name. Only those drawn toward the father by the son may respond with repentant faith. They must call on the name of the Lord, and how can they call if they haven’t believed? And how can they believe if they haven’t heard? And how can they hear if it hasn’t been preached?

4.     Babies can’t hear the gospel, which means they can’t believe which means they can’t be saved, which means they’re going to hell because they are sinners.