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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.” NASB, ©1995
ΙΖʹ δικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται. NA28, ©2012
When I read “from faith to faith,” I thought it was a temporal statement (i.e. from law to grace—the faith once delivered). But I have read three commentaries on Romans (not just for this question but just in general because it is my favorite epistle), and no one so far has mentioned that it is a temporal statement. Am I totally off the mark? Could there be no transitional temporal meaning to the phrase “from faith to faith?”
Yancy Smith
What Does “From Faith to Faith” Really Mean in Romans 1:17?
If you have ever read Romans 1:17 in translations like the NASB or ESV, you have encountered this cryptic phrase:
“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.'” (NASB 1995)
It is easy to wonder if this points to a chronological shift—something like moving “from the era of the Old Covenant law to the era of New Covenant grace.”
While sensing a massive historical turning point in Romans is spot-on, standard commentaries rarely call this phrase “temporal.” There is a compelling grammatical and theological reason why—and the reality is far more dynamic than a simple calendar timeline.
1. The Prepositions Point to Direction, Not Dates
In Greek, the phrase is ἐκ πιˊστεως εἰς πιˊστιν (ek pisteōs eis pistin).
The prepositions ἐκ (ek = “out of” or “originating from”) and εἰς (eis = “into” or “resulting in”) do not mark sequential eras. Instead, they trace a vector—a trajectory from a source to a destination.
Furthermore, Paul never uses the word “faith” (pistis) as a label for the Mosaic Law. In Galatians 3 and Romans 3–4, “Law” and “Faith” are distinct operating principles, not “old faith” transitioning into “new faith”. In fact, Paul spends Romans 4 demonstrating that faith was the operating engine long before Moses was ever born!
So where does the current start, and where does it flow?
2. A Movement of Fidelity: From Jesus to Us
In biblical Greek, pistis carries the rich dual meaning of faithfulness (trustworthiness, fidelity, allegiance) and faith (receptive trust).
Paul is describing a divine current of covenant fidelity:
The Origin (ἐκ πιˊστεως): God’s own covenant faithfulness, embodied and carried out in the self-giving, obedient fidelity of King Jesus unto death.
The Destination (εἰς πιˊστιν): The answering trust, allegiance, and receptive faith awakened in those who hear the Good News—Jew and Gentile alike.
This is why the English: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) translates the verse so cleanly:
“Yes, the faithful justice of God is made clear in the Good News by the faithfulness of Jesus. His faithfulness leads to the faith of many.” (Romans 1:17)
It is a relational cascade: Christ’s pioneering faithfulness ignites our answering faith.
3. “Shall Live”: The Power of Resurrection
When Paul cites Habakkuk 2:4 (“the one who is right with God by faith will live”), he is not offering an abstract legal proof-text. He is pointing straight to resurrection life.
Throughout Romans, human history was paralyzed under the suffocating grip of death and sin (Romans 5:12–21). We suffered from a deep spiritual and moral paralysis—what ancient interpreters recognized in Romans 3:25–26 as the disabling power of past sin. The law could diagnose our condition, but it had no power to make the paralyzed limbs move.
To “live” means stepping out of that spiritual paralysis and into the vitality of Jesus’ resurrection:
Participating in His death and rising to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
Being rescued from the exhausting dead end of a divided heart (Romans 7:24–25).
Receiving life in our mortal bodies through the indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:11).
The Takeaway
“From faith to faith” isn’t a transition on a calendar; it is a transfer of kingdoms.
It announces that God has broken into our human helplessness not with a cold legal transaction, but with the loyal, loving faithfulness of Jesus—a faithfulness so powerful it awakens our trust, shatters our paralysis, and invites us into resurrection life.
PT
You posted this today @Yancy Smith?
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THIS IS TRU RIGHT HERE @John Mushenhouse @Brett Dobbs @@followers @William DeArteaga @Philip Williams
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BETTER THAN YOUR DAN MILLION POSTS @Brett Dobbs but lets @everyone in the group decide 🙂
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indeed @Brett Dobbs