Abraham had faith
accounted to him for righteousness.[i]  Jehovah testifies concerning the
“servants of the LORD” that “their righteousness is of me,”[ii]
for, rather than having as their judicial standing the filthy rags of their own
righteousness (Isaiah 64:6), they can testify:  “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful
in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath
covered me with the robe of righteousness,[iii]
as a bridegroom decketh himself with
ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10). With Abraham, believing Israel can
testify that the Messiah, the “king” who is the “righteous Branch” from
“David,” is “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,”[iv]
by whom they are “saved” (Jeremiah 23:5-6), for this righteousness of the Messiah
who is both Jehovah and the truly human Son of David is imputed to them
(Jeremiah 33:16), and they are justified, legally declared righteous, not
through their own deeds, or on the ground of faith, faith being only the
instrument for the receipt of Divine righteousness,[v]
but rather on the ground or basis of the imputation of the righteousness of the
Messiah alone.  Every animal
sacrificed by the people of God in the Old Testament, in its foreshadowing of
the shedding of Messianic blood (Isaiah 52:15), testified to the fact that
neither personal merit, including any alleged merit in the act of faith itself,
could be a satisfactory ground for the acceptance of the saint;  rather, “it is the blood that
maketh atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11), for “without shedding of
blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).  Thus, “in the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified,
and shall glory” (Isaiah 45:25), as they look to Him and are saved (Isaiah
45:22) through the merit of Jehovah’s “righteous servant” who will “justify
many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”[vi]  While it is certain that the people of
God in the Old Testament were inwardly transformed because of their
relationship to Jehovah (Psalm 1),[vii]
nonetheless the foundational reason why they were frequently denominated as
“just” or “righteous”[viii]
was imputed righteousness, based on the substitutionary sacrifice of the
Messiah they anticipated in expectation, as typified and exhibited in the
sacrifical system.

And truly faith does not justify us for any other
reason, than that it reconciles us unto God; and that it does so, not by its
own merit; but because we receive the grace offered to us in the promises, and
have no doubt of eternal life, being fully persuaded that we are loved by God
as sons. Therefore, Paul reasons from contraries, that he to whom faith is
imputed for righteousness, has not been justified by works (Romans 4:4). For
whosoever obtains righteousness by works, his merits come into the account
before God. But we apprehend righteousness by faith, when God freely reconciles
us to himself. Whence it follows, that the merit of works ceases when
righteousness is sought by faith; for it is necessary that this righteousness
should be freely given by God, and offered in his word, in order that any one
may possess it by faith. To render this more intelligible, when Moses says that
faith was imputed to Abram for righteousness, he does not mean that faith was
that first cause of righteousness which is called the efficient, but only the formal cause; as if he had said, that Abram was therefore
justified, because, relying on the paternal loving-kindness of God, he trusted
to His mere goodness, and not to himself, nor to his own merits. For it is
especially to be observed, that faith borrows a righteousness elsewhere, of
which we, in ourselves, are destitute; otherwise it would be in vain for Paul
to set faith in opposition to works, when speaking of the mode of obtaining
righteousness. Besides, the mutual relation between the free promise and faith,
leaves no doubt upon the subject. (Commentary on Genesis 15:6)

Those who are in this manner[ix]
the just—those who have been received
imputed Messianic righteousness as the sole judicial and legal basis for their
justification, and at the same moment also been given a principle of holiness
that results in obedience in life—receive the promise in Habakkuk 2:4 that they
shall not die (Habakkuk 1:12), but live.[x]  The verb to live is used[xi]
most commonly of life in this world,[xii]
but it is also used of living forever,[xiii]
of life through the future resurrection (Isaiah 26:19), and of spiritual life
in the walk of the people of God in their current earthly pilgrimage
(Deuteronomy 8:3).  The noun for life[xiv] possesses a similar range of usage, referring to physical
life,[xv]
spiritual life (Deuteronomy 30:6), resurrected life (Daniel 12:2), and eternal
life (Genesis 2:9; 3:22).  All
these senses of life are, in any case,
related,[xvi]
as spiritual, physical, and eschatological death are related.[xvii]  Those who will receive life in the
resurrection of the just, and will inherit the Millenial kingdom and the new
heavens and earth, are those who receive the spiritual blessing of eternal life
(Ezekiel 37).  Those only of the
descendents of Jacob who will rise in the resurrection of the just, enjoy life
in the Promised Land in the Millenium, and eternal life forever, are those who
are true Israel, those who are united to the ultimate Prince of God, the
Messiah who rose to new life on the third day.[xviii]  Those who seek Jehovah rather than
idols live[xix] long in
the land and receive eschatological life, rather than being cast out of the
land in Divine judgment in this life and being cast out of the Lord’s presence
eschatologically to experience everlasting torment.  Spiritual life before God, which includes both fellowship
with God on earth through the resurrection and in all future ages to eternity,
was generally associated in Israel with a long and prosperous physical life and
the promise of life in the Millenial kingdom.[xx]  True Israel, rather than being
eschatologically “cut off” from the people of God under Divine judgment,[xxi]
received life in all of its physical,
spiritual, and eschatological blessings. 
The just partake of physical
blessings in this age, spiritual life now, life in the resurrection of the
righteous, and life in the Millenial and eternal states.

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