But now...

Commenting on Romans 3:21 where Paul writes, 'But now the righteousness of God has been manifested...' Martyn Lloyd Jones says,"There is an aspect of faith of which it is true to say this, that faith is a kind of protest. All things seem to be against us. Very well, are you a man of faith, or not? That is the vital question, and your answer to it proclaims what you are. Having listened to all that can be said against you, and in the most grievous circumstances, do you then say, 'But now'? That is a part of the fight of faith. Do not imagine that as a Christian you are going to be immune to the assaults of Satan or to the attacks of doubt. They will certainly come. But the whole secret of faith is the ability to stand up with these two words against it all - 'we walk by faith and not by sight.' There is a sense in which what Browning said about faith is true. It is not the whole statement about faith, but there is this aspect to it. 'With me,' he said, 'faith means perpetual unbelief kept quite, like the snake 'neath Michael's foot.' He paints the picture of Michael standing there with his foot on the head of the snake. The snake is wriggling and is trying to get at him in order to bite him; but as long as Michael keeps his pressure firm upon the neck of the snake it cannot harm him. On top of all the wriggling doubt and unbelief and denial, and all these accusations, faith keeps its foot firmly down and says, 'But now.'"