Sir, now I think I see how come we are looking at the same Rom 1:17 passage, and yet we end up with completely divergent interpretations: you’re using NIV, I’m using RSV.
Romans 1:17 (New International Version)
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17 (RSV)
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.”
The phrase in question is “from first to last.” Perhaps you won’t agree, but the more literal translation might be “from faith to faith,” or “from faith unto faith,” or, as in the RSV, “through faith for faith.”
The Greek word “ek” usually means “out of” or “from,” while the Greek word “eis” usually means “to” or “for,” thus “from faith to faith,” or “from faith for faith” would be more accurate. “From first to last” might seem to be a bit far off.
Likewise, and as I’ve said before, Sacred Scripture tends to use “through faith for faith” to indicate an on-going growth in something that’s living , as you would see, for instance in 2 Cor 2:16 or 2 Cor 3:18: a steady development from an imperfect understanding of divine truths in this life to the perfect understanding that one gets in heaven.
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