Featured Saving Faith: God’s Gift to Sinners or Sinners’ Gift to God?

You continue to ignore that Cornelius was a God-fearer. That he had reverence for God, who scripture say all natural men are of enimty of.

 

Only those who rejected Christ were rejected. Those who denied the gospel were rejected. The judaizers that lived by the law are rejected. The law doesn't save. Faith does. Are you saving not one Jew or gentile had saving faith before Jesus died? That is a bold statement. Or that ones that had saving faith as Abraham did, lost it once Jesus died?

 

So, God does not give faith to the unregenerate. I agree with that. You have said before the Faith proceeds regeneration. How does one acquire or generate the faith? Faith is believing. God did not give him the belief, then he must have come up with it himself. By saying God does not give faith and that God does not regenerate prior to Faith. That leaves you with only one option. It came from man. The regenerate man generated it. If God doesn't regenerate before faith, if God doesn't give faith to the unregenerate(which is doesn't)....then how do we get faith. If not from regeneration, or if not from God, or if not from man.....then there is no faith and all are lost.

Your statements have left you with one option. You said God does not give the unregenerate faith. That does not deny that the man does not come up with of the on his own. If you deny that as well, along with regeneration.... What is left?

How do you get your faith? Regeneration or you generated/believed against your enslaved sinful nature. That does and can do no good?

 

If you don't know the answer to your own question then you need to take time from this board and go and study what faith is.
What kind of faith do little children "generate" as you put it?

Yet Jesus said: "Except ye be as these children you cannot see the kingdom of God."
What was he referring to? He was referring to their faith. They had very simplistic trusting faith. For example they would go to their parents for protection, provision, guidance, etc., and not to some stranger. They knew innately who they could trust, even from a very young age. Anyone who has had children knows this fact.
Jesus is saying that you must have this very trusting faith in him in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is not "generated" from anything. It is innate. It is confidence, trust.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
--This is faith. It is confidence in Christ.
Faith always has an object. The object of our faith must be Christ.

The object of Cornelius's faith was not Christ; it was the God of the Jews. Judaism was a false religion. They had rejected Christ.

Every person in the world has faith in someone or something. What do you put your faith in? I am sure you put your faith in lots of people and lots of things. It is the object of your faith that is important.
I put faith or confidence in my wife. Faith is built through a relationship. The longer the relationship the more confidence (or faith) I am able to put in her, that she will keep her word, do what she promised to do, etc. With the passing of time the relationship becomes stronger.
So it is with the believer. The longer the relationship, the more he spends in God's Word, the closer he draws to him, the more faith (confidence) he is able to put in his Word, and his promises.

But with the unbeliever he must understand the truth of the Gospel. Is it true? It is not like the myth of the other religions like Hinduism; the fatalism of Islam. It is based on the fact of the resurrection. One must first be convinced by the mind--the facts of the gospel. Then he can genuinely put his faith in that message as the Holy Spirit works through His Word bringing him into a right relationship with Christ. Yes, he must see his sinful self in need of a Savior. That is all part of the understanding of the gospel--why the sinner needs a savior; why Christ died for our sins. But it is the sinner that makes that choice--to receive or to reject the gift of God that brings salvation. It is not irresistible. Many have resisted the grace of God. Many have resisted the Holy Spirit as He has worked in the hearts of men drawing them to Him.

Paul simply said: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
He didn't have to explain where the faith came from.
The jailer already knew what it meant to believe.

 

In Acts 10:30, Cornelius said:
"Four days ago I was fasting until this hour..."

Does regeneration take place four days before salvation?
Do we have regenerated but unsaved people walking around? That thought is absurd.

Rather, regeneration and salvation take place simultaneously.
Cornelius had not yet heard of Christ, and therefore could not have been regenerated. He was not a devout Christian but a devout Jew, part of a false religion. Of course he was unregenerated. To read "regenerated" into this passage is to butcher the scripture, not to rightly divide it, and that only on the basis of one's pre-conceived ideology based on a 16th century reformer. That is pitiful. I thought you all believed in sola scriptura. What happened?

 

I will answer in segments.

Children generate faith in parents the KNOW determined by actions they see. The lost do not know God.

 

Name just one of the many that resisted the inward call of the holy spirit. Let me clarify that, who denied the holy spirits call to accept. Give me one.

 

I agree with you that faith grows as we get closer to God. As does sanctification, knowledge, love, etc......

 

For clarification,....Cornelius had no faith in the works of Christ or the promise of Christ?

 

I have answered many of times. Faith comes from the word,in belief in the word of Christ after the believer has been regenerated, so the word of Christ is no longer folly. Faith is only in the God regenerated believer. It is only after regeneration that the believer can do anything to please God.

Now answer the question and stop dodging.

How did you get your faith?

 

Only thing I see in your statement about a "sinner's" faith is that the unregenerate sinner puts his faith in Christ. That is work. The uses faith he generated based on logic and reason. Work.

 

Did no one having saving faith like Abraham during Christ walking the earth , before Christ died? Was the saving faith discounted upon death? Or did God make sure the believer's of old heard the gospel of new. I honestly don't know the answer.....i will have to study that.....just giving us something to think about.

 

So Cornelius was a God-fearer of an idol? Before Christ's death even. Pretty sure if he was praying to an idol God wouldn't have heard his prayer. Your comparison of Cornelius to idol worshipping Greeks is erroneous.

 

You still keep stating that Calvinist believe man has no will to make his own choice. You insist that they portrait God as a puppet master. Reformed theology has never taught anything, but the man has free will inside his nature. Freedom to make choice within his sinful or regenerated nature. He choose Pepsi or Coke, Ford or Chevy and he chooses God, after God chooses him for regeneration.

I am being honest, and am not trying to insult DHK. I think you have a miss understanding of what reformed theology is. That is why I posted the link. What do you have to lose by reading it? I'm not trying to convert you. Just to give understanding what it is. If you disagree with reformed theology based upon what it really is...so be it. I respect that. It doesn't give or take away your salvation....so I don't care. I just would like for you to have a better understanding of it.

 

Man....we quickly ran this up to 16 pages. Ha!

 

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Your whole post is spot on! This last small summary is so simple and perfect. EVERYBODY knows what is meant by BELIEVE!!!! God placed having faith within the very makeup of His design in Adam. Everyone is born with the natural ability to have faith and this is exercised from a very very young age. As you pointed out, it is the OBJECT of ONE"S faith that is the issue.

 

If you truly study out regeneration, you will not find it anywhere in the scriptures pre-cross. Calvinism simply decided it must be because if it is not then the whole Calvinism theology is destroyed.

John 3:13 - "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven".

Ask yourself, why did the true believers pre-cross have to wait in Paradise until Jesus Christ was glorified? They were not allowed in heaven yet, Jesus said at the time, no man has ever ascended up to heaven.

John 7:38-39 - "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"

Psalm 68:16 - "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Do we understand the whole point of Jesus Christ coming to preach the kingdom of God was at hand??? Do we understand a BIG change was coming??? Do we understand God was about to DWELL in man, not just speak through man with Holy Spirit power, but actually do a NEW work and create a NEW creature??? Actually become united with God, two becoming one new creature, Christ IN YOU!!!!!!!!

Calvinism says NO, it's the same ole same ole. No big change, nothing different, Jesus just had to be sacrificed for the sins of His sheep, otherwise, nothing new.........

Do we understand WHY Christ could not dwell in a sin ridden man??? Why Christ could not join Himself with man pre-cross??? The sin debt had to be properly paid. Jesus had to be sacrificed for sin. ONLY then could Christ enter into man and become one with man!!! Bulls and goats didn't cut it.

 

Where does Scripture prohibit regeneration before hearing of Christ? I'll wait.