Featured Zeal for correcting a brother greater than for winning a soul?

Calvin teaches faith is a gift of God.
Calvin says "Faith is a fruit of spiritual regeneration", and BOTH come from the Father.

Calvin on Regeneration from His Commentary on John
John 1: 13.

The will of the flesh and the will of man appear to me to mean the same thing; for I see no reason why flesh should be supposed to signify woman, as Augustine and many others explain it. On the contrary, the Evangelist repeats the same thing in a variety of words, in order to explain it more fully, and impress it more deeply on the minds of men. Though he refers directly to the Jews, who gloried in the flesh, yet from this passage a general doctrine may be obtained: that our being reckoned the sons of God does not belong to our nature, and does not proceed from us, but because God begat us willingly, (James 1:18,) that is, from undeserved love. Hence it follows, first, that faith does not proceed from ourselves, but is the fruit of spiritual regeneration; for the Evangelist affirms that no man can believe, unless he be begotten of God; and therefore faith is a heavenly gift. It follows, secondly, that faith is not bare or cold knowledge, since no man can believe who has not been renewed by the Spirit of God.

It may be thought that the Evangelist reverses the natural order by making regeneration to precede faith, whereas, on the contrary, it is an effect of faith, and therefore ought to be placed later. I reply, that both statements perfectly agree; because by faith we receive the incorruptible seed, (1 Peter 1:23,) by which we are born again to a new and divine life. And yet faith itself is a work of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in none but the children of God. So then, in various respects, faith is a part of our regeneration, and an entrance into the kingdom of God, that he may reckon us among his children. The illumination of our minds by the Holy Spirit belongs to our renewal, and thus faith flows from regeneration as from its source; but since it is by the same faith that we receive Christ, who sanctifies us by his Spirit, on that account it is said to be the beginning of our adoption.

Another solution, still more plain and easy, may be offered; for when the Lord breathes faith into us, he regenerates us by some method that is hidden and unknown to us; but after we have received faith, we perceive, by a lively feeling of conscience, not only the grace of adoption, but also newness of life and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit. For since faith, as we have said, receives Christ, it puts us in possession, so to speak, of all his blessings. Thus so far as respects our sense, it is only after having believed -- that we begin to be the sons of God. But if the inheritance of eternal life is the fruit of adoption, we see how the Evangelist ascribes the whole of our salvation to the grace of Christ alone; and, indeed, how closely soever men examine themselves, they will find nothing that is worthy of the children of God, except what Christ has bestowed on them.

 

The idea that being regenerated must precede your faith, is also shown also by what Christ says about wine and wine skins.

The new wine (Holy Spirit) is pored into new wine skins ( regenerated souls), otherwise the old wine skin would be destroyed (ruined), and the wine spilled as the wine skin could not hold it.

Matthew 9:16-18
New King James Version
16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.

17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.
But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

 

The bible teaches faith comes from the word of God. Romans 10:17

 

Yes, I like that verse, hearing is also a gift of God.
Their are 2 words for 'word' in greek, one is logos ( includes written), and this one rhema (spoken aloud) which means

'that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word'

What this verse says is faith comes by hearing God speak to you, and God communicates to us by His Holy Spirit to our spirit the deep things of God.
So God literally speaks faith into us. He breathes into us His breath of life.

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

So then faith comes by hearing God actually speak to you

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by 'that which has been uttered by the living voice' of God

 

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
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10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

 

as Paul explains in Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God

 

What that verse says is that faith comes from hearing the gospel as given in scripture.

 

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.


28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

Of what would a man boast or glory in, regarding his salvation?
If you can understand what he might boast or glory in, then it is excluded as it is a work of man.

Would he boast that he had been saved, or saved himself? i don't see that, I think salvation is pretty universally understood to be from God's power, not a work of man.
Would he boast that he had brought on himself the grace of God? I dont see that being a work he might tell others he did, earning God's favor by his works. (but some might)

Would he boast that he had made the choice to believe, that he had faith while others did not? Yes, a man might do that, that his faith was his own work, not of God's work.

 

The fact that Paul has to emphasize in scriptures how faith is not a work shows faith is not of man.
And if it is 'not of yourselves', then it is of the power of God working in your life. (Lest anyone should boast or glory in His presence)

 

Paul here at the basest level only considers, grace versus works, (faith is not even mentioned, faith was assumed to come by grace)
if you were to associate faith and works as joined, then that is an obvious error, as those who come to God on the basis of their works are not saved.

Works of men never save anyone.

But if you connect grace and faith, then everything is fine.
Romans 11:5-7
New King James Version
5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

The elect had the grace and therefore the faith
Those blinded had nothing but works.

 

The text tells you and you are ripping it apart to deny what the text tells you. You have ZERO faith until God makes you alive with Christ and saves you by His grace. Hebrews 12:3 tells you that Jesus is the author of your faith and the one who will finish that faith. Faith is a gift, given to the Christian by God, so that the Christian will believe. This truth is evident throughout the Bible. If you declare faith to be of your own making, you make God a liar.

 

"His meaning is, not that faith is the gift of God, but that salvation is given to us by God" —John Calvin, Commentary on Ephes. 2:8

Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God"

calvin.edu/centers-institutes/meeter-center/resources/john-calvins-works-in-english/

 

Faith is give by God, as it says right here, a measure of faith. It does not say a measure of the Holy Spirit, a measure of grain, a measure of gasoline...
It then goes on describing our ministering in the body, prophecy, ministering, etc... because of that faith we then have we are united with Christ into one body, and the body helps each other to grow in the grace of God. No one is an island of faith unto himself. God has placed us into the body according to His purpose and will for each individual to work for the good of the whole church.

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

 

How can spiritual dead sinners have inherit saving faith?

 

The entire "salvation package: is the gift of God towards us!

 

That word faith in Romans 12:3 is the same word pistis used in all other versus where faith is mentioned 244 times

G4102 - pistis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (KJV)
The KJV translates Strong's G4102 in the following manner: faith (239x), assurance (1x), believe (with G1537) (1x), belief (1x), them that believe (1x), fidelity (1x).

I think we can all relate to the idea that some are weak in faith, and some strong in faith, not all have the same measure of faith, measure of belief, measure of assurance,

1. conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it
   1. relating to God
      1. the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ
   2. relating to Christ
      1. a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God
   3. the religious beliefs of Christians
      
      
   4. belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same
2. fidelity, faithfulness
   1. the character of one who can be relied on

 

Another issue about these things, people try to nullify the word of God by their traditions when they don't like what the verse states as their tradition is different, then the verse gets twisted by them. Their traditions dictate to their minds how they are to believe.

Mark 7:13 thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."

Matthew 15:6 they are not to 'honor their father or mother' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

another translation says it this way
13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

 

Hey man, you could not even believe without the Spirit of God working in you.
But that's ok if you want to refute all the scriptural evidence presented here and generate your own faith if that is where you were going.
It would take you as long as living up to your name to make your case.

 

God didn't ask or tell lost souls to "pray".

Right?

 

Saving faith is not a gift, Ephesians 2:8 is clear on that score. The entirety of salvation by grace through faith is the gift.

Why would you think an unregenerate person cannot express faith? The Bible says those who are in the flesh cannot please God, not that they cannot respond to Him.

You claim the "truth" that saving faith is given to the Christian so he will believe is evident throughout the Bible. The Christian does not exist in the first 43 books, for one thing, and if your claim was as "evident" as you say this subforum would not exist.

"You make God a liar" is ad hominem and has no persuasive or argumentative value.