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

Saying the sinners prayer to get saved is like reciting a creed, it is systematic, but with less information.
Creeds were written to bring everyone's confession of faith into a unity of belief and religious understanding within a church doctrinal teaching.

Still Romans 10 clearly describes those who are saved, not a lot of other words needed.

As in confess Christ as Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

And there is no such thing as easy believism, (total myth there) because if your saved, that is a work of the Holy Spirit and He will chastise everyone whom He loves.
Hebrews 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

Apostle's creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Nicene creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father (and the Son) [ 1 ] ,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Athanasian creed
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith unless every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: that we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the catholic religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Substance [Essence] of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Substance [Essence] of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of Substance [Essence]; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.

 

Is the interpretation of scripture a game like scrabble, where the tiles are words that can be omitted, rearranged, and then put back together to say what ever is desired?

 

Nowhere is faith delineated by a special "saving faith" as opposed to a common faith. Scripture says Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Therefore faith is not an intrinsic thing found in every human being.

Ephesians 2 tells us, twice, that we are saved by grace. It doesn't say we are saved by faith. So throw that thought of "saving faith" into the pit where it belongs. We are saved by grace. The assurance of that salvation is through faith, not through works.
We see in Hebrews 12 that Jesus authors and finishes our faith. It is a gift from God.

 

That is a misreading of Hebrews 12:2 - Jesus is the archetype of our faith, not the giver; i.e., He set the example for us of how to live by faith in every word that proceeds from the Father. The same term is used of Jesus in Hebrews 2:15 where He is the archetype of obedience and deliverance in and through suffering. In that passage He is not the author or giver of our salvation (that's the Father); He is our primary example.

Of course we are saved by grace. The merit of faith is in its object. Believing something has no power; it is purely God's grace that when we believe in Him He acts.

Archegon does not mean originator or giver; it means prince, leader, or leading example, archetype.

 

This seems contrary to observation. So people don't have faith in themselves or faith in idols or faith in anything? If that is faith, is it not intrinsic?

 

You tell me. It seems you reject what God says.

 

No, Jesus is not the "archetype". Hebrews says Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. It doesn't say Jesus is the archetype of faith. You are the one misunderstanding what is clearly stated.

 

People trust in many false things. They don't have faith because faith is authored by and finished by Jesus in the life of the Christian.

 

May I refer you to Strong's Greek lexicon to help correct this misapprehension: arxēgós (from 746 /arxḗ, "the first" and 71 /ágō, "to lead") –
properly, the first in a long procession; a file-leader who pioneers the way for many others to follow. 747 (arxēgós) does not strictly mean "author," but rather "a person who is originator or founder of a movement and continues as the leader – i.e. 'pioneer leader, founding leader.'

 

I've never heard the idea that faith in something and trust in something are different things.

 

You are desperate to deny God as the author of our faith. Explain why you don't want God to be the author.

 

Do a word study of faith in the Bible and tell me what godless person has faith as expressed in the Bible.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
~ Hebrews 11:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
~ Hebrews 12:1-2

 

It's not about me, my "desperation," or what I want. It shouldn't be about what you want either. It's about understanding what the Word of God says, and it does not say Jesus is the author of our faith or that faith must be given to us so that we can believe for salvation. Whosoever will may come.

"And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17.

 

Hebrews 12:2 certainly says Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. I can't help you if you desire to excuse this away.
As for Rev 22:17, make sure you read it with John 10:27 in mind.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

It amazes me how people desperately want to be the ones who choose God while God is supposed to take a back seat.

 

From what I've read, secular Greek writers use the exact same word for faith or trust in the efficacy of their gods. So I don't see how faith is limited only to people who have faith in God.

 

Scripture says that Jesus is the author of our faith. This means that faith is only for the believer. I will state that Satan is an imitator, so what you see in the unbeliever is an imitation faith that is really self-righteousness and belief in the idea that they have chosen well.

 

I suppose this works if one believes the translation is more inspired than the original text.

 

It works purely by reading scripture and believing what God says.
There is no original in existence. We receive the copies and discern their accuracy. Since there are far better scholars than you who believe that Jesus is the author and finisher of faith, I will trust them. You are free to look for a grammatical loophole to claim humans are the creators of their own faith.

 

The immediate context of chapter 11 suggests that the gifting of faith is not what is being taught.

 

The immediate statement of the writer, after chapter 11 is that every person mentioned in chapter 11 and all the cloud of witnesses had their faith authored and finished by Jesus.
Does Jesus author faith in unredeemed rebels?