Based on faith

[Van]

The Greek preposition "ek" means out of or out from, and points to the origin of something. Out from faith refers to something based on faith, or more explicitly, based on God crediting our faith as righteousness. And what is that something? Salvation by being transferred into Christ where we undergo the washing of regeneration, rebirth as a new creation, and are then indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Thus all the blessings of salvation can be said to be "based on faith.!"

Romans 1:17, "...But the righteous one will live based on faith." I think walking according to our (credited) faith is in view here rather than salvation's blessings.

Romans 3:30, "since indeed God who will justify the circumcised based on faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. Here I think the idea is New Covenant faith arises from Old Covenant faith for Jews, and arises without prior faith in God for Gentiles.

Romans 4:16, "For this reason [the promises to Abraham's heirs] is based on faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

"Ek pistos" appears in about 10 more verses which will be addressed later.

 

[Van]

Romans 5:1, "Therefore, having been justified on the basis of God crediting our faith as righteousness, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

 

[Van]

Romans 9:30, "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, moreover the righteousness that is based on God crediting their faith as righteousness.

 

[Van]

Romans 9:32, "Why? Because they did not pursue it based on faith, but as though they could by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

 

[Van]

Galatians 3:22
But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise based on God crediting our faith in Jesus Christ as righteousness might be given to those who believe.

 

[Van]

Galatians 2:16
nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified based on God crediting our faith in Christ as righteousness and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

 

[Van]

Galatians 3:8
The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles based on God crediting their faith as righteousness, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.”

Galatians 3:24
Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified based on God crediting our faith as righteousness.

 

[Van]

Galatians 5:5
For we through the Spirit, based on God crediting our faith,as righteousness, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.

The opening conjunction (gar translated as "for") might better be translated as "The fact is," we through the Spirit....
Now I think the idea of through the Spirit refers to being indwelt. Those who are indwelt are the "we" of the verse. Then we get "out of faith" which is best translated based on God crediting our faith as righteousness, are expectantly waiting for the hope of our righteousness at the second coming of our Lord.

 

[Van]

Romans 10:6
But the righteousness that is based on faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down)

 

[Dave G]

" For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
9 not of works, lest any man should boast." ( Ephesians 2:8 ).

" Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ( Hebrews 11:1 ).

" Therefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." ( Hebrews 12:2 ).

Scripture tells us that God credits our faith as righteousness ( Romans 4:1-9 ), even though that same faith was authored and finished by Jesus Christ.
Isn't it wonderful to know that the very same thing that God looks upon as pleasing in His sight ( the faith of His own Son ), is the very same thing that is provided to each and every one of His children when they were without strength, and dead in their trespasses and sins?

I think that it is.

I also find it especially marvelous and God-honoring that Paul specifically stated:

" But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." ( Galatians 3:22-25 ).

This tells me that the faith that the Lord credited to me as righteousness was actually not something that I contributed in order to gain God's favor...
That it had to come from somewhere, which it did:

Jesus Christ.

A faith that Paul admitted that he lived by, and that it was indeed of ( originating with ) the Son of God:

" I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." ( Galatians 2:20-21 ).

Therefore, true and godly righteousness in the sight of God originates with His Son --------> is imputed or credited to us because we have nothing with which to merit God's grace ---------> is used by us to do many things and to endure our trials and temptations in this life ---------> Endures to the end because it is His faith, given to us by the grace of God.

That same faith in His Father that He authored and finished, is now ours to honor our Father by.


Doesn't it abase us as the saved and sanctified men and women that we are, to know that outside of His grace, not a single one of us would have ever believed...
And that it was given to us in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but to suffer for His sake ( Philippians 1:29 )?

It does me.

In fact, knowing that even the faith that I use to believe and trust His every word was the gift of God, constantly reminds me of His great grace towards me...
A sinner who didn't even know I was in desperate need of a Saviour until He opened my heart one day in 1978, so that I attended to the word of God ( Acts of the Aoostles 16:14 ) that was preached that night.

That it was all based on His grace, not my faith...
Which was never mine until God gave it to me.

If any man boast, let him boast in the Lord and not their faith, which even that was not in our possession until the Lord graciously gave it to us.

 

[Van]

Post #10 simply regurgitates the same unbiblical fallacy once again. The claim is God credits His own faith instilled in the Elect as righteousness. Twaddle through and through. Scripture says God credited Abraham's faith, not the faith God instilled in Abraham. Scripture says "your faith" has saved you, not your faith which God beamed in with His divine transporter, saved you.
By adding to scripture, any verse can be made to say the opposite of what God intended.

When the Greek reads "ek pisteos" the idea is an action by God arising from crediting faith as righteousness. Thus we are justified based on God accepting Christ's faithfulness in that He sacrificed Himself as a ransom for all, provided God credits our faith in Christ's sacrifice.

 

[Van]

Galatians 2:16 (Edited and Interpreted version)
nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified based on the works of the Law but by means of Christ Jesus's faithfulness, even we have believed into Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified based on the faithfulness of Christ and not based on the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no person will be justified.

 

[Reformed1689]

The Greek preposition "ek" means out of or out from, and points to the origin of something. Out from faith refers to something based on faith, or more explicitly, based on God crediting our faith as righteousness. And what is that something? Salvation by being transferred into Christ where we undergo the washing of regeneration, rebirth as a new creation, and are then indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Thus all the blessings of salvation can be said to be "based on faith.!"

Romans 1:17, "...But the righteous one will live based on faith." I think walking according to our (credited) faith is in view here rather than salvation's blessings.

Romans 3:30, "since indeed God who will justify the circumcised based on faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. Here I think the idea is New Covenant faith arises from Old Covenant faith for Jews, and arises without prior faith in God for Gentiles.

Romans 4:16, "For this reason [the promises to Abraham's heirs] is based on faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,

"Ek pistos" appears in about 10 more verses which will be addressed later.

But how do we gain that faith in the first place?

 

[Reformed1689]

Post #10 simply regurgitates the same unbiblical fallacy once again. The claim is God credits His own faith instilled in the Elect as righteousness. Twaddle through and through. Scripture says God credited Abraham's faith, not the faith God instilled in Abraham. Scripture says "your faith" has saved you, not your faith which God beamed in with His divine transporter, saved you.
By adding to scripture, any verse can be made to say the opposite of what God intended.

When the Greek reads "ek pisteos" the idea is an action by God arising from crediting faith as righteousness. Thus we are justified based on God accepting Christ's faithfulness in that He sacrificed Himself as a ransom for all, provided God credits our faith in Christ's sacrifice.

And Hebrews says that God is the author and perfecter of our faith. So yes, it is God and God alone.

 

[Van]

But how do we gain that faith in the first place?

I have answered that question at least a half dozen times. Faith comes from hearing the word of God. Scripture can lead a person to Christ. Matthew 13 tells us of the four examples, three kinds of people put their faith in the gospel. But only one went "all in" for Christ.

Total Spiritual Inability is false doctrine.

The meaning of author is exemplar of faith, for it is Christ's faithfulness we are to fully trust in. This will result in complete rather than partial faith, trusting in Him alone and not also in worldly things.

 

[Reformed1689]

Total Spiritual Inability is false doctrine.

Despite the fact that it is woven throughout all of Scripture....

 

[Van]

Despite the fact that it is woven throughout all of Scripture....

Yet another false claim, only the first soil suffered from total spiritual inability. Why not address the other three?

 

[AustinC]

But how do we gain that faith in the first place?

Correct. Van ignores the biblical truth that God is the one who gifts a person faith, by grace, so that the person is seen as righteous via the gift of God.
This thread is yet another variant on the same theme that Van cannot seem to grasp.

 

[Van]

Folks, look at Matthew 13 and ask why Jesus needed to speak in parables to preclude his audience from understanding the gospel. Ask yourself why God hardened the hearts in Romans 11 if everyone was unable already to understand the gospel.
Any sort of objective study of scripture shows "total spiritual inability" to be a fiction.

If faith is "beamed into" believers, why is it harder for a rich man to believe?

This is really simple and really obvious, only those who have closed their minds to truth espouse the "T."

 

[Van]

And folks, the gift is salvation, not our faith. That is why we are saved by grace through or by means of faith. These folks crank through their list of false interpretations of scripture as if never rebutted, but seldom if every address the rebuttal.