Soteriology 102

[Van]

Ephesians 2:8 NASB
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this salvation is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

The Greek construction of "though faith" is "dia pisteos." The preposition "dia" has the instrumentality meanings of "by means of" and "by reason of" and "because of." Calvinism claims the meaning of the phrase is "not through faith" or the opposite of what scripture teaches. But for those who believe scripture means what it says, then faith provides either the means by which we are saved or faith is the reason for which we were saved. The second meaning is the correct one, as the means by which we are saved is the precious blood of Christ.

Romans 4:23-24 teaches God will credit the faith of those who believe - God raised Jesus from the dead - for the believer's benefit. Some deny that benefit is salvation, but it would be absurd to say God saves those whose faith He does not credit as righteousness.

 

[Van]

Here are some of the key points of Biblical Salvation.

1) “For by grace you have been saved through faith," (Ephesians 2:8) teaches our salvation is through or by reason of faith. Any faith? Nope, only the individuals faith in Christ Jesus, if credited as righteousness by God. Thus some, in their unregenerate state seek God some of the time when they put their trust in Christ.

2) The lost cannot do anything to merit or earn salvation, as our faith is a filthy rag to God. When a person puts their trust in Christ, that does not earn or merit or in any way contribute to God's gracious salvation. Salvation depends of God alone. (Romans 9:16)

3) Our faith is based on God's revelatory grace, but God crediting our faith as righteousness is a pure gift of grace. (Romans 4:23-24)

4) The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict humanity of sin, righteousness, and judgement. Thus the gospel of Christ convicts the lost of the sin of unbelief, such as John 3:18, convicts humanity of God's righteousness, even though Christ has returned to the Father, and His birth, sinless life, death, resurrection and coming judgment convicts humanity because of testimony of the New Testament. (John 16:8)

5) Faith alone refers to faithful faith, the faith from which faithfulness flows, or using James illustration, live faith not dead faith. Thus actual faith, of the kind God might choose to credit as righteousness, includes a commitment to stop going our own way and to strive to follow Christ upon the paths of righteousness. (1 Peter 2:21)

6) The call to repent and believe is simultaneous, not sequential. Two sides of the same coin. You don't believe if you don't repent, and you don't repent if you don't believe. (Mark 1:15)

7) Yes, eternal life begins when we are made "alive" together with Christ. And our spiritual eternal life is a prelude to our bodily redemption and physical eternal life. (Ephesians 2:5) (Romans 8:23)

 

[Van]

Consider how people were "chosen" for salvation through or by reason of faith in the truth, 2 Thessalonians 2:13. If people were chosen for salvation before creation individually, they did not have faith as they did not exist. In order to cram the Calvinist or Arminian view into the text Ephesians 1:4 must be rewritten by liberals to read: God chose us as foreseen individuals with or without foreseen faith before God created us. In other words God created individuals before He created individuals. A liberal redefinition of creation. But it gets worse:

How were the people of Matthew 23:13 entering the kingdom. Because they have at least some spiritual ability. So what verse says they were enabled by "prevenient grace" or "Irresistible grace." None. But at least the verse supports the idea that whatever the grace used to reveal God and His kingdom to the lost, that grace is not irresistible.

Now lets address the verses that Calvinists and Arminians claim support for total spiritual inability. What verse says we cannot put our faith in God's revelation? They might say Romans 3:11. But what does Romans 3:11 say? No one EVER seeks God while unregenerate. Nope. It says no one seeks God and leaves to interpretation whether the meaning is no one seeks God all the time, some of the time or at any time. Certainly Paul's argument is no one seeks God when sinning, therefore we are all under sin. The verse does not say or imply that no one ever seeks God. And if the interpretation, "no one ever seeks God" were valid, then prevenient grace would be shown a fiction.

 

[Van]

Our faith is based on God's revelatory grace, but God crediting our faith as righteousness is a pure gift of grace. (Romans 4:23-24)

Rom 4:23-24
Now not for his [Abraham's] sake only was it written [God's revelation] that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

Think about this folks, how did we benefit by having our faith credited as righteousness if we are unable to seek God and trust Christ? Every time you see "through faith" in scripture, think "therefore Calvinism is wrong."

 

[Van]

In order to sustain the fiction that no one ever seeks God, several verses must be rewritten.

Psalm 24:6
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

Isaiah 65:1
“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which did not call on My name.

 

[Van]

Faith alone refers to faithful faith, the faith from which faithfulness flows, or using James illustration, live faith not dead faith. Thus actual faith, of the kind God might choose to credit as righteousness, includes a commitment to stop going our own way and to strive to follow Christ upon the paths of righteousness. (1 Peter 2:21)

1 Peter 2:21
For you have been called for this purpose [suffer for doing right] because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps,

We were called (placed into Christ spiritually) for the purpose of faithful service. Thus both repentance and belief in God and His Christ are components of the faith God credits as righteousness. Easy Believism is false doctrine. If our faith lacks the commitment to strive to follow Christ, then God might not credit it as righteousness, because our dead faith would not meet the purpose of God's chosen people.

 

[Van]

One poster observed "God's revelatory grace" sounds like "Prevenient Grace" as espoused by Arminius and Wesley. However the "enabling grace" is claimed to alter supernaturally the inability of the lost such that they then can seek God and trust in Christ.
Revelatory grace simply refers to hearing (by preaching or reading or seeing) about God and His Christ. Paul teaches (1 Corinthians 3:1) that "men of flesh" can grasp "spiritual milk." Only a liberal Calvinist would claim Paul would speak to "men of flesh" in a way he knew was a waste of time.

 

[Van]

Here are some of the verses that liberals rewrite via interpretation:
Romans 3:25
Galatians 3:14
Galatians 3:26
Ephesians 2:8
Ephesians 3:12
Colossians 2:12
2 Timothy 3:15
Calvinist liberals change "through faith" to mean "not through faith."
At some point you would think the penny would drop...

 

[AustinC]

Ephesians 2:8 NASB
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this salvation is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

The Greek construction of "though faith" is "dia pisteos." The preposition "dia" has the instrumentality meanings of "by means of" and "by reason of" and "because of." Calvinism claims the meaning of the phrase is "not through faith" or the opposite of what scripture teaches. But for those who believe scripture means what it says, then faith provides either the means by which we are saved or faith is the reason for which we were saved. The second meaning is the correct one, as the means by which we are saved is the precious blood of Christ.

Romans 4:23-24 teaches God will credit the faith of those who believe - God raised Jesus from the dead - for the believer's benefit. Some deny that benefit is salvation, but it would be absurd to say God saves those whose faith He does not credit as righteousness.

Who is the author of faith?
Hebrews 12:2 Looking to 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 seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Who is the faith that justifies? Is it not Jesus himself?
Galatians 3:22-27 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

The emphasis of faith is entirely upon Christ Jesus, not upon human will or action. Any claim that faith is from, by or through human will is therefore a false assertion.

 

[percho]

Who is the author of faith?
Hebrews 12:2 Looking to 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 seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Who is the faith that justifies? Is it not Jesus himself?
Galatians 3:22-27 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

The emphasis of faith is entirely upon Christ Jesus, not upon human will or action. Any claim that faith is from, by or through human will is therefore a false assertion.

I like this post. There was a specific moment in time when, the faith, came, when the faith was authored and perfected. Father unto yours hands I commit my spirit/Spirit. Then after three days and three nights, he was raised because of our justification. Our being made righteous.


Without giving it a lot of thought, when we are given by God the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, we become, of the faith of Christ, of the faith of Abraham, believers. Called therefore unto belief.

 

[Van]

Who is the author of faith?
SNIP
Who is the faith that justifies? Is it not Jesus himself?
SNIP
The emphasis of faith is entirely upon Christ Jesus, not upon human will or action. Any claim that faith is from, by or through human will is therefore a false assertion.

All this liberal Calvinist effort to redefine faith as only referring to the person of Jesus, and not to our trust in God and His Christ.
And note, folks, every time you find "through faith" in scripture, such as Ephesians 2:8, Calvinism claims it means "not through faith." Go figure

 

[Van]

I like this post. There was a specific moment in time when, the faith, came, when the faith was authored and perfected. Father unto yours hands I commit my spirit/Spirit. Then after three days and three nights, he was raised because of our justification. Our being made righteous.

Without giving it a lot of thought, when we are given by God the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, we become, of the faith of Christ, of the faith of Abraham, believers. Called therefore unto belief.

Every time you seek "your faith" or "his faith" you rewrite it to say "your faith that God instilled in you via irresistible grace." Total hogwash...

Every time you see "through faith" it means "through faith" and it does not mean "not through faith" as Calvinists claim.

To demonstrate how obviously absurd this premise is (faith refers to the person of Jesus) look at this verse.

Luke 8:25
And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” Did God "uninstalled" their previously instilled faith? Does this claim Jesus is not there? Or does the fundamental truth become obvious, your faith refers to the individual's faith in God and His Christ.

 

[RipponRedeaux]

Isaiah 65:1

I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, Here am I, here am I. (The Authorized NIV)

 

[Reformed1689]

Here are some of the key points of Biblical Salvation.

1) “For by grace you have been saved through faith," (Ephesians 2:8) teaches our salvation is through or by reason of faith. Any faith? Nope, only the individuals faith in Christ Jesus, if credited as righteousness by God. Thus some, in their unregenerate state seek God some of the time when they put their trust in Christ.

2) The lost cannot do anything to merit or earn salvation, as our faith is a filthy rag to God. When a person puts their trust in Christ, that does not earn or merit or in any way contribute to God's gracious salvation. Salvation depends of God alone. (Romans 9:16)

3) Our faith is based on God's revelatory grace, but God crediting our faith as righteousness is a pure gift of grace. (Romans 4:23-24)

4) The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict humanity of sin, righteousness, and judgement. Thus the gospel of Christ convicts the lost of the sin of unbelief, such as John 3:18, convicts humanity of God's righteousness, even though Christ has returned to the Father, and His birth, sinless life, death, resurrection and coming judgment convicts humanity because of testimony of the New Testament. (John 16:8)

5) Faith alone refers to faithful faith, the faith from which faithfulness flows, or using James illustration, live faith not dead faith. Thus actual faith, of the kind God might choose to credit as righteousness, includes a commitment to stop going our own way and to strive to follow Christ upon the paths of righteousness. (1 Peter 2:21)

6) The call to repent and believe is simultaneous, not sequential. Two sides of the same coin. You don't believe if you don't repent, and you don't repent if you don't believe. (Mark 1:15)

7) Yes, eternal life begins when we are made "alive" together with Christ. And our spiritual eternal life is a prelude to our bodily redemption and physical eternal life. (Ephesians 2:5) (Romans 8:23)

Nowhere does that word used in that way mean "by reason of." Cite your sources stating otherwise.

 

[AustinC]

All this liberal Calvinist effort to redefine faith as only referring to the person of Jesus, and not to our trust in God and His Christ.
And note, folks, every time you find "through faith" in scripture, such as Ephesians 2:8, Calvinism claims it means "not through faith." Go figure

I notice you keep snipping out the Bible, Van.
I also notice you do not address me directly. When you do this you discredit yourself.

The point I make is that through faith is referring to Christ and his gift of faith. The point is made by the scripture you snip. Why do you snip the Bible, Van? Why do you avoid it when it reveals you are wrong?

 

[DaveXR650]

I always thought that the argument about Ephesians 2:8-9 was about whether "and that not of yourselves" refers to grace and faith or that it only refers to grace and the faith was something you had of your self. This is interesting.

 

[Reformed1689]

I notice you keep snipping out the Bible, Van.
I also notice you do not address me directly. When you do this you discredit yourself.

The point I make is that through faith is referring to Christ and his gift of faith. The point is made by the scripture you snip. Why do you snip the Bible, Van? Why do you avoid it when it reveals you are wrong?

I would argue it is grace and faith. "Grace through faith" as one whole package.

 

[Dave G]

Faith alone refers to faithful faith, the faith from which faithfulness flows, or using James illustration, live faith not dead faith.

Amen.
We also know from God's word that this faithful faith is a fruit of His Spirit:

" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." ( Galatians 5:22-26 ).

So if someone does not have His Spirit within them, then they cannot exhibit true faith...
The faith that carries them through all of life's trials and troubles, which was authored and finished for them, by their Saviour.

Romans 4:23-24 teaches God will credit the faith of those who believe - God raised Jesus from the dead - for the believer's benefit.

Yes, it does.
But given the truth of Hebrews 12:2, Hebrews 11:1, Ephesians 2:8, 2 Thessalonians 3:2, and several others such as Philippians 1:29, God crediting someone's faith as righteousness is, in effect, crediting them for His work done in them by His mercy and power...

Making the credit for their belief, His, and not ours.

In other words, we as believers in Jesus Christ do not and cannot take credit for anything.
Please see John 3:27 and especially James 1:17:

" Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

All the gifts that we as men have, come from God.

 

[Dave G]

Thus actual faith, of the kind God might choose to credit as righteousness, includes a commitment to stop going our own way and to strive to follow Christ upon the paths of righteousness. (1 Peter 2:21)

I agree, my friend.
And where could such a thing come from, given the truth of 2 Thessalonians 3:2?

" Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have [free] course, and be glorified, even as [it is] with you: and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all [men] have not faith. "

All this liberal Calvinist effort to redefine faith as only referring to the person of Jesus, and not to our trust in God and His Christ.

The term "Calvinist" notwithstanding, the definition of faith is what God's word defines it as... where it comes from and who authored it, Van.
So completely ignoring what John Calvin ( or anyone like him ) may have taught, we can see for ourselves where it all has come from...

There is "the faith" ( Jude 1:3 ) which is the body of truth that all of God's children come to know through the Scriptures, and "faith" which is defined, in English, as "trust".
Definition of FAITH
To me, it is exactly as you have described in the underlined above.

But where does the Bible itself tell us that our belief of His words comes from?

Philippians 1:29. <--- It was given to us, as the "sheep" of Christ's "pasture" ( Psalms 95:7, Psalms 100:3 ).
Ephesians 2:8. <----- It is the gift of God.
2 Thessalonians 3:2. <------ Not all men have it, for if they did, they would believe God's words.
Who actually believes God's words, according to those very words?

John 8:43-47. <---- He ( or she ) that is "of God", and no one else.
John 10:27. <----- His sheep.

Who doesn't?
John 10:26. <------ Those that are not "of" His sheep.


Therefore, because I am saved and of Christ's sheep, I can say in the sense of the Psalmist ( and just as just as Paul did in 2 Thessalonians 3:2 ), "Lord, deliver me from unreasonable and wicked men, for they do not all have faith".

They do not all trust God for their every need, and to deliver them from evil, as His people do.

 

[Van]

Nowhere does that word used in that way mean "by reason of." Cite your sources stating otherwise.

I already cited a lexicon. Why are you pretending to be unable to read or search scripture? Are you yet again being allowed to harass me?