The Bible Teaches our Repentance and Faith must be credited by God to access His grace.

Romans 5:1 is translated in several significantly different ways.

Here is the NASB rendering:

Therefore, having been justified by faith,]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,​

The Greek preposition translated "by" is "ek" meaning out from, or arising from, or based on. So this rendering could be understood to mean that "faith" had the power to justify. Or, the idea could be that based on faith, we have peace with God.


Here "faith" is somehow utilized in our justification, but our Lord Jesus was also somehow utilized.

​

Here, our faith is eliminated from the meaning, and the entire focus is that we were justified through Christ, period.

I believe than none of the above translations accurately present God's intended message. The next verse in Romans teaches we gained access to the grace of salvation by faith. Here, "faith" is in the dative case, indicating faith was utilized in the action providing access to the grace of salvation.

The solution is to accept that God uses our faith, if He credits it as righteousness, as the basis for His choice of individuals for salvation.
I do not believe God would use the faith of someone whose faith was not credited as righteousness as the basis for choosing the individual for salvation. Thus individuals are chosen for salvation through faith in the truth, when and if credited by God as righteousness, and then, on that basis, the individual is transferred spiritually into Christ,

Van said:

Romans 5:1 is translated in several significantly different ways.

Here is the NASB rendering:

​

Therefore, having been justified by faith,]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ​

The Greek preposition translated "by" is "ek" meaning out from, or arising from, or based on. So this rendering could be understood to mean that "faith" had the power to justify. Or, the idea could be that based on faith, we have peace with God.

​

NIV​

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ​

Here "faith" is somehow utilized in our justification, but our Lord Jesus was also somehow utilized.

​

​

CEB​

Therefore, since we have been made righteous through his faithfulness, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ​

Here, our faith is eliminated from the meaning, and the entire focus is that we were justified through Christ, period.

I believe than none of the above translations accurately present God's intended message. The next verse in Romans teaches we gained access to the grace of salvation by faith. Here, "faith" is in the dative case, indicating faith was utilized in the action providing access to the grace of salvation.

The solution is to accept that God uses our faith, if He credits it as righteousness, as the basis for His choice of individuals for salvation.

Click to expand...

Paul said "with the heart man believes unto righteousness."

I think it obvious that righteousness comes from believing.

Then Paul also said that "Abraham believed God and He counted it to him for righteousness."

If we put this together from Paul we can see that God grants righteousness through a belief that comes from the heart.

That raises the question as to exactly what did Abraham believe about God.

Christ tells the Pharisees that Abraham was very much aware of the coming Christ. Somehow through a dream or a vision Abraham seen Christs' day.

John 8:56-59

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."


It is my belief that Abraham was shown Christ and believed in Him and God granted Abraham righteousness through his belief.

Charlie24 said:

Paul said "with the heart man believes unto righteousness."
I think it obvious that righteousness comes from believing.
Then Paul also said that "Abraham believed God and He counted it to him for righteousness."
If we put this together from Paul we can see that God grants righteousness through a belief that comes from the heart.
That raises the question as to exactly what did Abraham believe about God.
Christ tells the Pharisees that Abraham was very much aware of the coming Christ. Somehow through a dream or a vision Abraham seen Christs' day.

John 8:56-59
"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."

It is my belief that Abraham was shown Christ and believed in Him and God granted Abraham righteousness through his belief.

Click to expand...

Yes, that explanation can be found, but I believe it is bogus.

I think it is obvious righteousness does not come from believing. Demons believe yet are not righteous. Soils 2 and 3 of Matthew 13 believed but were not made righteous.

Let's examine Romans 10:10:
For with (or by) the heart one believes into righteousness

Here our heart's core attributes and characteristics, are the instrument acting upon the person resulting in a deep seated faith, which is a characteristic of the faith credited by God. And if a person's faith is credited, then they are transferred into Christ resulting in being made righteous through the washing of regeneration. Our faith must be deep seated, having a root so to speak, so that God might credit that faith as righteousness.

God does not grant righteousness to the entire person because the person's faith is credited, God grants to the person that his or her faith is righteous.

Yes, the person's faith must come from the person's heart to be credited, but if something else is needed to fulfill God's purpose, coming from the heart will not result in salvation. Soil #3 did not make Christ his overriding priority, and that lack also prevented his faith being credited as righteousness.

Now Abraham seeing "my day and was glad" is explained in various ways in the commentaries. I think finding the "ram" to replace his son is what Christ was alluding to in John. Just as the ram took the treatment indicated for Abraham's son, Christ to the treatment indicated for each of us due to our sin. That is what made Abraham glad, obtaining deliverance, which we see in the day of Christ's sacrifice.

In the Bible it is always by or through faith, never is it BECAUSE of faith