Is Faith a Work?

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

We are told that a gift cannot have stated conditions. Since it is said faith is a gift from God, does the exercising of faith require any conditions to be met? One must consider what one must do, if anything, to be said to ‘have faith.’ If faith has a stated condition(s), does it make faith ‘works’ for man to exercise faith? If not why not?

 

[just-want-peace]

We are told that a gift cannot have stated conditions. Since it is said faith is a gift from God, does the exercising of faith require any conditions to be met? One must consider what one must do, if anything, to be said to ‘have faith.’ If faith has a stated condition(s), does it make faith ‘works’ for man to exercise faith? If not why not?

Bolded mine

1) Yes! It has to be accepted.

2) If you want to parse words, I suppose you could call this "work" - in the same manner that a baby "works" when offered the mom's bre@st to suckle.

If one is determined to lay the whole of salvation on God, IE: man has nothing, absolutely NOTHING to do with it, then sure, "accepting" the gift of God would be considered work.

But this reminds me of the Pharisees that condemned Christ when he healed the cripple on the Sabbath. The Pharisees could talk and belittle Christ all day long, BUT when Christ spoke a few words - SPOKE, mind you - he was condemned as "WORKING" on the Sabbath.

Pity, but Christians can be just as Pharisaical in their "beliefs" at times!!

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

JWP: 1) Yes! It has to be accepted.

2) If you want to parse words, I suppose you could call this "work" - in the same manner that a baby "works" when offered the mom's bre@st to suckle.

HP: Now this is a novel idea concerning faith. One has faith in the same manner as a baby suckles a breast. Now we should clearly know that suckling a breast is a mere instinctive notion without the slightest indication of formed intents to do so. Are you certain you desire to go on the record as saying that faith is a mere ‘instinctive’ notion? If so you can save your sophistic notion of ‘accepting’ it., for an instinct is necessitated, and in no wise ‘accepted.’

JWP: If one is determined to lay the whole of salvation on God, IE: man has nothing, absolutely NOTHING to do with it, then sure, "accepting" the gift of God would be considered work.

HP: Nothing sarcastic about that. That is precisely what DHK and others have done, and yourself as well if you lay faith off on a mere necessitated instinctive impulse.

PS: I am not certain that some could recognize what a liberal was, even if it was perched smack dab on the end of their own proboscis. :smilewinkgrin:

 

[billwald]

A friend was two months behind in his electric bill and went to the electric company to plead for mercy. He was told that his bill was current (pun intended). He thought that the company had deposited someone else' check to his account but there was no way for him to return this "gift." The electric company said it was a done deal.

I'm ashamed for you all who think that God can not regenerate anyone he pleases but must ask permission. <G>

 

[DHK]

A friend was two months behind in his electric bill and went to the electric company to plead for mercy. He was told that his bill was current (pun intended). He thought that the company had deposited someone else' check to his account but there was no way for him to return this "gift." The electric company said it was a done deal.

I'm ashamed for you all who think that God can not regenerate anyone he pleases but must ask permission. <G>

The price is too high. It cost Him the blood of His own son. There was a price to be paid. For a Christ-rejecter to presume that he can have the gift of eternal life and at the same time reject the one who offers the gift is absurd.

 

[Trotter]

Accepting God's offer of grace is not work. It comes through faith, and that faith come from God. God does not save anyone who refuse His offer of salvation, nor does He reject anyone who accepts it. Man must choose to accept or reject, but the work is done by God.

Does this make perfect sense? Not to me, but that's OK. The trinity doesn't make perfect sense but I have no problem with it, either.

 

[mcdirector]

Accepting God's offer of grace is not work. It comes through faith, and that faith come from God. God does not save anyone who refuse His offer of salvation, nor does He reject anyone who accepts it. Man must choose to accept or reject, but the work is done by God.

Does this make perfect sense? Not to me, but that's OK. The trinity doesn't make perfect sense but I have no problem with it, either.

Exactly!

I struggled with this for years. My struggling didn't make it any less true. Faith comes from God. Without faith I cannot know God. Nothing I do will give me faith. NO work, just faith.

 

[Amy.G]

Faith is not a work. In fact it is the ceasing of my work and depending on the work of Christ.

 

[Amy.G]

A friend was two months behind in his electric bill and went to the electric company to plead for mercy. He was told that his bill was current (pun intended). He thought that the company had deposited someone else' check to his account but there was no way for him to return this "gift." The electric company said it was a done deal.

I'm ashamed for you all who think that God can not regenerate anyone he pleases but must ask permission. <G>

What a ridiculous post as usual.

God does not need our permission for anything. But He offers us a gift of salvation. You can stand there with your hands in your pockets and refuse the gift or you can reach out and receive it. It's that simple.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

Amy: You can stand there with your hands in your pockets and refuse the gift or you can reach out and receive it. It's that simple.

HP: Not until one repents and exercises faith can one reach out and receive that gift. Faith and repentance are things God calls on man to do freedly without force or coercion. God does not do our repenting, neither does He exercise faith for us.
He commands men everywhere to fulfill the stated conditions, without which no man shall be saved.

 

[Amy.G]

HP: Not until one repents and exercises faith can one reach out and receive that gift. Faith and repentance are things God calls on man to do freedly without force or coercion. God does not do our repenting, neither does He exercise faith for us.
He commands men everywhere to fulfill the stated conditions, without which no man shall be saved.

Did I say differently?

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

You tell me.

 

[Amy.G]

You tell me.

The question of the OP was "is faith a work?"

The answer is NO. Faith is ceasing from work.


Yes. A person must repent or change his mind about sin. But repentance was not the question.

Gotta go to church. You should do the same.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

Are not two or three gathered in His name on this list?

 

[annsni]

Accepting God's offer of grace is not work. It comes through faith, and that faith come from God. God does not save anyone who refuse His offer of salvation, nor does He reject anyone who accepts it. Man must choose to accept or reject, but the work is done by God.

Does this make perfect sense? Not to me, but that's OK. The trinity doesn't make perfect sense but I have no problem with it, either.

Amen, Trotter. Amen.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

Ann: Amen, Trotter. Amen.

HP: So Ann, faith comes from God, (which is true in a sense) but does this mean God is the 'cause' of our faith in salvation? If God has to grant us faith to believe then He must withhold the means of salvation of others that do not have faith, correct?

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

How about you Trotter? Maybe I should have addressed you with the question I gave Ann. What might be your response?

 

[Jedi Knight]

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

Which implies what?

 

[Marcia]

Are not two or three gathered in His name on this list?

That is not church. Church is not here on the BB, especially in this Forum.