Its of Faith so to be of Grace !

[Brightfame52]

Rom 4:16

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Many will say that Faith/Believing isn't a work because they are contrasted with one another, e.g. Rom 4:5

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

So this seems to support the ideal that believing, a act that man does, isn't a work, but does it ? The fact is, there is a real contrast between believing and working, but its not because Faith/Believing isnt a work. The contrast is valid when we understand that believing, though an act/work man does, its not mans work, but Gods Work in us. Remember when Jesus said this Jn 6:29

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

You see that ? Jesus answer to their question wasn't to their sentiments, however the reply He gave reveals a great truth, that the believing on the name of the Son of God, is Gods Work in us . Yes believing on the Son is Gods Work, not ours. Its only when we understand that the act of Believing it takes to believe on Christ for all Salvation, isn't our own work out of the flesh, our own human faith by nature, but that its an act we do because its totally empowered by the Grace of God, the Spirit of God, Acts 18:27

27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

Then the contrast is valid !

 

[Brightfame52]

Its when we understand that to believe on Christ is not of ourselves, but given to us by Grace Phil 1:29

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

See that ? If its given unto you to believe, then its not of yourself, therefore its not your work, but Gods Jn 6:29

The word given charizomai means:

to give graciously, give freely, bestow

Also its made up from of the word charis which is translated grace 130 x in the NT

So thats why Paul wrote believers believed through or because of Grace Acts 18:27 and why he wrote in Rom 4:16

Therefore it is of faith[believing], that it might be by grace;

But if we say that our believing/faith is of ourselves, you default to a work salvation, and forfeit the contrast of believing and works !

 

[Brightfame52]

So when we see scripture about believing e.g Rom 4:5

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Then we know that the believing here is the Work of God Jn 6:29, that its the Grace of God Acts 18:27, that it is given by Grace Phil 1:29 and that the believing is not of themselves, but the Gift of God Eph 2:8 !

 

[Brightfame52]

Another scripture that shows that ones Faith/Believing is Gods Work Jn 6:29 is found in Eph 1:19-20

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Now the punctuation isnt inspired, so if we move out the comma in Vs 19 it would read :

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power,

Its easy to see that the usward believe according to Gods exceeding great power, and the working of His mighty power !

So then Faith/Believing is not of ourselves, then believing in that respect, is contrasted to or works !

 

[Brightfame52]

Its Grace that saves, nothing of our works or conditions, even the Faith that we believe by, is given by God on account of the Grace that saves. See when Salvation is by Grace, the one being saved has not met any conditions.

 

[DaveXR650]

The contrast is valid when we understand that believing, though an act/work man does, its not mans work, but Gods Work in us.

There are plenty of serious deterministic Calvinists who teach that it indeed is something man does. And it is something he consciously does with his rational mind. And men can legitimately be encouraged and told to believe. In no way does this do damage to the idea that this is all of the grace of God.

I agree that the Provisionists like Flowers tend to set up salvation as that God has provided the means and conditions, made them known to us, and now waits to see what we will do. What is confusing to all of us I think is that Calvinists like Edwards sometimes preached in a way that suggested exactly that. But there again, from his other writings, one can tell that while he meant that literally everything was truly in place and awaiting your consent, the background facts were that it was in place because of God's gracious pursuing of you and that those who would hear that sermon and believe were indeed elect and had been drawn by an efficacious grace. Those who would not go on to believe were those who were not elect and did not have the operation of this efficacious grace.

People have different concepts of how God works it so that a sinner gets to the point described above of believing. The differences disappear at that point and it is flat out wrong to suggest that a person who sees this as a free will decision is believing a false gospel. Just like it is just as wrong for someone to accuse a Calvinist of teaching a false gospel because they believe "God's grace" is completely what gets a person to the point of decision and "God's grace" is what will be the underlying true cause of the belief for all those who do so. "God's grace" is a beautiful and true term but I put it in quotes because how it works is not specifically explained to us which indicates to me that we don't have to explain it.

There are teachers throughout history who seem to understand this balance of where God's gracious influence comes together with our human wills and they become popular with deterministic Calvinists and fundamental Baptists. Men like Spurgeon and Bunyan, who were both Calvinists yet often quoted by non-Calvinists. But you can find such a balance even in high Calvinists like Owen and determinists like Edwards if you look. I hate to see people make enemies of these guys in their minds when there is no reason.

There is something you and some of the more deterministic people do on this board that concerns me. In what I think is an honest effort to give God all the glory you go so far in defining faith as a gift from outside yourself that you seem to take it away and deny it to people. This is very confusing and I think harmful. There has to be a point at which people can be told to do something or else there is no point of interaction between them and God. You are left with a message of telling people to contemplate the idea that God elects some to heaven and some to hell. That is not the gospel.

 

[Brightfame52]

It is of Faith so that it will be of Grace ! Also Eph 2:8

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Faith is given by Grace, and it sees that none of Salvation by Grace was conditioned on man, on what a man does. This Faith given only to Gods Elect, the Election of Grace, believes in only what God did to save them 1

 

[Brightfame52]

We are saved by Grace through Faith, that is Grace is accompanied with the Gift of Faith or Believing, and the converted person will understand and believe they have been saved by Gods Grace alone !

 

[Brightfame52]

Grace is from God and believing is from God, 1 Pet 1:21

21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

And Christ the Saviour is God Titus 2:13

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

So Christ is the author of the believers Faith Heb 12:2

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.2

 

[Brightfame52]

Eph 2:8

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Same difference, the deed of believing by Faith is a Gift. None are saved because they believe but conversely they believe because they are saved by Grace, the Gift of God. First the Gift of Grace is given, then comes the asset, the source is first then the consequence. The source of a persons Faith/Believing is Grace giving the action of believing, believing is the outcome purposed from giving grace. Grace comes first then results Salvation and believing. Believing in Christ is not a natural ability of man, but a Gift of Gods Grace Acts 18:27

27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

So therefor a person doesnt believe by their own natural faith of the flesh, which cant please God Rom 8:8, but with the Gift of Faith bestowed in the New Birth, the fruit of the Spirit, the Faith that God gives only to His Elect Titus 1:1. This Gift of Faith acknowledges and realizes that Salvation is all by the Grace of God, that Knowledge God works in their heart. Grace gives the saved the knowledge of Salvation Lk 1:77

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

 

[Brightfame52]

The saved persons believing is a gift of God for the sake of Christ Phil 1:29

29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

The word given here is the verb charizomai :

to give graciously, give freely, bestow

Its from the noun charis which is translated grace 130 times in the NT,

So again the saved mans believing is a gift of Gods Grace, By Gods Grace believing is worked in a person. Remember Pauls testimony ?

Was he not a apostle ? A servant of Jesus Christ ? A believer in Christ ? Now how so ? 1 Cor 15:10

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Notice the word bestowed in 1 Cor 15:10, though not in the original, yet its conveying the idea of being given as a Gift, that is Grace given into him, this denoted by the prep upon/eis . Gods Grace works within us when bestowed upon us.

 

[Brightfame52]

Its a given that scripture says whosoever believes hath eternal life Jn 3:16

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jn 3:15

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

And of course this is so true. Yet how does a spiritually dead sinner change from being a unbeliever and hater of God naturally, into a Believer who begins to Love God, the True God ? The answer is by Sovereign Grace, they believe because of Grace Acts 18:27, they also believe because of Election Acts 13:48, even Election is of Grace Rom 11:5-6. A mans believing totally due to Gods Grace 1 Pet 1:21. Hasnt it been said that " No man can come to Jesus except it be given " Jn 6:65

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

The word given didōmi means to bestow as a gift ! This being the case, it goes without saying, nobody can believe in Jesus unless its given to them by Gods Gift of Grace. See Phil 1:29

 

[Brightfame52]

Man is under the delusion that Gods Grace only makes Salvation possible, not understanding that Grace actually brings Salvation as the Gift of God Titus 2:11

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

The word bring denotes to bring about , to accomplish, to cause Salvation. See Grace is God energetically saving His People from their sins Matt 1:21.

Gods Grace isn't something offered to man that man can appropriate to himself to get saved, but its that by which man is saved Eph 2:5,8 ! 3

 

[Brightfame52]

Salvation is by Grace apart from works, its apart from anything done by a person of which he can boast, or feel good about. It does come through the Gift of Faith, which makes it by Faith alone, which Gift of Faith is not of man, but a Gift given to man, and so all of Salvation including the Gift of Faith, is of Grace alone. Eph 2:8

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Rom 4:16

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 5

 

[Brightfame52]

Read carefully what Rom 4:16 is saying about Faith

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Simply stated, Faith is by or the by product of Grace, Grace given manufactures Faith. Thats why Faith is not of ourselves but its the Gift of God Eph 2:8 that is its a Gift of Gods Grace. In the Eph 2:8 verse opposers argue that Faith isn't a Gift because its feminine in gender and gift is neuter in gender in the greek. Yes that's true but it doesnt change the character of faith being a gift of Grace since both Grace and Faith are feminine, and there's no disputing that Grace is the Gift of God. Paul specifically calls it a gift here Eph 3:7

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Now was he made a minister apart from being made a believer, Faith in Christ ? No ! Grace is nothing less than the effectual working of Christs power ! So its of Faith to evidence its the by product of Gods effectual Grace and power.

 

[Brightfame52]

Ephesians 2: 8: 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.

Salvation is of God in its; completeness: , in every part, beginning to end, so that God gets all the glory and the saved sinner has no room to boast about anything.

Faith is the Gift of Gods Grace which is the spiritual medium which the saved receives a first hand knowledge experientially of the already purchased salvation they have in Christ, hence its by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, its the gift of God.

All three things mentioned in Eph 2:8 are gifts of God,

Grace is the Gift of God, Salvation is the Gift of God, and Faith is the Gift of God ! 5

 

[Brightfame52]

The only difference between the many who perish and the few who are chosen is the difference which grace has made 1 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-14. As for me, I gratefully credit the whole of my salvation to Gods grace, who loved me with His own freewill ,with an everlasting love and saved me by His grace Eph 2:8. “By the grace of God I am what I am 1 Cor 15:10.” I am chosen by grace Rom 11:5, redeemed by grace Eph 1:7, called by grace Gal 1:15, given faith to believe by grace Acts 18:27, preserved by grace Ps 37:28, and sovereign grace alone shall bring me into heaven’s eternal glory 1 Thess 5:23

 

[Brightfame52]

It is faith so to be of grace Rom 4:16

16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Grace comes before faith, that is believing faith is because of grace. Thats why believing faith could never be a reason for a person to boast. Faith/Believing is the gift of God, the effectual result of Salvation Eph 2:5, and Salvation is a Gift of Gods Grace. Phil 1:29

29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Matt 16:17

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Acts 18:27

27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through or Because of grace: 5

 

[Brightfame52]

Faith is of Grace, its a Gift of God lest any man should boast Eph 2:8

8 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.

In Vs 8 the word that is a pronoun and it refers to both Grace and Faith in sync, for both Grace and Faith are not from ourselves, to denote the entirety of Salvation is the Gift of God, so no part of it can give us an reason to boast. We believe because of Grace Acts 18:27

27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:5

 

[Brightfame52]

Whosoever believing Jesus is the Christ is or has been born of God !

1 Jn 5:1

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

Again, believing on Jesus Christ, His Person and Offices and Saviour Vocation, is evidence that one has been born of God. See one doesnt believe in Christ to become born of God, but quite the opposite, but he believes because he has been born of God.

Paul basically says the same thing here 2 Thess 2:13

13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Notice the order here, sanctification of the Spirit [that's when one is born of God the Spirit and set apart] and belief of the Truth or Faith, that's when one believes ! Its plain that belief of the Truth is resultive of sanctification of the Spirit, hence, he that believes has been born of God.

The sanctifying work of the Spirit in bringing a sinner to belief of the Truth, is a Sovereign work of Grace, so its of faith so to be of Grace.f