QUESTION: Why Do You Have Faith?

MB · Jun 9, 2011

Dr Mixer GED said:
I want to just start off that this is not meant to be a Calvinism/Arminianism debate. I am not asking if God gave you the faith. What I am asking is why do you have the faith you have? Is it something you just know to be true? Is it because your life has changed since receiving Christ? Do you have faith due more to the logic behind the gospel accounts? I got to thinking the other day about faith, and why I believe Jesus Christ is God and why I know He is surely the Way, Truth and Life. To me, it is just a truth I cannot deny. I feel insecure sometimes because logic (or at least the "logic" of the world) creeps in and says prove it! I guess part of it is the difficulty of feeling close to the real physical Jesus, visualizing Paul preaching to the Gentiles. I guess this is why Jesus said that those who have not seen but yet believe are truly blessed. Anyhow, back to the question. What do you think is the reason behind the faith you have? I hope this post makes sense. Thanks in advance for the replies.

Paul answered this question;
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith isn't something you just all of a sudden have. Faith is being convinced of the gospel. Convinced that Christ is real. That He did die for the sins of the whole world. Faith is also trust that Christ is who He is and will do as He has promised
MB

psalms109:31 · Jun 9, 2011

Luke2427 said:
Then praise yourself for trusting.

But it does not make sense to claim you did the trusting and then praise somebody else for something you did.

It would make better sense for you to say, "I praise myself that I trusted God."

Or you could say, "I praise God that he gave me faith."

But to say, "I praise God that I did my part," is silly.

Is God responsible for everything, you didn't do anything?

Does God need to repent for what man has done?

Psalm 73:28
28But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

Luke2427 · Jun 9, 2011

psalms109:31 said:
Is God responsible for everything, you didn't do anything?

Does God need to repent for what man has done?

Psalm 73:28
28But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

You've not acknowledged my argument.

Answer my argument and then make one of your own and ask questions and I will answer them.

But don't just ignore my argument and then start asking me questions.

Here's the fact. If YOU did it then praise yourself for doing it.

It is that simple.

If YOU believed then praise yourself for believing.

psalms109:31 · Jun 9, 2011

Luke2427 said:
You've not acknowledged my argument.

Answer my argument and then make one of your own and ask questions and I will answer them.

But don't just ignore my argument and then start asking me questions.

Here's the fact. If YOU did it then praise yourself for doing it.

It is that simple.

If YOU believed then praise yourself for believing.

I did, I could not believe or trust without His word. It is God who placed before me life and death and for me to choose life and live not me. If God has placed before me a way out I will take it praise be to Him.

You don't like that answer, but I can't praise myself for what God has done through His word. You are the one who believes me trusting in Jesus praises myself not me. Do not try to make me in your image, Christ is making me into His image.

Luke2427 · Jun 9, 2011

psalms109:31 said:
I did, I could not believe or trust without His word. It is God who placed before me life and death and for me to choose life and live not me. If God has placed before me a way out I will take it praise be to Him.

No- you may praise him for MAKING the way but you must praise yourself for TAKING the way.

You don't like that answer, but I can't praise myself for what God has done through His word.

I could not agree more- yet you ARE.

You are the one who believes me trusting in Jesus praises myself not me.

No- you are stating without ambiguity that YOU are the one doing the TRUSTING. God did not CAUSE you to do it. You caused it.

So don't praise God that YOU TRUSTED.

Praise yourself. YOU DID IT. God didn't trust for you, right? YOU DID IT. Praise yourself. Or fix this error in your theology and say, "I praise God for granting me faith to believe."

Then you can say, "I believed- sure- but only because God gave me faith and caused me to do so. So I praise God that he caused me to believe"

Once again this is proper because it has the action being done TO you rather than you doing the action.

psalms109:31 · Jun 9, 2011

Opinion

Luke2427 said:
No- you may praise him for MAKING the way but you must praise yourself for TAKING the way.

I could not agree more- yet you ARE.

No- you are stating without ambiguity that YOU are the one doing the TRUSTING.

So don't praise God that YOU TRUSTED.

Praise yourself. Or fix this error in your theology and say, "I praise God for granting me faith to believe."

Your opinion, trusting is not work. It is what God ask. He does not need to repent, believe or trust in Himself, I am called to do that.

Do you really believe God does that for you, so you don't have to?

Or you say you have faith and it is God, but then you say you believe. Either it is of God for your salvation and you have to do none of that or you play a role in it? Then with your opinion you praise yourself?

Luke2427 · Jun 9, 2011

psalms109:31 said:
Your opinion, trusting is not work. It is what God ask. He does not need to repent, believe or trust in Himself, I am called to do that.

That is not the point. If YOU are trusting the YOU should receive the praise for trusting UNLESS you were CAUSED to trust.

It is the difference between falling and jumping. If you fall something is happening to you.

If you jump YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING.

You can say, "I praise Jack that I fall because he pushed me."

THAT makes sense. Something is happening TO you because something has been DONE to you. You didn't DO it.

But you cannot sensibly say, "I praise Jack that I JUMP." No. YOU jump. Jack did not cause you to jump. Jack gets none of the credit. You get all of the credit for what you cause yourself to do.

Let me say that again. Follow it closely:

You get all of the credit for what you cause yourself to do.

Do you really believe God does that for you, so you don't have to?

No. He doesn't do it FOR me he CAUSES me to do it.

psalms109:31 · Jun 9, 2011

God gets the credit

God gets the credit, because it is His word. He is the one who placed not only before me life, but death also. And calls me to chose life through Jesus not of myself, but of Him.

He gets the praise, it your opinion that He doesn't receive the praise not mine.

You are not going to create me in your image in other words the way you see scripture, God is the one changing us and leading us through Jesus Christ

Luke2427 · Jun 9, 2011

psalms109:31 said:
God gets the credit, because it is His word. He is the one who placed not only before me life, but death also. And calls me to chose life through Jesus not of myself, but of Him.

He gets the praise, it your opinion that He doesn't receive the praise not mine.

You are not going to create me in your image in other words the way you see scripture, God is the one changing us and leading us through Jesus Christ

Whoever causes a thing gets credit for it- period.

Did you cause your own faith or did God cause you to believe or was it a cooperative effort?

It's pretty much got to be one of those, does it not?

If it is either one of the last two then you get SOME of the credit for you believing- period. There is no way around it that I can see.

psalms109:31 · Jun 9, 2011

Saved

Luke2427 said:
Whoever causes a thing gets credit for it- period.

Did you cause your own faith or did God cause you to believe or was it a cooperative effort?

It's pretty much got to be one of those, does it not?

If it is either one of the last two then you get SOME of the credit for you believing- period. There is no way around it that I can see.

Can you be saved without you trusting in Christ?

webdog · Jun 9, 2011

psalms109:31 said:
Can you be saved without you trusting in Christ?

Whoever causes a thing gets credit?! Did we cause ourselves to be born spiritually dead or a reprobate in the determinist's model? Who gets the credit (or more accurately the blame) there?

psalms109:31 · Jun 9, 2011

In the end

In the end we are saved because God said those who believe trust in His Son will be saved.

Luke2427 · Jun 9, 2011

webdog said:
Whoever causes a thing gets credit?! Did we cause ourselves to be born spiritually dead or a reprobate in the determinist's model? Who gets the credit (or more accurately the blame) there?

God- ultimately. God enabled evil to exist by removing himself morally from the world. So he takes a passive role in the existence of evil.

Next question.

psalms109:31 · Jun 9, 2011

webdog said:
Whoever causes a thing gets credit?! Did we cause ourselves to be born spiritually dead or a reprobate in the determinist's model? Who gets the credit (or more accurately the blame) there?

Amen, we do. It is us who need to believe, trust in Christ over our own evil self. We need to repent for what we did to Jesus.

Luke2427 · Jun 9, 2011

psalms109:31 said:
In the end we are saved because God said those who believe trust in His Son will be saved.

Saved because God says we are? That's Calvinism.

Saved because we chose to beleve with help from God- that's cooperation.

That means credit is shared.

psalms109:31 · Jun 9, 2011

Luke2427 said:
Saved because God says we are? That's Calvinism.

Saved because we chose to beleve with help from God- that's cooperation.

That means credit is shared.

You can't answer. Without His word I couldn't do anything, So God gets the credit. Amen

Man have been blaming God from the beginning, if we can just take responsibility for our own actions.

Luke2427 · Jun 9, 2011

psalms109:31 said:
You can't answer. Without His word I couldn't do anything, So God gets the credit. Amen

Yea, but what you believe is that God's Word ENABLED you to believe but it was up to YOU whether or not you ACTUALLY believed.

So praise God for making you able and then praise yourself for actually DOING it.

psalms109:31 · Jun 9, 2011

Luke2427 said:
Yea, but what you believe is that God's Word ENABLED you to believe but it was up to YOU whether or not you ACTUALLY believed.

So praise God for making you able and then praise yourself for actually DOING it.

Can you be saved without you trusting in Jesus?

Who is to blame for those who are in hell?

Luke2427 · Jun 9, 2011

psalms109:31 said:
Can you be saved without you trusting in Jesus?

Who is to blame for those who are in hell?

I cannot hit the floor without falling either- but if Jack pushes me I don't get ANY CREDIT for falling.

The falling is not something I brought to pass but something Jack brought to pass.

If you believe and God did not cause you to believe then you get some fo the credit.

You get credit for what you cause- period. End of story.

psalms109:31 · Jun 9, 2011

Pushes

God doesn't push anyone, that is your opinion. So that story only works for you. God has placed before us life and death through Jesus and God wants us to chose life.

God word not mine that those who believe trust in Jesus His Son shall be saved.

The only way me and you know we are saved is by trusting in Jesus and His word for us to proclaim and declare His works.

Psalm 73:28
28But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

QUESTION: Why Do You Have Faith?

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