Some have said that (God-wrought) faith is a self-emptying grace.
Are you saying that faith is equal to the attribute of Grace? Thus saying that grace is nothing more than faith?
If a professing believer is asked the question "why did you believe in Christ?", and his answer is in the vein of "well, I believed in order to get born again", then he has performed a work, and true faith is far from him.
False idea! Because believing is being born again (regeneration)! It is by believing that one's allegiences change from dead in Christ to Alive in Christ!
True faith which is of the operation of God
This means to me that no one can have faith unless God "instills" faith in the one. Therefore each reference in scripture that says a man is to have faith in God is null and void because man cannot have faith unless God instills it. Do you really believe that man cannot have faith? In anything? What about all those unbelievers that have faith in themselves, in money, in their work, in their families, their governments, etc. Is that faith not true faith? No you say? You are just as wrong as can be. Faith is faith regardless of who or what the object of faith may be. If man can have faith in that which is not God, man can have faith in God! It is that simple!
...will testify as respects all of salvation that he (the sinner in question) has done nothing and could do nothing to get justified and/or regenerated etc. in the sight of a thrice holy God.
Ah Yes, Justification! Just what is Justification
justification, n.
1. a reason, fact, circumstance, or explanation that justifies or defends: His insulting you was ample justification for you to leave the party.
2. an act of justifying: The painter's justification of his failure to finish on time didn't impress me.
3. the state of being justified.
4. Also called "justification by faith". Theol. the act of God whereby humankind is made or accounted just, or free from guilt or penalty of sin...
The result of Atonement is Justification! Therefore because Jesus' Atonement is for the sins of the World. Everyone who is of the world has their sins atoned, and they are therefore Justified in the sight of God. For that reason, Sins are not a factor in the White Throne Judgment of God. Faith alone, or the lack of faith is the determining factor in one's eternal destiny.
All faith is genuine faith. The object of faith may not be genuine, but all faith is genuine.
Genuine faith credits all of salvation to the one(s) to whom the credit is due, i.e. to Christ Jesus, and to the other two Divine persons in the eternal triune Godhead.
Faith does not credit anything to any one; people credit their faith in something or someone to something or someone. I have never heard of faith crediting Salvation to any thing or anyone. Faith is a credit only to the one having faith.
Paul did say in Rom. 3:27 that (genuine) faith excluded boasting once and for all, aorist is employed by Paul with the verb for to boast.
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />If a person boasts of having been justified before God the Judge by or through subjective heart faith IN Jesus Christ then he is not exhibiting true faith which is of God's operation.
FALSE!! I AM JUSTIFIED BY THE ATONING BLOOD OF JESUS, who is the CHRIST. I have ABSOLUTE Faith in Jesus Christ, my faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Notice, the scripture DOES NOT SAY, "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the WORK of God! Did God give us His WORD? Yes, but he did not give (impose) our faith in God, because faith cometh by hearing His Word, and believing what it says, thus believing In Jesus is the result of our believing the Gospel message contained in His Word.
True Spirit-empowered faith, which is in the heart of one who has been experimentally justified, will deny that subjective faith had any part in his/her justification in the sight of the Almighty, but will credit all of that which the Bible calls "justification of life" to Him who is the justifier, even Christ Jesus the Righteous.
I don't think you have the foggiest truth about Justification.
God-empowered faith will point to Christ as all in all in the bussiness of a sinner's justification before the holy God.
Again, you do not know the truth of Justification.
Counterfeit faith, i.e. works-faith, will credit all or some part of a claimed justification before God to the subjective faith of the sinner. A clear famous example of this is Martin Luther, and his solafidianism.
There is no such thing as individual justification, likewise there is no such thing as universal or collective faith in an individual. Justification is for all mankind, faith is an individual response to justification.
Romans 3:21-26. God's saving justice was witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but now it has been revealed altogether apart from law: God's saving justice given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. No distinction is made: all have sinned and lack God's glory, and all are justified by the free gift of his grace through being set free in Christ Jesus. God appointed him as a sacrifice for reconciliation, through faith, by the shedding of his blood, and so showed his justness; first for the past, when sins went unpunished because he held his hand; and now again for the present age, to show how he is just and justifies everyone who has faith in Jesus.
(What faith does)
Romans 3:27-31. So what becomes of our boasts? There is no room for them. On what principle, that only actions count? No; that faith is what counts, since, as we see it, a person is justified by faith and not by doing what the Law tells him to do. Do you think God is the God only of the Jews, and not of gentiles too? Most certainly of gentiles too, since there is only one God; he will justify the circumcised by their faith, and he will justify the uncircumcised through their faith. Are we saying that the Law has been made pointless by faith? Out of the question; we are placing the Law on its true footing.
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