What verses say that faith is a gift that God gives man?

[Danthemailman]

Who was rich in mercy? Who made dead men alive with Christ? Who saved by grace? Who raised us up and seated us with God in heaven, in Christ? Who graciousky gave us faith as a gift so that we cannot boast about generating our own faith?

Ephesians 2:4-9 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Although it is our responsibility to choose to believe and we will be held accountable for unbelief (John 3:18), saving faith in Christ is never exclusively a matter of human decision. Unless the Father draws us (John 6:44) in and enables us/it has been granted to him by the Father (John 6:65), we would NEVER come to believe/place faith in Jesus Christ for salvation all by ourselves. The approach of the soul to Christ is initiated by the Father, but He doesn't force us to choose Christ, we must choose Him. The impulse to faith in Christ comes from God, but we are not simply zapped with faith.

1 Peter 1:9 - receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

[Particular]

We have choices
Amo 5:14

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

He came to all.

Amos is writing to the chosen ones of Israel, not to the pagans. He is calling them back to repentance. Your claim that God came to save all is not accurate.

Luk 19:10

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Those whom he seeks and saves is those whom the Father gives him.

John 6:37-39 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

John 10:3-5,11,14-16 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

John 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Matthew 1:20-21 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

God is Supremely in charge. He doesn't leave things to chance and happenstance. He doesn't place you and me on a pedestal and tell us we are in charge of our destiny. (That is the rebellious world around you that screams in your ear that you are in charge of your destiny. That claim is false.) God tells you, over and over again, that He is Supreme. He chooses, he elects and he predestines. We can complain about what God says and look for loopholes in an attempt to climb the pedestal. Or, we can entrust ourselves to the Supreme King and gratefully accept that our salvation came about by God's gracious choice to save us while we were yet sinners. The gratitude we can have in knowing God was the one choosing to save us in our pitiful condition can be one of the most humbling things in our lives. I was in rebellion toward God, yet he stooped low and saved me while I fought against him.

 

[Particular]

Although it is our responsibility to choose to believe and we will be held accountable for unbelief (John 3:18), saving faith in Christ is never exclusively a matter of human decision. Unless the Father draws us (John 6:44) in and enables us/it has been granted to him by the Father (John 6:65), we would NEVER come to believe/place faith in Jesus Christ for salvation all by ourselves. The approach of the soul to Christ is initiated by the Father, but He doesn't force us to choose Christ, we must choose Him. The impulse to faith in Christ comes from God, but we are not simply zapped with faith.

1 Peter 1:9 - receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yet, nowhere does God say to the sinner, "you must choose me." Joshua was talking to the children of the promise, not to pagans when Israel declared who they would follow. God had already chosen them and delivered them into the Promised land.
You recognize that God will bring those who he calls to himself. (Jesus is the author of faith - Hebrews 12:2) You should also recognize that God reconciles and secures all those whom he has called. (Jesus is the finisher of faith)
Humans are accountable for their rebellion. We break God's moral laws. We receive just and righteous judgment. The only reason that all humanity is not condemned by their sin is because the Supreme King chose to save some by His atoning sacrifice. He chose to reconcile those who are made righteous by being made alive with Christ Jesus and being seated with Jesus at the throne of God (Ephesians 2:4-9).
We cannot take any credit for our salvation. Not even on speck of credit goes to us. May we feel ashamed when we imagine we did something to secure our own salvation.

 

[loDebar]

We do not take credit.
We have a choice. Or else God is the cause of sin

That is the end of your point in election

If we do not have a choice, then God is responsible for sin

Think

 

[Just_Ahead]

I always thought faith to be a decision followed up by action.

If you want a Bible quote -- study up on Abraham in Genesis and the Faith Chapter in Hebrews 11.

 

[loDebar]

Yet, nowhere does God say to the sinner, "you must choose me." Joshua was talking to the children of the promise, not to pagans when Israel declared who they would follow. God had already chosen them and delivered them into the Promised land.
You recognize that God will bring those who he calls to himself. (Jesus is the author of faith - Hebrews 12:2) You should also recognize that God reconciles and secures all those whom he has called. (Jesus is the finisher of faith)
Humans are accountable for their rebellion. We break God's moral laws. We receive just and righteous judgment. The only reason that all humanity is not condemned by their sin is because the Supreme King chose to save some by His atoning sacrifice. He chose to reconcile those who are made righteous by being made alive with Christ Jesus and being seated with Jesus at the throne of God (Ephesians 2:4-9).
We cannot take any credit for our salvation. Not even on speck of credit goes to us. May we feel ashamed when we imagine we did something to secure our own salvation.

We are all sinners, so the offer is to all.
so contradict Him and to say the offer is to only those who accept the offer is rather strange.



We do not take credit for our salvation, but we must take credit for our sins, election does not do that
It is a deception of the devil

 

[Particular]

Although it is our responsibility to choose to believe and we will be held accountable for unbelief (John 3:18), saving faith in Christ is never exclusively a matter of human decision. Unless the Father draws us (John 6:44) in and enables us/it has been granted to him by the Father (John 6:65), we would NEVER come to believe/place faith in Jesus Christ for salvation all by ourselves. The approach of the soul to Christ is initiated by the Father, but He doesn't force us to choose Christ, we must choose Him. The impulse to faith in Christ comes from God, but we are not simply zapped with faith.

1 Peter 1:9 - receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Both verses show that God does the work. God gifted faith and it resulted in salvation. The end result is salvation. God does what he promises.
It is all God. He gets all the credit and all the glory.

 

[loDebar]

I always thought faith to be a decision followed up by action.

If you want a Bible quote -- study up on Abraham in Genesis and the Faith Chapter in Hebrews 11.

Faith is separate from action. Faith moves us to our action even to believe

 

[loDebar]

Both verses show that God does the work. God gifted faith and it resulted in salvation. The end result is salvation. God does what he promises.
It is all God. He gets all the credit and all the glory.

right but He will not interject His will on ours in the matter of salvation,, or else all would be saved or rather never sinned

 

[MB]

It's not both. If Christ has atoned for the entire world, then all have their sins paid for and God cannot send them to hell without being an unjust God. How could God send someone who is righteous to hell? He can't.
So, you must be wrong.

The atonement is only so that you can be forgiven of your sins. For the atonement to take effect we must repent of our sins. We must believe in Jesus Christ, death, burial, and resurrection. There is no other way to be saved. Only through Christ can we have Salvation.
MB

 

[MB]

It's not both. If Christ has atoned for the entire world, then all have their sins paid for and God cannot send them to hell without being an unjust God. How could God send someone who is righteous to hell? He can't.
So, you must be wrong.

All I can do is offer you the truth.
MB

 

[InTheLight]

Let's review the Calvinist position.

0. Before the foundation of the world God chose the Elect.
1. God effectively draws men, but only the Elect.
2. God causes the Elect to have a new, regenerated heart.
3. God uses this new, regenerated heart to implant the gift of faith into them, enabling the Elect to believe.
4. With this new regenerated heart, man finally has the free will to choose God.
5. God causes the Elect to repent, by ordaining them to repent.

There is nothing for man to do except be born in a physical body. God does everything else.

So why did God send his son Jesus to earth to perform miracles? No one would end up believing in Jesus anyway, unless God gifted them with faith. Why go through the entire gospel narrative of Jesus born of a virgin, living a sinless life, being crucified, buried, and resurrected?

Why not just decide who is going to be saved and who is going to be damned and skip the entire gospel story?

 

[Particular]

right but He will not interject His will on ours in the matter of salvation,, or else all would be saved or rather never sinned

Sure God does. The best example is Paul on the road to Damascus. God directly interjects His will upon Paul and radically saves Paul on the road when Paul was intending to persecute Christians.
Romans 3 tells us that no one ever seeks God. Not one person would ever willfully give up their rebellion toward God unless God chose to interject His will upon us and save us, despite our objections.
"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
All would die in their trespasses and sins unless God chose to redeem them. This is what Ephesians 2:1-10 is expressing. You have it inverted in your thinking and imagine that God is obligated to save everyone. He is under no obligation and no compulsion to save sinners. Any sinner that is saved is saved only by God's gracious choice to save them and not by any meritorious works that they do.

 

[37818]

Is that universal mankind or universal elect children of God?

Can a person, dead in their trespasses and sins have a faith that God only gifts to those whom he has made alive with Christ?

Faith from natural revelation is to all mankind, Romans 10:17-18. Now Romans 12:3 is arguably a matter of how one interprets it.

 

[MB]

Sure God does. The best example is Paul on the road to Damascus. God directly interjects His will upon Paul and radically saves Paul on the road when Paul was intending to persecute Christians.
Romans 3 tells us that no one ever seeks God. Not one person would ever willfully give up their rebellion toward God unless God chose to interject His will upon us and save us, despite our objections.
"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
All would die in their trespasses and sins unless God chose to redeem them. This is what Ephesians 2:1-10 is expressing. You have it inverted in your thinking and imagine that God is obligated to save everyone. He is under no obligation and no compulsion to save sinners. Any sinner that is saved is saved only by God's gracious choice to save them and not by any meritorious works that they do.

It is a very hard work to believe all that nonsense since none of that is in scripture.
MB

 

[loDebar]

Sure God does. The best example is Paul on the road to Damascus. God directly interjects His will upon Paul and radically saves Paul on the road when Paul was intending to persecute Christians.
Romans 3 tells us that no one ever seeks God. Not one person would ever willfully give up their rebellion toward God unless God chose to interject His will upon us and save us, despite our objections.
"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
All would die in their trespasses and sins unless God chose to redeem them. This is what Ephesians 2:1-10 is expressing. You have it inverted in your thinking and imagine that God is obligated to save everyone. He is under no obligation and no compulsion to save sinners. Any sinner that is saved is saved only by God's gracious choice to save them and not by any meritorious works that they do.

Paul could reject Him

If He interject in salvation He would interject and never let sin occur.

You say God is responsible for sin

 

[Particular]

We are all sinners, so the offer is to all.
so contradict Him and to say the offer is to only those who accept the offer is rather strange.



We do not take credit for our salvation, but we must take credit for our sins, election does not do that
It is a deception of the devil

Only the elect will/can respond to God. The rest will, by nature, be in rebellion.
God doesn't choose everyone. As shocking as that may seem to you, God is not and has not obligated himself to save all humanity. God does what He wills, whether we like it or not.

 

[Revmitchell]

Only the elect will/can respond to God. The rest will, by nature, be in rebellion.
God doesn't choose everyone. As shocking as that may seem to you, God is not and has not obligated himself to save all humanity. God does what He wills, whether we like it or not.

"Shocking"? Do you really think you are the first one to come along with that idea?

 

[Particular]

The atonement is only so that you can be forgiven of your sins. For the atonement to take effect we must repent of our sins. We must believe in Jesus Christ, death, burial, and resurrection. There is no other way to be saved. Only through Christ can we have Salvation.
MB

No. The atonement is effective to all for whom Jesus died. You do not hold the magic effects tool that causes God's atonement to be effective. God determines to whom His atonement is effective and granted. He does this by His gracious choice.
Those for whom Jesus atonement is effectual will, by the atoning work in their lives, repent of their sins.
Rebels never repent. Rebels do not hold the power to make Jesus atonement effectual or non-effectual. To teach such a thing is to diminish the Supremacy of God and lift up the supremacy of man.

 

[Particular]

All I can do is offer you the truth.
MB

You don't know the truth, MB. You have nothing to offer.