Where Does Believing Faith Come From

[The Archangel]

Faith: Where does faith come from? Some believe that saving faith is a special gift that is given a person at the time of regeneration (new birth) or shortly after, where as others see faith as preceding salvation. Salvation is regeneration, the new birth Titus 3:5. Paul settles the question of where faith comes from. If you are told by anyone that believing faith is a special infused gift then you know from what Paul tells us that this belief is false.

This is not what Titus 3:5 is saying.

Woodenly, the verse says: "Not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."

The problem with your interpretation is that it does not take into account the Greek preposition διά which appears with the genitive (and every word, except the conjunction καί, is in the genitive). Διά with the genitive tells us how we were saved. Because διά and the genitive tells us the agency of something--how it happened.

So, the verse tells us 1. that we were saved; 2. why we were saved--God/Jesus' mercy; and 3. how we were saved--by (through) the washing of regeneration and through the renewal of the Holy Spirit.

So, this verse actually supports the idea of regeneration leading to salvation.

Blessings,

The Archangel

 

[DHK]

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