So, now then you admit that our faith is not 'free?' It is attached to a condition that we owe to God? Then it's not a gift! What God gave us freely is what we have; it is ours.
No, faith is a free gift, that is, it is unconditional. An engagement ring is a conditional gift (i.e. not free) and carries with it the string of going through with the wedding. Your distinction between "having" something and being given something makes no sense to me.
When you give a gift, it is still yours? Not unless it is freely given back to you! (here is where our free will comes in and why God gave us free will; if we can't give God back freely what He gave us freely, there is no true love)
No, there are no takebacks with faith. God does not accept returns. Do you think God says "thank you very much for returning my free gift of faith"? No, that elevates man over God and is unbiblical. This has nothing to do with man's true love unless it is born of him. If man's power superseded God's will, then I would agree with you. But it does not. This does have to do with God's true love for us, though.
The old saying says: if you let your bird free and he comes back to you, then he is yours. If he doesn't, he never was.
ALL, 100% of the birds God sets free come back to Him. Birds are not more powerful than God either.
Faith is no different than our ears and our eyes. God gave them to us; they are ours to have and to use as we please. The same is with the faith: He inscribes it in our hearts; some use it; others don't.
This sounds like you mean all are born with all the faith they need to come to Christ. That can't be right, can it? Maybe this is the problem.
Your grace is independent of your will. It is not a gift.
What does the will have to do with whether something is a gift? Grace is a gift and so is faith. Neither is of ourselves.
And, what did she buy you as a 'token' of her love? Did she also scrape enough of her youthful cash to buy you the most beautiful token of love she could? If she did, that's unusual. The 'token buying' (which is a major purchase and hardly a 'token,' yet another oxymoron we use so freely) is a one-way street, FK.
It went with us in the traditional way, so yes it was a one-way street. That made it a gift, just like faith and grace.
In many many societies in the world, it's the father of the bride who brings gifts to the groom (dowry). Somewhere along the line, the roles got reversed. :)
That's why I intentionally decided to have one son and one daughter. :) No matter what the culture does, I'm in the same spot.
Sometimes I think we don't speak the same language, FK. In fact, I am certain we don't. You said "we owe all our faith to God." If something is a gift we owe nothing.
Your distinction between "having" something and being given something makes no sense to me
There is a tremendous difference and I spelled it our in much detail. I really think you missed the point.
No, there are no takebacks with faith
That was not the point either, FK. Givebacks and takebacks are two different things. I never suggested a 'takeback.'
ALL, 100% of the birds God sets free come back to Him. Birds are not more powerful than God either
What does more powerful have to to do with that? If you set something free the only power you are exercising is in freeing something, not controlling it. Sometimes I really don't know where you are coming from, FK.
Kosta: Your grace is independent of your will. It is not a gift.
FK: What does the will have to do with whether something is a gift? Grace is a gift and so is faith. Neither is of ourselves
Grace is a 'state' (like life and death); it's your current condition (like guilt or innosence). You can believe it or not believe it, it is your state regardless of what you think or believe. Your faith is something you can use or not use. You have no control over your state of grace. So grace is not yours. Life is not yours either; God will take it back when the time is up.