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To: Mr Rogers; P-Marlowe; blue-duncan; Dr. Eckleburg; raynearhood; xzins; RnMomof7; the_conscience
According to scripture, faith.

According to scripture, faith is a gift.

Faith comes to us from God.

Why would he rebuke them for having too little of what he gave them - and apparently gave them insufficiently?

In almost every case in scripture where our Lord talks about the faith that man has, it is in regards to "Oh men of little faith..." This isn't a rebuke-it is an observation. Christ said that if you have the faith the size of a grain of mustard seed you can cast a mountain into the ocean. Have you seen anyone do that? Man does not and cannot manufacture faith. It is given to us by God. Our Lord was simply pointing this out to everyone, including his disciples.

I am aware of the very few scriptural exceptions of people who "had faith" such as the centurion. I believe our Lord said something like "Not in all Israel have I seen such faith." This was used to underscore a point from God that even in Israel, the keepers of the Law, our Lord couldn't find saving faith.

If belief is a gift, irresistibly given by God, there needs be no reason, for we will be unable to do anything other than believe!

Once we come to the knowledge of the truth, there IS no other thing but to believe. It's like Peter said:

Once we come to the knowledge of truth, how can we leave it? Like John points out, "They went out from us because the were not of us. If they had been of us, they would have continue with us." Once God opens our eyes and ears, and gives us His wisdom from above, there is no turning back.

What arrogance replaces the word of God with the words of Calvin!

I find the arrogance lies in the fact that man refuses to give God the credit for their own faith.

594 posted on 03/06/2010 5:56:21 AM PST by HarleyD (Hating the "syner" but loving the "-gist".)
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To: HarleyD; P-Marlowe; blue-duncan; Dr. Eckleburg; raynearhood; xzins; RnMomof7; the_conscience

” According to scripture, faith is a gift. / Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

Do Calvinists ever read scripture, or do they just read verses in a list?

Here is what it says:

5For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7or “’Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Faith exists when one believes God and accepts the Gospel. [Note - faith means “confidence or trust in a person or thing”, so one person must believe something or someone to have faith.] Notice this: “And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

So evangelism is a wonderful thing, but IN CONTEXT ‘faith comes from hearing’ is tied to “how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard” - so one who hears and responds has faith. Not as a gift from God, given after regeneration by election.

“In almost every case in scripture where our Lord talks about the faith that man has, it is in regards to “Oh men of little faith...” This isn’t a rebuke-it is an observation.”

Really? They sure sound like rebukes to me.

Mat 21:32 “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.”

As a rule of thumb, when a prostitute is being held up as a positive example to a religious leader, the religious leader is being rebuked.

Mar 16:14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

What does that SAY? “he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart”.

“Once God opens our eyes and ears, and gives us His wisdom from above, there is no turning back.”

Yet apart from faith, there is no regeneration. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

He gives life to those who receive him. Life follows receiving him. It doesn’t precede it.

“You refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

Come to him and receive life. Not, receive life and you will come.

“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

Not, unless I give you life, you will not believe, but “...unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

“While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.”

Believe, that you may become.

“And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.”

Not, you may receive belief, but you may believe - it is something we do, not something we receive.

“but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

That you may believe...not that you may receive belief, but that you may believe - something we do.

And by believing, we may have life. Believing comes before life, and is the means by which we receive life.

If you go to the following link, you will find the 264 times in 220 verses that the Greek word pisteuo is used (KJV Greek concordance because the web site is working on their NASB greek concordance).

Not all are applicable, but I haven’t tried to filter it in any way, so anyone can judge for themselves - is belief something we do, or a gift given by God independent of us?

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G4100&t=ESV


600 posted on 03/06/2010 7:26:56 AM PST by Mr Rogers (I loathe the ground he slithers on!)
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