FAITH IS NOT A GIFT

[Doug]

[EPHESIANS 2:5-9 KJV] 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Faith isn't the gift as I heard some say, grace is the gift of God. Grace is not of ourselves.

The gift of God is his loving kindness to us in bestowing mercy to us.

Salvation unto eternal life is solely by his grace as seen in these scriptures:
[ROMANS 5:18 KJV] 18 Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life.
[ROMANS[Luk 1:47 KJV] 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 6:23 KJV] 23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

[kdx]

aith isn't the gift as I heard some say, grace is the gift of God. Grace is not of ourselves.

That's just wrong. The text explicitly denies that.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God."

The "gift of God" is the whole sentence, "by grace you are saved through faith". This whole thing is the gift of God. The grammar of the greek makes that clear beyond dispute. Grace is a feminin, Faith is a feminin, but the That is a neuter, comprising both.

 

[Doug]

That's just wrong. The text explicitly denies that.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God."

The "gift of God" is the whole sentence, "by grace you are saved through faith". This whole thing is the gift of God. The grammar of the greek makes that clear beyond dispute. Grace is a feminin, Faith is a feminin, but the That is a neuter, comprising both.

Just read the verse and it says By grace ye are saved its not by faith its thru faith

 

[kdx]

Just read the verse and it says By grace ye are saved its not by faith its thru faith

Yes, by grace refers to God, through faith refers to you. But that whole thing is Gods gift to you. God makes you believe. You are the one who believes. But this faith is by the working of His power in you. And all of this doesn't happen because you merit it in any way (not of works), but simply because God chose to be kind and gracious to you (by grace).

 

[Doug]

God makes you believe.

Please give me the scripture you assert this from

 

[kdx]

Please give me the scripture you assert this from

This very text for example, because all of that is the gift of God.

But here, moreover:

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3,14–19.)

so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Kol 1,10–12.)

 

[Doug]

This very text for example, because all of that is the gift of God.

But here, moreover:

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph 3,14–19.)

so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Kol 1,10–12.)

Thanks but these verses dont say we are compelled to believe

 

[kdx]

Thanks but these verses dont say we are compelled to believe

They say we believe by Gods power.

 

[Jesussaves150]

Faith is hope - we hope in Jesus and are saved by grace.

 

[kdx]

Faith is hope - we hope in Jesus and are saved by grace.

Faith is not hope. Hope is the result and outworking of faith. We hope because we believe.

 

[Taken]

FAITH IS NOT A GIFT

Disagree.

Eph 2:
[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Glory to God,
Taken

 

[Doug]

They say we believe by Gods power.

Being strengthened by his power is not compelling belief

 

[Jesussaves150]

Faith is confidence in what is hoped for and assurance about what cannot be seen, acting as the foundation for a hopeful and trusting life​

in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Grace is God's unmerited favor , and faith is the human response of trusting Jesus Christ and his work on the cross.This means a person is saved because God's grace makes salvation possible and faith is a way of accepting that gift.

 

[kdx]

Being strengthened by his power is not compelling belief

No one argues for „compelled belief“. God acts you, he mightily works in you, with the result that you exercise faith. He doesn’t persuade you by arguments or something like that. He changes our nature (in the new birth) and then constantly acts this new nature by His Spirit, so that we do what is pleasing to him, which includes faith.

 

[kdx]

Grace is God's unmerited favor , and faith is the human response of trusting Jesus Christ and his work on the cross.

Yes, and we believe only because he previously was gracious to us. Otherwise you wouldn’t really believe, but only temporarily, with a (so is the theological term) historical faith, which is merely a natural assent of the mind to some truth in the scripture, which saves no one. God requires supernatural faith, a faith that involves the whole man, a faith that is the work of His Spirit in us, so that we believe His word precisely and only because it is His word, and for no other reason. This is supernatural faith, because it closes with and is resolved in His supernatural revelation in His word.

 

[ProverbsInPink]

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Which comports with Corinthians 2

 

[JLB]

[EPHESIANS 2:5-9 KJV] 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Faith isn't the gift as I heard some say, grace is the gift of God. Grace is not of ourselves.

The gift of God is his loving kindness to us in bestowing mercy to us.

Salvation unto eternal life is solely by his grace as seen in these scriptures:
[ROMANS 5:18 KJV] 18 Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life.
[ROMANS[Luk 1:47 KJV] 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 6:23 KJV] 23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

‘Grace and faith are the gift.

Faith comes to a person when God speaks to them, inspires them, moves upon them.


Grace is the God given ability to do what you can not do on your own.

Grace is the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of Grace.

 

[keithr]

Faith isn't the gift as I heard some say, grace is the gift of God. Grace is not of ourselves.

The gift of God is his loving kindness to us in bestowing mercy to us.

Interesting observation. Albert Barnes' Notes agrees with you (I added the underlining):

For by grace are ye saved - By mere favor. It is not by your Own merit; it is not because you have any claim. This is a favorite doctrine with Paul, as it is with all who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity; compare the notes at Rom_1:7; Rom_3:24, note.​

​

Through faith - Grace bestowed through faith, or in connection with believing; see the notes at Rom_1:17; Rom_4:16, note.​

​

And that not of yourselves - That is, salvation does not proceed from yourselves. The word rendered “that” - τοῦτο touto - is in the neuter gender, and the word “faith” - πίστις pistis - is in the feminine. The word “that,” therefore, does not refer particularly to faith, as being the gift of God, but to “the salvation by grace” of which he had been speaking. This is the interpretation of the passage which is the most obvious, and which is now generally conceded to be the true one; see Bloomfield. Many critics, however, as Doddridge, Beza, Piscator, and Chrysostom, maintain that the word “that” (τοῦτο touto) refers to “faith” (πίστις pistis); and Doddridge maintains that such a use is common in the New Testament. As a matter of grammar this opinion is certainly doubtful, if not untenable; but as a matter of theology it is a question of very little importance.​

​

Whether this passage proves it or not, it is certainly true that faith is the gift of God. It exists in the mind only when the Holy Spirit produces it there, and is, in common with every other Christian excellence, to be traced to his agency on the heart. This opinion, however, does not militate at all with the doctrine that man himself “believes.” It is not God that “believes” for him, for that is impossible. It is his own mind that actually believes, or that exercises faith; see the notes at Rom_4:3. In the same manner “repentance” is to be traced to God. It is one of the fruits of the operation of the Holy Spirit on the soul. But the Holy Spirit does not “repent” for us. It is our “own mind” that repents; our own heart that feels; our own eyes that weep - and without this there can he no true repentance. No one can repent for another; and God neither can nor ought to repent for us. He has done no wrong, and if repentance is ever exercised, therefore, it must be exercised by our own minds. So of faith. God cannot believe for us. “We” must believe, or “we” shall be damned. Still this does not conflict at all with the opinion, that if we exercise faith, the inclination to do it is to be traced to the agency of God on the heart. I would not contend, therefore, about the grammatical construction of this passage, with respect to the point of the theology contained in it; still it accords better with the obvious grammatical construction, and with the design of the passage to understand the word “that” as referring not to “faith” only, but to “salvation by grace.” So Calvin understands it, and so it is understood by Storr, Locke, Clarke, Koppe, Grotius, and others.​

​

It is the gift of God - Salvation by grace is his gift. It is not of merit; it is wholly by favor.​

 

[Doug]

They say we believe by Gods power.

[Isa 42:7 KJV]
"To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, [and] them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."

[Act 26:18 KJV]
"To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

This is another matter and these verses say God can open our eyes. That doesnt mean faith is a gift however

 

[Taken]

Establishing a relationship Between God and One man… considers the acceptance / rejection of God and That one man.
( Irrelevant of what other men do or not.)

Grace - is Gods Offering to all.

Hearing - the Word of God (is the Beginning of Faith.)

Hear a little, receive a little FAITH.
Hear more, receive MORE Faith.

Hope -IS you do Not fall for Negative influences, while Deciding, Choosing to Accept your Offered Salvation.

Losing Salvation - IS Rejecting Hearing or “Falling From Faith” Before receiving Salvation.

Salvation - IS Heartfully , surrendering, committing to Belief… Before bodily (blood life accounted) mortal Death.

Trust - IS God is Faithful and Shall Raise the Faithful Dead anew creature.

Patience - IS Waiting for Gods Timetable of Redemption, to be Revealed according to Gods Order.

Glory to God,
Taken