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You must believe in order to be saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
This is true but why do we believe that our belief is something WE must do and not just something required for salvation.
God’s requirement: we must believe
But are we to do the work, or is God the one doing the work in us. In other words is it God who equips us with our belief?
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
· God is the one working in you
· He is giving you the will and making you do the things which please him
Look at God's requirement: we must believe. This is what pleases him; it pleases him for us to believe. If he is the one doing the work in us for his good pleasure then it is God who is making us believe. We aren't the ones choosing him, he is doing it.
So let me ask again. Are we really the one choosing to believe in Christ or do we believe only when God changes our hearts?
Many say that we must choose to believe. This is contrary to God's word.
So where did this deception come from that makes us believe we must do the work ourselves? Why do we believe that we on our own can choose to believe? Why aren’t we waiting patiently for God to fulfill his promise of redemption and trusting in his ability to do the work in us? If God wants someone to believe can he not make them believe? Think about it, He is God. He does whatever he wants among all the inhabitants of the earth (Daniel 4:35).
The deception that makes us believe we must do the work ourselves comes from our heart. We know this is true because God said in his word:
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Notice that it is our hearts that are deceitful and wicked. So how can we truly believe with a deceitful and wicked heart?
In order to understand how and when God will make us believe we must agree that the heart of man(man made of the dust) is evil, deceitful and desperately wicked. We must also agree that it is not just some men who have deceitful and wicked hearts but, all men, everyone of us.
Take note of the next verse.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Can we truly claim we have seen God if our hearts are deceitful and wicked. Remember our hearts are deceiving us! It makes believe things that aren’t true. God said in order to see him you must have a pure heart. A pure heart is a heart which has NO SIN in it. It is completely free from sin. Can any of us claim we have no sin in our present heart?
Your belief comes from your heart. If your heart is evil (and we know it is because even Christ confirmed that in Mark 7:18-23 when he told us that sin lies in our hearts and defile us), then our belief is false but if our heart is pure then our belief is done in righteousness and truth. Let us look at the next verse.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.
So no matter how much we claim we believe, no matter how much we try to believe and expect others to believe, if our hearts are not pure then our belief is not done unto righteousness it is done in vain.
With that said can God change the heart of man and if he can when does he do it? Does he do it in this lifetime or does he do it when we die?
Remember our hearts must be free from sin in order for us to believe for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and only the pure in heart truly see God.
You must believe in order to be saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
This is true but why do we believe that our belief is something WE must do and not just something required for salvation.
God’s requirement: we must believe
But are we to do the work, or is God the one doing the work in us. In other words is it God who equips us with our belief?
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
· God is the one working in you
· He is giving you the will and making you do the things which please him
Look at God's requirement: we must believe. This is what pleases him; it pleases him for us to believe. If he is the one doing the work in us for his good pleasure then it is God who is making us believe. We aren't the ones choosing him, he is doing it.
So let me ask again. Are we really the one choosing to believe in Christ or do we believe only when God changes our hearts?
Many say that we must choose to believe. This is contrary to God's word.
So where did this deception come from that makes us believe we must do the work ourselves? Why do we believe that we on our own can choose to believe? Why aren’t we waiting patiently for God to fulfill his promise of redemption and trusting in his ability to do the work in us? If God wants someone to believe can he not make them believe? Think about it, He is God. He does whatever he wants among all the inhabitants of the earth (Daniel 4:35).
The deception that makes us believe we must do the work ourselves comes from our heart. We know this is true because God said in his word:
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Notice that it is our hearts that are deceitful and wicked. So how can we truly believe with a deceitful and wicked heart?
In order to understand how and when God will make us believe we must agree that the heart of man(man made of the dust) is evil, deceitful and desperately wicked. We must also agree that it is not just some men who have deceitful and wicked hearts but, all men, everyone of us.
Take note of the next verse.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Can we truly claim we have seen God if our hearts are deceitful and wicked. Remember our hearts are deceiving us! It makes believe things that aren’t true. God said in order to see him you must have a pure heart. A pure heart is a heart which has NO SIN in it. It is completely free from sin. Can any of us claim we have no sin in our present heart?
Your belief comes from your heart. If your heart is evil (and we know it is because even Christ confirmed that in Mark 7:18-23 when he told us that sin lies in our hearts and defile us), then our belief is false but if our heart is pure then our belief is done in righteousness and truth. Let us look at the next verse.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness.
So no matter how much we claim we believe, no matter how much we try to believe and expect others to believe, if our hearts are not pure then our belief is not done unto righteousness it is done in vain.
With that said can God change the heart of man and if he can when does he do it? Does he do it in this lifetime or does he do it when we die?
Remember our hearts must be free from sin in order for us to believe for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and only the pure in heart truly see God.
You must be a Calvinist since that is the viewpoint you are presenting. Calvinism is not Biblical. Faith does not come from God. If God had to give you the faith to believe, then that would mean that God deliberately withholds faith from those who don't believe, meaning that God chose not to save them. But God desires that all men be saved. He does not desire that anyone should perish (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9).
Faith is always a response which comes from you with regard to what you know about a person or thing. You have faith in your wife, or your husband, or your friend because of what you know about them. You have faith that you can sit down in your chair without it collapsing from underneath you because you know that it is sturdy. Faith is confidence, or trust which you direct toward some person or object. The chair didn't zap you with faith. The faith came from you.
And so it is with faith in Jesus Christ. The faith you have in a chair is the same faith you have in Jesus Christ. The faith is the same. Only the object of your faith changes.
Now, there was a temporary spitual gift of faith during the pre-canon period of the Church Age, that time before the New Testament was completed. This temporary gift of faith was given to some men, but not to others. See 1 Cor. 12:9. It was a companion gift along with the temporary gifts of healing and miracles. But was a gift given to believers. It had nothing to do with the faith that the unbeliever must have in Christ in order to be saved.
Faith is non-meritorious. The Bible distinguishes faith from meritorious works. See Eph. 2:8-9. Now, when Jesus was asked in response to His speaking about working not for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, He was asked by those in the crowd what they must do to do the works of God. Jesus answered them and said that there was only one work, which was to believe in Him. See John 6:8-11. Jesus was saying that they could not be saved by works, but only by putting their non-meritorious trust - their faith in Him. They had to do the believing.
The jailer asked Paul and Silas what he must do in order to be saved. In response, they told him that he must believe in the Lord Jesus. See Acts 16:30-31. The jailer had to do the believing. He had to have the faith. The desire to be saved had to come from him.
When a person hears the gospel concerning Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit in His common grace ministry convicts him of the sin of unbelief, of righteousness, and of judgment, see John 16:8-11. A person can either respond to the conviction, or he can resist the Holy Spirit. See Acts 7:51. The choice is his to make. God seeks to convict the sinner of his need of salvation, but do not mistake that for giving faith to the unbeliever. Faith is the unbeliever's volitional response to the conviction. But again, that conviction can be resisted. Many people simply want nothing to do with God. And God will not force anyone to believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life.
And again, if God gave faith to the unbeliever so that he can be saved, then that would make God directly responsible for those who will never believe and therefore spend eternity in the lake of fire. But God does not desire that anyone perish, but that all men be saved. And yet, not all men will be saved.
The faith response is always with regard to the information concerning Jesus Christ in the gospel message, and the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit. Whether the unbeliever responds or not is his choice.
You must be a Calvinist since that is the viewpoint you are presenting. Calvinism is not Biblical. Faith does not come from God. If God had to give you the faith to believe, then that would mean that God deliberately withholds faith from those who don't believe, meaning that God chose not to save them. But God desires that all men be saved. He does not desire that anyone should perish (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9).
Faith is always a response which comes from you with regard to what you know about a person or thing. You have faith in your wife, or your husband, or your friend because of what you know about them. You have faith that you can sit down in your chair without it collapsing from underneath you because you know that it is sturdy. Faith is confidence, or trust which you direct toward some person or object. The chair didn't zap you with faith. The faith came from you.
And so it is with faith in Jesus Christ. The faith you have in a chair is the same faith you have in Jesus Christ. The faith is the same. Only the object of your faith changes.
Now, there was a temporary spitual gift of faith during the pre-canon period of the Church Age, that time before the New Testament was completed. This temporary gift of faith was given to some men, but not to others. See 1 Cor. 12:9. It was a companion gift along with the temporary gifts of healing and miracles. But was a gift given to believers. It had nothing to do with the faith that the unbeliever must have in Christ in order to be saved.
Faith is non-meritorious. The Bible distinguishes faith from meritorious works. See Eph. 2:8-9. Now, when Jesus was asked in response to His speaking about working not for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, He was asked by those in the crowd what they must do to do the works of God. Jesus answered them and said that there was only one work, which was to believe in Him. See John 6:8-11. Jesus was saying that they could not be saved by works, but only by putting their non-meritorious trust - their faith in Him. They had to do the believing.
The jailer asked Paul and Silas what he must do in order to be saved. In response, they told him that he must believe in the Lord Jesus. See Acts 16:30-31. The jailer had to do the believing. He had to have the faith. The desire to be saved had to come from him.
When a person hears the gospel concerning Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit in His common grace ministry convicts him of the sin of unbelief, of righteousness, and of judgment, see John 16:8-11. A person can either respond to the conviction, or he can resist the Holy Spirit. See Acts 7:51. The choice is his to make. God seeks to convict the sinner of his need of salvation, but do not mistake that for giving faith to the unbeliever. Faith is the unbeliever's volitional response to the conviction. But again, that conviction can be resisted. Many people simply want nothing to do with God. And God will not force anyone to believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life.
And again, if God gave faith to the unbeliever so that he can be saved, then that would make God directly responsible for those who will never believe and therefore spend eternity in the lake of fire. But God does not desire that anyone perish, but that all men be saved. And yet, not all men will be saved.
The faith response is always with regard to the information concerning Jesus Christ in the gospel message, and the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit. Whether the unbeliever responds or not is his choice.
God makes alive the faith He's already given us. It is part of our DNA that the creator gave us. All of life is about resurrecting that which as fallen into the ground and died.
God makes alive the faith He's already given us. It is part of our DNA that the creator gave us. All of life is about resurrecting that which as fallen into the ground and died.
God does not give you faith. What God gave you is the ability to have faith, just as he gave you the ability to think. But just as you must do the thinking, you must do the believing.
Faith is a system of perception just as empiricism and rationalism are systems of perception. But faith is non-meritorious, while empiricism and rationalism are meritorious systems of perception. The faith comes from you. If you die without ever having placed your faith in Christ then you will spend the eternal future in the lake of fire.
Moderator cut: off topic
Last edited by Miss Blue; 11-14-2012 at 03:40 PM..
God does not give you faith. What God gave you is the ability to have faith, just as he gave you the ability to think. But just as you must do the thinking, you must do the believing.
Faith is a system of perception just as empiricism and rationalism are systems of perception. But faith is non-meritorious, while empiricism and rationalism are meritorious systems of perception. The faith comes from you. If you die without ever having placed your faith in Christ then you will spend the eternal future in the lake of fire.
Moderator cut: previous delete.
Moderator cut: orphaned response
When you understand that you were DEAD in your sins unable to do anything about anything , that it is God bringing about life within you for just like your natural birth you had nothing to do with it,its the same with your spiritual birth/awakening.
Last edited by Miss Blue; 11-14-2012 at 03:45 PM..
Really, I thought everything comes from God. Who then gives you your faith?
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
Author and finisher: this means he is writing our entire faith from beginning to end.
Like the word says your heart deceives you. It is the most deceptive of all things for God's word clearly tells us that faith is a gift from God.
1 Corinthians 12 tells us that it is the Spirit of God that gives us diversities of gifts. Faith is one of those gifts.
According to Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Let us break that down.
What do we hope for? I hope for the reconciliation of all men to God for this was God's will. Have I seen the reconciliation of all men to God? No, but I hope for it anyway because the evidence is in God's word and his word is truth. God will not have anyone to perish but will have all to come to repentance and since he does as he wills I can trust that it will be done so I wait patiently for him to do the work in us all.
If I have already seen the reconciliation of all men to God then this would no longer be hope.
Now where is the evidence of God saving all men.....it is in his word but many of us don't want to see it. Our hearts are too hard to understand and seek mercy for others, but the evidence is there, for God wants us to know the truth.
Where is our sin? Is it not in our heart?(Mark 7:18-23)
Who formed our heart to begin with? Who formed us in our mother's womb? Was it not God?
Who hardens the heart of man so that man cannot understand? Is it not God (John 12:40)
Romans 11:32 For GOD hath concluded them all in UNBELIEF, that he might have mercy upon ALL.
God is the only one who concludes us in unbelief and it is not some of us...it is all of us. Some of us just won't believe that we are in unbelief because our heart deceives us, but God's word is true....we are all in unbelief and God did this so he could have mercy upon us all.
So if man believeth in the heart then our heart is what's in need of a change. Is there evidence in God's word of him changing the heart of man and if there is such evidence when does he do it?
Psalm 51:6 In the hidden part thou shalt make me know wisdom
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God
David knew he was formed a sinner. He also knew that God would make him know wisdom...so how can some say that God does not make us do things. David also knew that a new heart awaited him.
Is there any where in God's word that he speaks of him giving us a new heart and if there is when do we get that heart? I do not belief any of us have a pure heart nor do I believe that any of us has received a pure heart prior to dying.
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