Is Faith God-Given - or a Choice in reliance with - trusting God?

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MatthewG

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Is Faith God-Given - or a Choice in reliance with - trusting God?

Short story:

A man was lost for years and years, and started hearing that Jesus heals the soul, and gives rest to the soul (heart/mind/will/emotion), the man becomes restored in the soul by reading and seeking out information about God, and Jesus Christ.

Was the faith given to the person? Or was the person given a choice; trust God, trust Jesus through all the rough ends of life, seek and learning about them?

Can one abide in Christ always? Or is it a choice to abide in Christ?
 

Bob Estey

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Is Faith God-Given - or a Choice in reliance with - trusting God?

Short story:

A man was lost for years and years, and started hearing that Jesus heals the soul, and gives rest to the soul (heart/mind/will/emotion), the man becomes restored in the soul by reading and seeking out information about God, and Jesus Christ.

Was the faith given to the person? Or was the person given a choice; trust God, trust Jesus through all the rough ends of life, seek and learning about them?

Can one abide in Christ always? Or is it a choice to abide in Christ?
I don't think faith is God-given. I think it's something we have to work at.
 

Behold

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I don't think faith is God-given. I think it's something we have to work at.

Paul teaches that after you are born again, then your particular gift of ministry, is given by God as a/the measure of faith.

When you come to Christ, that is not God "faith-ing", you....but rather this is your own free will, and your hearing the Truth, that is the Gospel, that you have BELIEVED.....and when you give God this faith in Christ, ....your "faith is counted as Righteousness" and you are "justified by Faith".

You are not saved by Faith.
God saves you through your faith.
God accepts your faith, to GIVE YOU "the Gift of Salvation" that causes you to become a "new creation in Christ" "one with God".

Being born again, is the only proof this has happened.
 

MatthewG

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I don't think faith is God-given. I think it's something we have to work at.

Thank you for sharing.

Paul teaches that after you are born again, then your particular gift of ministry, is given by God as a/the measure of faith.

When you come to Christ, that is not God "faith-ing", you....but rather this is your own free will, and your hearing the Truth, that is the Gospel, that you have BELIEVED.....and when you give God this faith in Christ, ....your "faith is counted as Righteousness" and you are "justified by Faith".

You are not saved by Faith.
God saves you through your faith.
God accepts your faith, to GIVE YOU "the Gift of Salvation" that causes you to become a "new creation in Christ" "one with God".

Being born again, is the only proof this has happened.

Surly you are saved to the Kingdom of God by faith, when one becomes a Christian following after Christ.
 
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reformed1689

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Is Faith God-Given - or a Choice in reliance with - trusting God?

Short story:

A man was lost for years and years, and started hearing that Jesus heals the soul, and gives rest to the soul (heart/mind/will/emotion), the man becomes restored in the soul by reading and seeking out information about God, and Jesus Christ.

Was the faith given to the person? Or was the person given a choice; trust God, trust Jesus through all the rough ends of life, seek and learning about them?

Can one abide in Christ always? Or is it a choice to abide in Christ?
Scripture is clear that faith is given by God.
 

Behold

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Surly you are saved to the Kingdom of God by faith, when one becomes a Christian following after Christ.

Look closely.

"BY Grace..........through faith".

Here is God's part...>"BY GRACE".
Here is your part : "faith".

How does God give you the GRACE that is Salvation?

"THROUGH"....faith.

see that?

God saves THROUGH your faith.
How does that work?

You give God your faith in Christ = ONCE
God gives you Eternal life, Salvation, Righteousness, and the new birth. = forever.

Proof it happened?

= Born again.
 

Bob Estey

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Paul teaches that after you are born again, then your particular gift of ministry, is given by God as a/the measure of faith.

When you come to Christ, that is not God "faith-ing", you....but rather this is your own free will, and your hearing the Truth, that is the Gospel, that you have BELIEVED.....and when you give God this faith in Christ, ....your "faith is counted as Righteousness" and you are "justified by Faith".

You are not saved by Faith.
God saves you through your faith.
God accepts your faith, to GIVE YOU "the Gift of Salvation" that causes you to become a "new creation in Christ" "one with God".

Being born again, is the only proof this has happened.
I think faith takes effort.
 

MatthewG

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There seems to me a working of one’s own faith and building it up once they become born again, @Bob Estey, @Behold (yes the born again experience no stranger to that), but a seed has to sprout and root and then it produces more fruit the more one stays in connection with God in relationship, and learning about God and the Lord Jesus and all of the scriptures to learn from it, it’s like a road map to the spiritual nature of things which we live by in faith itself.

Having hope for the things unseen, all individually, let’s not neglect other scriptures that talk about adding to one’s faith.


2 Peter 1:5-15
New International Version

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prophecy of Scripture
12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.
 
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reformed1689

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When you come to Christ, that is not God "faith-ing", you....but rather this is your own free will, and your hearing the Truth, that is the Gospel, that you have BELIEVED.....and when you give God this faith in Christ, ....your "faith is counted as Righteousness" and you are "justified by Faith".
That's not what the Scriptures say. That's a works based salvation. The Bible says God has to grant you the ability to come to Christ. It literally says he drags you to it.
 

Bob Estey

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Its different then lifting a bar bell.

We are talking about a inward offering of Trust.
Faith is Trust.
Yes, I think faith and trust are synonymous, and I think they take effort. Maybe lifting a barbell isn't that bad of an analogy.
 

Behold

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Yes, I think faith and trust are synonymous, and I think they take effort. Maybe lifting a barbell isn't that bad of an analogy.

Honestly, call "faith in Christ" what you will, ....just as long as you gave it to God, before you die.

These didnt..... John 3:36
 

BARNEY BRIGHT

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Is Faith God-Given - or a Choice in reliance with - trusting God?

Short story:

A man was lost for years and years, and started hearing that Jesus heals the soul, and gives rest to the soul (heart/mind/will/emotion), the man becomes restored in the soul by reading and seeking out information about God, and Jesus Christ.

Was the faith given to the person? Or was the person given a choice; trust God, trust Jesus through all the rough ends of life, seek and learning about them?

Can one abide in Christ always? Or is it a choice to abide in Christ?


Faith is not the possession of all persons, as it is a fruit of God’s spirit. (2 Thessalonians 3:2; Galatians 5:22) And a Christian’s faith is not static, but it grows. (2Thessalonians 1:3) Hence, the request of Jesus’ disciples, “Give us more faith,” was very appropriate, and he did provide them with the foundation for increased faith. He supplied them with greater evidence and understanding on which to base their faith. Luke 17:5.

“Faith follows the thing heard,” says the Bible. (Romans 10:17) So the first step toward building faith in God is to ‘hear’ what the Bible really teaches about him. (2 Timothy 3:16) Studying the Bible will help you to find solid answers to important questions, including Who is God? What evidence is there of his existence? Does God really care about me? What is God’s purpose for the future?

Your faith must be based on evidence that you observe as you weigh the truthfulness of what you read in the Bible. In that way, you will follow the example of first-century students who “accepted the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11.
 

BARNEY BRIGHT

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Are you teaching TULIP Calvinism?
Are you teaching that there is no FREE WILL, and God has to cause you to believe in Jesus, as you have no FREE WILL to have faith of your own?

God created mankind to make free moral choices but that doesn't mean a person will make a choice that shows he/she will make a choice showing he/she has faith. The scriptures say in 2 Thessalonians 3:2 that all men have not faith.(KJV) The scriptures also teach us that faith is a fruit of God's Holy Spirit. Also 2 Thessalonians 1:3 tells us a true Christian faith isn't static but increasingly grows just as love for our Christian brothers and sisters grows. I'm going to agree with the scriptures.
 

Behold

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The scriptures say in 2 Thessalonians 3:2 that all men have not faith.(KJV) The scriptures also teach us that faith is a fruit of God's Holy Spirit.

So, you are again denying that Humans have free will? This is hyper Calvinism.

You say that free will, is strictly a fruit of God's Holy Spirit.
So, the trouble with that odd theology, is that if you are not born again, you dont have the Holy Spirit in you..
Do you understand this?
So, to become in possession of the Holy Spirit, you have to become born again, First.
And to do that, you have to BELIEVE IN JESUS< by Faith.
 

Episkopos

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Is Faith God-Given - or a Choice in reliance with - trusting God?

Short story:

A man was lost for years and years, and started hearing that Jesus heals the soul, and gives rest to the soul (heart/mind/will/emotion), the man becomes restored in the soul by reading and seeking out information about God, and Jesus Christ.

Was the faith given to the person? Or was the person given a choice; trust God, trust Jesus through all the rough ends of life, seek and learning about them?

Can one abide in Christ always? Or is it a choice to abide in Christ?


It is both. We all have a measure of faith as human beings. But to move mountains we need the faith OF Christ.

I see it as a heaving line cast from a ship in distress to a towing ship (tugboat). The line we cast is our own faith. From there our faith is attached to the big towing line that is able to move us (by the faith of Christ) from the place of our incapacity so that we are towed into deeper waters where we are free to sail.
 
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BARNEY BRIGHT

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So, you are again denying that Humans have free will? This is hyper Calvinism.

You say that free will, is strictly a fruit of God's Holy Spirit.
So, the trouble with that odd theology, is that if you are not born again, you dont have the Holy Spirit in you..
Do you understand this?
So, to become in possession of the Holy Spirit, you have to become born again, First.
And to do that, you have to BELIEVE IN JESUS< by Faith.

Obviously you only read what you want concerning what I text. I said in the text you replied to, that man was created with the ability to make free moral choices. That doesn't mean a person will make a choice that shows he/she has faith. Some will make choices that show they have faith while others will make choices that show they do not have faith.
Everyone in this world we live in, doesn't make a choice that shows they have faith. If the majority of the people in this world did make a choice that showed they had faith, this world wouldn't be in the mess it's in. Most of the people today follow Satan although they would deny that. The fact that most people follow Satan shows that the majority of people don't make choices that show they have faith.
 

Behold

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Obviously you only read what you want .

Obviously this is your 3rd post to me, and you have not answered my question yet.
Are you concerned that you will be exposed, as a hyper Calvinist, if you answer it?

I asked you if you believe that human beings have "free will", and you have danced around the question 3 times.
Listen, BARNEY.......its a yes or no question.
Even YOU should be able to achieve that answer..
Still waiting.
 

MatthewG

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He said that he believes people have free-will choice @Behold.

Are you out to harass and get people for something they could or may not be in?