Romans 12:3 - For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
How did their faith come?
John 3:27 - A man can receive nothing unless it is given to him from heaven.
Faith is given to us from heaven, not something we must choose.
Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.
Faith is a fruit of the Spirit, which implicity means caused by the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8-10 - For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
I’m fascinated people can read Ephesians 2:8-10 and still conclude they had a causal part to play in their salvation. To them I ask, what part of "and that not of yourselves" and "we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus" don't you understand?
1 Cor 4:7 - What do you have that you did not receive and if you received it why do you boast as if you had not?
Hebrews 5:9 - (Jesus) Having become the author of salvation to all who obey (under hearing) Him.
Christians love this verse because it apparently shows salvation requires obedience. (Even though they swear people are saved by grace alone.) The problem with this conclusion lies in the meaning of the word obey. Obey is made up of two Greek words, hupo which means under, like under authority, and akouo, which means to listen or to hear. Obey in the NT means under hearing, therefore, Hebrews 5:9 aligns seamlessly with Romans 10:17, which tells us faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Considering the meaning current culture gives to the word obey, this a deceptive translation. A much better reading, and one that makes perfect sense would be "Having become the author of salvation to all who are under hearing Him." So, the condition stated in Hebrews 5:9 is hearing Him, not obedience in the way we currently understand obedience. (Who decides when and how we hear from Him? Us or Him?)
John 15:16-17 - You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
What would cause us to believe this changed? Jesus chose the disciples and Paul, but now the opposite is true, and we must choose to believe to be saved?
John 15:18-19 - If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
It defies all laws of logic and reasoning to suggest Jesus choosing us in the manner defined in John 15:16-19 occurred after we used our 'free will' to choose Him. Are you sayig we must choose to believe, and then Jesus says, "You did not choose me, I chose you?"
2 Corinthians 3:3-5 - Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.
Written on human hearts by the Spirit; this is how they came to believe. We can’t and don’t manage the ministry of the Spirit. (In ourselves or others.) Faith/belief is an experience God gives us; not a decision we make.
John 6:44 - Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Matthew 4:17 - Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
This text doesn't speak directly to how faith comes, but the church has abused the word repent; therefore, it's critical we define it correctly. Repent is made up of 2 Greek words: meta, which means change after being with, and noeo, meaning think. Therefore, repent means to think differently after being with (God.) Romans 2:4 tells us Gods kindness leads us to repentance, which further establishes the true meaning of repent. If a revelation of His goodness leads to repentance, and it does, then our repentance is an effect, not a cause. Acts 5:31 and Acts 11:18 both tell us God gives repentance, which contradicts the teaching that states we must choose to repent. I've heard Christians explain the word repent my whole life and have NEVER heard anyone include the idea of "after being with," even though it's the literal Greek definition of the word. (Telling!) Surely we can agree the insight contained in the phrase "after being with God" is a significant omission in defining repentance.
Luke 1:14 - John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb.
Luke 1:41 - Johns Mother Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit when she met Mary.
Did John or Elizabeth choose to accept/believe in Jesus before being filled with the Spirit? Could John and Elizabeth have rejected the giving of the Holy Spirit? Of course not. Are there different rules for different people under Gods administration? Not a chance! (Sorry Calvinists.)
John 12:37 - But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:
"Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:
"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them." These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.
They could not believe, because God blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts but, they still must choose to believe or else suffer torment forever? Do you hear yourself?
John 15:5 - I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Without Me you can do nothing after you choose to have faith in Me? Of course not! Jesus is the author of faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
Faith is a fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22) Therefore, His Life alone produces faith (fruit) which shows up on the branch. The branch doesn't choose to bear fruit, and the branch doesn't choose to become a branch. Branches form as a result of life in the vine. No vine equals no branch, thus why Jesus said, "without Me you can do nothing," and that includes having faith.
Colossians 1:12 - giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the remission of sins.
Being qualified, deliverance, redemption, remission of sins - are not the result of our faith, our faith is the result of hearing that these thing are ours and everyone's.
Jude 1:3 - I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Again, God didn’t provide the option to believe; He delieverd faith itself. As always, God is the cause of our experience, not us.
Matthew 11:27 - All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
Does the Son reveal the Father to only those who, of their own free will, choose to believe in Him? Have you noticed the absence of this concept in all the texts?
Romans
1:5-6 - Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience (under hearing) to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ.
Obedience means under hearing in the original Greek. The above verse is telling us that God has given us faith. Because of Him, because of His grace and appointment, we are under His persuasion. We have received grace and apostleship to be under hearing Him, and this position of under hearing Him is where we are persuaded; it's how faith comes.
4:16 - Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.
If we must exercise free will and choose to believe, then Paul would never have written this text. Gods grace is the cause, and faith is the effect. The promise comes by faith so that it may be by grace. Not, the promise comes by faith so that it may be by your decision to believe.
10:8-9 - But what does it (faith) say? "The spoken word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the spoken word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Faith to confess and believe in your heart came from where?
How did it get near you?
How did it get in your mouth and your heart?
What came first, your confession or the spoken word of God in your mouth and heart?
Verse 9 tells us, "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." It's important to note the word confess in the Greek means to say the same thing, therefore, a better translation would be," if you say the same thing you heard from God, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." We're repeating (effect) what GOD said to us (cause); we're saying the same thing we heard Him say! The pre-condition for faith/believing is God speaking and enabling us to hear Him, not our decision, which leads perfectly into Romans 10:17.
10:17 - So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the (spoken) word of Christ.
When God speaks, and gives you ears to hear, faith comes. It's not complicated. We play no causal role. You Had Nothing To Do WIth It.
10:20 - But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me."
Your experience of God depends on Him, not you.
Chapter 9 - This is one of the most intriguing chapters in the NT. It's difficult to interpret, but it makes one thing abundantly clear, whatever mans experience of God is, it's NOT the result of using his "free will" to choose it. For example:
:10-11 - …when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls) it was said to her, the older shall serve the younger.
:16 - So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
The context here is Paul clarifying who Israel is. He tells us Israel are not children of Abraham because of human lineage but because of Gods promise. Speaking to this further Paul writes verse 16 to tell us it's not our will or efforts that make us children of God. "It's not of him who wills…" is in direct contrast with "it's up to us to choose from our free will." The NT tells us we're Gods children solely because of His promise to make us children (Galatians 4:28), and this contradicts the belief we must do something (use our will) to become children.
11:32 - For God has bound all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
Using the word disobedience here and elsewhere might be the worst translation in the entire NT, which is why I used the word unbelief when previously quoting this Scripture in Chapters 1 and 2. In Romans 11:30-32, the word disobedience appears four times, twice as a noun and twice as a verb. In the two noun instances, the Greek word is apeitheia. Apeitheia is made up of two Greek words, A which means Not and peitho, which means persuaded. In the two verb instances, the Greek word is apeitheo, and means refuse to be persuaded. In essence, both words mean not persuaded, and are the opposite of the word faith (persuasion), which is why unbelief is a much better translation. If I told you God bound all to disobedience, would you conclude I meant God bound all to not being persuaded? (As was earlier stated in Romans 10:8-9) And if God bound all to unbelief (not persuaded), wouldn't it be contradictory and unjust for Him to require us to "choose to believe?" (Even more nonsensical would be people going to hell for the unbelief God subjected them to.)
Note: Keep this in mind every time you see the word disobedience in the NT. It does not mean disobedience the way we understand it today.
16:25-27 - Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience (under hearing) to the faith.
Paul wraps up the book of Romans by unequivocally stating that being under the hearing of faith (persuasion) is according to His commandment. God doesn’t command us to "obey" the faith. His command is for us to be under hearing His persuasion. Salvation comes from God, not obedience to God. He's the cause, not us. (Human nature reverses the order, and much of todays Christian/Catholic dogma is inspired by human nature.)
1 Corinthians
1:29-32 - That no flesh should boast in His presence. Because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord."
How did we end up in Christ Jesus? Because of Him or because you chose to believe? They're not the same thing!
2:7-12 - But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. :14 - But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
According to Christian teaching, natural man must decide to accept or reject Christ before he receives the Spirit. Verse 14, "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, they are foolishness to him nor can he know them." I trust the contradiction (yet again) is apparent.
12:7-11 - But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
How does faith come, and according to whose will?
2 Corinthians
4:6 - For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Who initiated this shining into our hearts? God or us? The text tells us God speaks (cause), and light removes darkness (effect.) "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord." (Ephesians 5:8)
Galatians
3:2-3 - This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
3:23-25 - But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
Faith revealed by Who? God revealing faith to man equals man having faith. There's no "man has to decide to accept or reject" phase. Faith cannot come and not be there. When faith comes, it's there. I can't show up at your door and not be there, and when I show up at your door, you don't hesitate and ponder about whether to accept or reject that I'm there. When I come, I'm there, and in the same sense when faith comes, it's there. Faith comes from God. It's not a choice of our will.
Ephesians
1:3-6 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
God accepted us in the Beloved (Jesus) because of His freely given favor. The expression of His grace occurred at the cross before we were born. In one sense, as other texts tell us, it happened before the foundation of the world; before anyone had done anything good or bad. (Romans 9:11) Upon hearing this truth, faith (persuasion) from God comes. Our faith doesn't result in God's acceptance; our faith is the result of hearing He accepted us. How can something only be true if we believe it, when it already happened?
4:20-21 - But you have not so learned Christ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus.
How did they "learn Christ?" Was it not due to hearing Him and being taught by Him? How does faith come? It comes by hearing Him. (Romans 10:17)
1 Thessalonians
1:2-5 - We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God. For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance…
When they were unbelievers, the good news came to them in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. Beyond any shadow of a doubt, this was my experience when I was sixteen, but we all know empirically, it's not the experience of most people, and never has been. So, Who decides if and when the message comes with power, the Holy Spirit, and much assurance? The speaker, the hearer, or God? God, of course. Therefore, when the good news comes with much assurance, it's because God determined it would. (According to His will and timing.) He's the cause, faith is the effect; we play no causal role.
1:8 - For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
The Greek word translated turned means to turn as the result of contact. They turned to God, after contact with God, initiated by God.
2:13-15 - But we are obligated to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification (set apart) by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God chose them for salvation and belief in the truth. God chose for them to believe. God choosing, and requiring man to choose is a contradiction.
2 Timothy
2:24 - And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil , having been taken captive by him to do his will.
As I detailed earlier in the chapter, the Greek word translated repent means change after being with. When we repent or turn to the Lord, it's because of contact with God, initiated by God. How many times have you heard a preacher tell unbelievers and believers, for that matter, they need to repent? (The implication being it's their responsibility, and they'll remain in God's doghouse until they do.) Have you ever heard anyone teach (the fact) only God can give us the ability to repent?" Is it possible to reconcile the reality that only God gives repentance, and the teaching of Christianity that states those who don’t repent will suffer forever? (Hint: No.)
1 Peter
1:20-21 - He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
“Who through Him, believe in God.” Yet another point-blank declaration of how faith comes.
Matthew
13:11-17 - He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.' But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Who determines whether a person can see or hear from God? Us or God? To inform us how one is enabled to hear and understand is the whole point of these words from Jesus. He's not saying only some are enabled to see, and the rest remain blind and suffer forever. He's telling us the experience of hearing Him and perceiving Him (faith) can only come from Him. Understanding (by grace) that seeing and hearing can only come from God leads to knowing everyone will eventually see and hear from God. Otherwise, Jesus is saying God chooses not to reveal Himself to some, leaving them to suffer torment forever. Please think this through folks.
Mark
4:11 - "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that
'Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.'"
Luke
9:44 - But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men." But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.
Here Jesus says, "let these words sink down into your ears," which suggests, according to our reasoning, they're capable of understanding them. Then we're told they didn’t understand because it was hidden from them. So, why did Jesus say "Let these words sink down into your ears?" We may or may not come up with the answer, but one thing is sure, whether they understood or not was God's decision, not theirs. Hearing and understanding come from God independent of any action or choice on our part, and faith comes by hearing.
10:22 - All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."
Who decides who gets to know the Father and when? Us or Jesus?
24:25 - And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
Who opens our understanding? Does it make any sense for a person to be punished forever for not understanding?
John
6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh (human nature) profits nothing.
Faith does not, and cannot, come from human nature; it can only come from the Spirit of God. It’s impossible for human nature to produce faith! Some will say, "yes faith comes from the Spirit, but then people must choose to receive it." Please tell me you see through the absurdity of this nonsensical belief which has no basis in the NT.
6:63-65 - It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."
No one can come (belief) to Jesus unless God grants it.
8:43 - Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen (hear) to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.
(Are you able to connect the above verse to the content of this Chapter?)
17:6-8 - I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
"I have manifested your name to them…and they have believed that you sent me." Revelation from God, according to His will and timing, ALWAYS precedes faith. His revelation is the cause; our faith is the effect.
Why don’t people believe or understand? Because God hasn’t enabled them to yet. He will enable awareness and understanding, (in this life or after death), just as He did for you. (Or do you still think you had a causal part to play in hearing from Him?)
(Note: Scripture tells us the awareness of truth can and will occur after death. (1 Peter 3:19, 1 Peter 4:6) 1 Corinthians13:12 reads, “Now we see obscurely in a metal sheet mirror, then we shall see face to face.” The word translated obscurely is the Greek word that gave us the English word enigma. The insight and awareness we have now are enigmatic relative to what’s to come. Any honest seeker of truth will say Amen to that.)
Acts
11:18 - When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life."
Remember, repentance means to think differently after being with God. For the final time, I'll ask, who controls when and how the presence/awareness of God appears to us?
When and how God shows up is determined by God, not you and me, and when God shows up, faith comes.
Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the author and completer of our faith.