Faith is from Christ to the Elect

Rom 10:17 I never said it didn't !

 

Faith comes by hearing, but where does hearing come from ?

New Birth before the Hearing and Faith !


Can a deaf man hear ? Can a blind man see ? Well by Nature, all natural men are both spiritually blind and deaf, cannot see nor hear. Scripture says that Faith cometh by Hearing , and that Hearing is by the Word of
God. Lets look at a parable that Jesus Himself taught, and gives us to understand that Spiritual Life or New birth precedes believing and understanding the Truth of the Gospel.

Matt 13:23

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

This Parable can be very instructive if we have been given ears to hear. Lets look at the context to get a picture of what is going on Matt 13:3-9

We have been presented in this scenario with four types of grounds, and notice should be taken of one type called the good ground vs 23 ! Now we know Jesus means a person as the ground by the words "but he"

Now how can this be if scripture in another place states that none is good but one Matt 19:17 in the original it's The Good ! God only is intrinsically good ! Also man by nature cannot do good, perform good Rom 3:12.

However we can become Good when God makes us good. Yes the ground or the person becomes good when it is Divinely Cultivated or Prepared. When a gardener takes soil and prepares it to receive the seed sown, He can call the soil good, and so in like manner an inward change in a person to make them good to receive the seed of the Gospel has been done. Ezk 36:26. This is New Birth, which gives the ability to Hear and Understand the Truth of the Gospel ! Notice what Jesus says of the person or ground in vs 23

23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

None of the other grounds were said to understandeth it ! Its the same word used in Lk 24:45

45Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

And that's what Christ has done [by His Spirit] for the good ground hearer, that they may hear and understand the scripture, which contains the Gospel 1 Cor 15:3-4

3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

If we look again at the parable, we see no difference in the seed sown, but only in the grounds which they were sown ! Now who causeth one to differ ?

Jesus said one must be born of God to hear God's words Jn 8:47

47He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

That is certainly His implication here ! Being of God is prior to hearing God's words !

 

Jesus Christ is the means and source of our faith, thats why its termed Eph 2:8


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

Jesus Christ is Gods Gift to the elect, they are saved through and by him, and He gives them faith as a result..

Notice as well, Jn 3:17

17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Notice here in Jn 3:17 the world will be saved through Him Jesus Christ..

Eph 2 terms it saved by grace through faith

That is through Jesus Christ as Jn 3:17

This is because Christ is called faith in one verse Gal 3:23

23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.



That is faith [ Jesus Christ] came to reveal His Salvation to His people..

This is what John the baptist father meant in Lk 1:67-77

67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

70As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

71That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

72To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

73The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

74That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

75In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

77To give knowledge [or Faith] of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

Amen, Jesus Christ reveals salvation to the elect, by faith, His faith, faith that is in him..



Remission of sins, is because our sins have been propitiated, He is our propitiation and he gives us knowledge to know this blessed truth in the gospel..

So Faith is from Christ to His elect..to cause them to believe in Him for His Glory..

 

Yes Faith is from Jesus Christ to the elect, His seed..when one is born again of the word of God 1 Pet 1:23

23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The seed of the word is planted or inplanted..James says this James 1:21

21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

The word engrafted is the greek word:

emphytos:

inborn, implanted by nature

So its the inborn word, or implanted word by means of a new nature, a new creation..

keep this in mind as we now look at Rom 10:17,8

17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

So its the hearing [ by the inborn word] that brings faith..now, look at what paul says about that same word in vs 8

8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Notice he says, that the word is in thy heart ? Thats because he is speaking about regenerated born again jews, who could hear, and that hearing causes faith..vs 17..

So the implanted word in the soul or the heart, by regeneration or new birth, calls forth Faith..Faith to believe upon Jesus Christ..

The false teachers of our day don't understand this great truth, but may God , in His Triune perfections be Glorified today..

 

Gal 3:26

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Does Faith cause the elect to become the children of God ? Yes and no..For it causes us to become the children of God uswardly, as that it shows us our sonship that we had before we were born or born again..But Faith is not causative in our being Sons or Children of God..

The causative reason for being Children of God is Election in Jesus Christ and Predestination before the world began.

Eph 1:4

4According as he hath chosen us in him [His Son] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Rom 8:29

29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Simple, Those God chose in His Son, He did so with the intent and purpose to conform them unto the image of His Son..

Eph 1:5

5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

This adoption or sonship is manifested by our new birth in time as well as it will be more fully manifested at the second coming of Jesus Christ, for all the world to see and behold..1 Jn 3:1-2

1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

By being given to Jesus Christ we became sons or children of God and His brethren..

Jn 17:6

6I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

Isa 8:18

18Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

Heb 2:13

13And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

Note: Only Gods children will made to Trust in Him, for they shall know His name..Ps 9:10

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

The elect were actually given to Christ before He died..Heb 2:10

10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings

That is, They were the many Sons, before He was made perfect through suffering, which refers to His death and all that led to it..

For He that is sanctified [ Jesus Christ] and they who are sanctified [ the children] are of one..that is One seed..Gal 3:16

16Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

But believers are the seed too because of their Oneness with Jesus Christ the Seed..Gal 3:29

29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

And Faith makes that known, who was in Christ The Seed Gal 3:26

26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

So its not by our believing or by our Faith that causes us to be Sons or Children of God, for that was the case of us before our believing.

The Elect were by Eternal Election and Predestination Sons before they believed. It was because of being Sons already that God sent His Spirit to us in order to make us new and give us Faith Gal 4:6

6And because ye are sons, [by election] God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

For we could not believe without the work and fruit of the Spirit Gal 5:22

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

For Faith is the result of the operation of God the Spirit Col 2:12

12B uried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. cp with

Eph 1:19-20

19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

So in the sense of God Revealing our Sonship to us, yes its by Faith we become the Children of God, but that Faith is not causative of becoming children of God, Gods Election and Predestination was, and that before the world began..

 

dhk

.

It does not say Faith is not a Gift !

 

dhk

Thats Right and Faith accompanies Salvation by Grace Heb 6:9

9But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

Salvation by Grace through Faith is the Gift of God !

 

dhk

So the Truth tortures you. Show us a verse that states Faith is not a Gift of God !

Who said it was ? Can you provide us a quote of mine that asserted that Faith was a Gift to the unsaved ? You are bringing up accusations that have not even been stated, at least not by me !

 

dhk

Thats self explanatory, Just read the Thread and the points provided !

Thats Right ! Titus 1:1

1Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

 

dhk

Are you going to show us where I said God gives Faith as a Gift to the unsaved ? You keep making that accusation without proof !

 

Faith is an allotment to a Chosen People !



2 Pet 1:1

1Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

Notice, peter specifies to them that have obtained like precious Faith ! This should be a signal to any honest heart that Faith is not given to or for everyone, and that its from a source outside of ourselves, for its precious, and comes from a precious source..

Notice that peter says it's obtained !!

This is important, and lets look at this word obtain. It is the greek word:

lagchanō= which means:

to obtain by lot

a) to receive by divine allotment, obtain

2) to cast lots, determine by lot

Notice, to receive by Divine Allotment..So what is a Allotment ?

Websters says this :

A share set aside for a specific purpose.

and its synonyms:

Arrangement

Noun: arrangement; plan; preparation; disposal, disposition

So Faith is obtained by arrangement, Plan, or disposal..

You remember what proverbs says about casting Lots and there disposal ?


Prov 16:33


The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.


John Gill says of this verse:


" but the whole disposing thereof [is] of the Lord;

or "the judgment" of it; the judgment that is to be made by it concerning persons or things; it being so directed and ordered by him as to fall upon the person it should; or to make known the thing in doubt and debate according to his will, in which all parties concerned should acquiesce. This is to be ascribed, not to blind chance and fortune, to the influence of the stars, or to any invisible created being, angel or devil, but to the Lord only; there is no such thing as chance, or events by chance; those events which seem most fortuitous or contingent are all disposed, ordered, and governed, by the sovereign will of God. "


One receives faith by the Sovereign will of God according to His plan and purpose for them..


This reminds me of the High Priest..He is said to obtain His office Heb 8:6

But now hath he [Jesus Christ] obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

This is regarding His Priesthood, and if we are familiar with the OT Priest hood, of which His was so much better, nevertheless we find that the priesthood was not for everyone, but it was alloted to the tribe of levi..


Only those from that tribe could obtain[receive] to the priesthood of God..

It was alloted to that tribe in the Sovereign arrangement of things..

and so it is with Faith, its alloted to the heirs of salvation Heb 1:14

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?


This Faith is Precious because it communicates Divine realities in the unseen Spiritual Heavenly world where Gods Throne rules, realties otherwise by nature we could never have or believe in..

 

Faith comes by Hearing and Hearing by the word of God

Rom 10:17

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This verse again teaches that salvation Faith is not of human origin, but by the Word of God..

The word word above is the greek word rhema, which is the living voice of God..

The living voice of God or Christ is creative by nature, we see this evidenced in the very first book and chapter in the bible.. Gen 1:3

3And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. see 2 Cor 4:6

So when we read in Rom 10:17 Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God, then Faith is no less a product of the creative power of the word of God..

Which is what peter means when he says the elect are kept by the power of God through Faith...1 Pet 1:5

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Faith is by means of the creative voice of God, which is creative power..