Featured To say salvation is by "faith alone" is a false gospel.

Faith from God is a gift...faith from man is work. Whatever is the cause of our election is the cause of our salvation. So if faith from us is the cause of our election we have effected our own salvation, but if faith is a gift from God than God has saved us. That's what Ephesians 2:8-9 means.

 

The gift in Eph 2:8 is grace, not faith. Faith was "found" in these people I previously listed in the verses a few posts ago, it wasn't "gifted" to them.

 

Precisely, that is why I asked IF faith is a gift (which Calivinists assert) THEN why did Jesus "find faith" in these people? And the faith he found was worthy of them being healed and having their sins forgiven.

 

So, I guess you are simply going to ignore the verses I listed where Jesus said he "found faith" in people and plow ahead with your Statement of Faith.

 

I read these verses as saying:
Grace is the gift of God which saves you
Salvation comes by the grace of god, it is not of your own doing, not a work

 

A person needs to have faith in the gospel as described here:

1 Cor. 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures

And

Romans 10:9-10 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. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 

Salvation is the gift there not faith.

 

I think my best answer to the calvinism v arminianism argument is that God stands outside of time. We perceive it as a "movie". He views it as a portrait.

Free will is indicated by scripture in numerous places. It is not a myth. OTOH, scripture teaches that regeneration of the spirit is the prime cause for salvation... our nature is changed causing our response to the gospel to change. But again, to say that grace comes "first" would seem to force God into our temporal realm and conception.

Overall, I would agree with your OP... the premise that just human faith is powerful enough to save someone. I disagree though with some of the implications you seem to suggest.

 

No. It does not say that faith is not a work or action. We are saved by grace. Faith is the response or vehicle that God uses in our experience. "It" in this passage points back to salvation.... which is by grace. Salvation nor the grace that renders it are our works.

 

So do you believe God is going to save everyone since Peter says, 2nd Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

If God's will is for all to be saved, then by the belief that God predestined people to be saved, that would mean He would have predestinated everyone to be saved in order to conform to His will. But we know He did not do that instead we have this Scripture

Romans 8:29 For 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.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Where Paul makes it very clear, God foreknew who would be saved and who wouldn't. Based on that foreknowledge He knew all who would place their Faith in Christ and those were Predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son. He didn't pick and choose whom He wants to be saved, He chooses those who because of His Omniscience, He already knew what decision they would make out of their Volition. He didn't alter they ability to choose, He just knew the choice they would make. Who would be Faith be regenerated because of His Grace and there was no work involved in doing it. You see those whom He foreknew He Predestinated, called, justified and glorified them, based on what He knew in eternity past.

 

You're conveniently ignoring the fact that these people's faith was sufficient for Jesus to forgive them of their sins.

I see you are back to quoting TULIP and the Westminster Confession again.

These people that you are calling dead received healing and forgiveness of sins from God because they had faith. Pretty amazing that DEAD MEN can be healed and have their sins forgiven, isn't it.