Yes, in that before one can believe the Gospel of their salvation they need to have been first made alive Spiritually. Being made alive spiritually is an fruit of Salvation
What you just said makes no since. Being made alive spiritually is to be born again/saved. You have people saved prior to them even understanding anything about the gospel.
1] The gospel is the power of God unto salvation
2] To be made alive spiritually you have to believe the gospel
You know, like the bible says, hear the gospel & believe the gospel, God saves. Why do you have such a hard time understanding this?
It makes no sense to you, but its the Truth. A person must be saved, made spiritually alive, in order to hear and believe the Gospel. A person has to be saved, made alive in order to understand the Gospel.
Man by nature dead in sin doesnt understand God and things of God, doesnt seek after God Rom 3:11
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
A lost man will never understand ! Only those who are regenerated and given a new heart, a good heart, understand and bear fruit 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.
And that word understandeth here is the same greek word for understandeth in Rom 3:11
So that proves one is born again first with a new heart in order to hear, and believe the Gospel !
The lack of logical thinking on your part is remarkable. You are holding onto just a few verses taken out of context that you hope will support your view. Your Calvinist blinders have prevented your from seeing the truth that is right in front of you.
The lack of spiritual thinking on your part is the issue. A lost spiritually dead person cant perform the deed of a Spiritually alive person. Believing is a fruit of spiritual life.
Perhaps you should tell God that He got it wrong. That He has to save the person before they can believe in the Son. Give your head a shake, perhaps it will clear out the cobwebs.
If one is spiritually alive they are saved, if you do not get that point
Austin, have you still not understood the bible?
Faith is our response to the gospel message and is the condition that God has set for our salvation. Faith is not me assisting God, rather it is me saying I can not save myself and being humble before God.
Where do you get the idea that free will saves anyone? God saves those the freely trust in the Son. Note the words GOD SAVES.
You keep saying that faith is a work but the bible tells us it is
not. Who do you think is correct, hint it's not you.
Rom_4:5
But to him who does not work but believeson Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
Gal_2:16
knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christand not bythe works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Rom_4:5 But to him who does not work butbelieves on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
Gal_2:16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law butby faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christand not bythe works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Ken your are trying to hard to deny scripture.
Belief
In theology, faith, or a firm persuasion of the truths of religion.
Believe
In theology, to believe sometimes expresses a mere assent of the understanding to the truths of the gospel
FAITH
In theology, the assent of the mind or understanding to the truth of what God has revealed. Simple belief of the scriptures, of the being and perfections of God, and of the existence, character and doctrines of Christ
Yes FAITH is a noun but BELIEVE is a verb. God does not make us believe and He does not give us faith.
Faith isnt a response, its the Gift of God, given to Gods elect. Believing is the gift of God given to Gods elect. You have degenerated Faith, the Gift of God, to a work of the unregenerate person.