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Faith is NOT a Gift from God

By Jeremy Myers
30 Comments

Faith is NOT a Gift from God

Related to the idea that faith is not a work is the twin teaching that faith is not a gift from God (And no… I am not referring to the spiritual gift of faith… that is different).

faith a gift from God

3 Reasons that Some Believe Faith is a Gift from God

Some teach that faith is unilaterally given by God to certain people as a gift. There are several reasons this idea is taught, none of which hold merit.

First, some believe that since unregenerate people are “dead in sin,” they cannot even exercise faith.

However, we have already seen in numerous ways that although unbelievers truly are “dead in sin,” this does not mean they cannot believe. When we study the Bible, we not only see God everywhere calling people to believe Him, and faith is everywhere ascribed to man, not to God (Matt 9:2, 22, 28-29; Mark 10:52; Luke 7:50; 8:50; 17:19; 18:42; etc.) (cf. Olson, Beyond Calvinism and Arminianism, 225).

The second reason some people teach that faith is a gift is because they think that faith is a meritorious work.

If faith is a good work, and people are the ones who believe, then it logically follows that people contribute some sort of good work to the reception of eternal life. But again, as we have seen in numerous ways in previous posts, this problem is easily solved by recognizing that faith is not a work, but is instead the opposite of works.

And since faith is not a work, faith is also not meritorious. Therefore, those who are dead in sin can believe, and since faith is not work, all of the arguments for the idea that faith is a gift become logically unnecessary.

Nevertheless, in a vain attempt to defend a doctrine which is required by faulty theology, various Scriptures are referenced as evidence that faith is a work (Acts 5:31; 11:18; 13:48; 16:14; 18:23; Eph 2:8-9; Php 1:29; 2 Tim 2:25; Rom 12:3; 1 Cor 12:8-9; 2 Pet 1:1). However, a careful analysis of these texts reveals that each one has been pulled out of context and does not teach that faith is the gift of God (Lopez, “Is Faith a Gift From God?” 266-274).

But aside from not being logical or Scriptural, the idea that faith is a gift of God creates numerous practical problems for the thinking theologian.

For example, how could demonic activity restrict the faith of some (Luke 8:12; 2 Cor 4:4)? Why is it harder for some people to believe than others (cf. Titus 1:12-13)? What would be the point of the drawing work of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44; 12:32), or of evangelism and missions? Why was Jesus sometimes amazed at people’s lack of faith (Matt 8:26; 14:31; 16:8)? Why are there so many Christian in Europe and America, and so few in North Africa and the Middle East? On this last question, missiologist C. Gordon Olson writes that if the Calvinists are right about faith being a gift of God, then “one if forced to the conclusion that God is partial and loves Americans more than others” (cf. Olson, Beyond Calvinism and Arminianism, 227).

faith

4 Reasons Faith is Not a Gift from God

In his excellent article, “Is Faith a Gift from God or a Human Exercise?” René Lopez lists several other theological problems with the idea that faith is a gift from God (See Lopez, “Is Faith a Gift From God?” 274-276).

First, Lopez writes that the idea of faith being a gift from God resembles the sacramentalism of the Roman Catholic Church, in that faith is transmitted from God to men.

Lopez correctly points out that this confuses the gift of eternal life from God with the instrumentality of faith, whereby that gift is received.

Second, Lopez says that “if God divinely imparts faith, then human responsibility is nullified” (Lopez, “Is Faith a Gift From God?” 275).

There would be no reason to hold people responsible for believing or failing to believe in Jesus if the unregenerate person cannot actually believe. If God is the one who imparts faith to the unbeliever, then the responsibility to believe lies not with man but with God, and therefore, God can have no basis on which to judge people for failing to believe.

Third, although the Bible calls people to believe in Jesus for eternal life, Lopez points out that if faith is a gift that comes as a result of regeneration, then people should not be called to believe in Jesus (for they cannot), but should instead be called to hope and pray to God that He might regenerate them.

Yet although there are numerous calls throughout Scripture for people to believe in Jesus for eternal life (John 3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:47; etc.), there is not one place in Scripture where people are invited to hope and pray to God for regeneration.

faith is a gift from God

The final reason faith is not a gift from God is related to sanctification.

If faith is the automatic gift of God to those whom He sovereignly regenerates, then it only makes sense that God also automatically and sovereignly would make sure that they are sanctified in holiness and obedience. And in fact, this is what Calvinists teach in their doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints. But as we will see in the discussion of this point, such a belief cannot be defended from Scripture, reason, or experience.

If faith is a gift, then many commands in Scripture that exhort, command, prompt, and warn believers to live obediently become superfluous because the ultimate end of infused faith guarantees the sanctification of believers without their involvement (Lopez, “Is Faith a Gift From God?” 275).

So for biblical, theological, and practical reasons, we conclude that faith is not automatic, nor is faith a gift from God.

Faith comes through hearing the Word of God, through the convicting and drawing work of the Holy Spirit, and through responding to the revelation that one has already received from God.

If you want to read more about Calvinism, check out other posts in this blog series: Words of Calvinism and the Word of God.

God is Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: Books by Jeremy Myers, Calvinism, faith, gift of God, Theology of Salvation, Total Depravity, TULIP

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You can help others with their Bible Questions in the Forum!

By Jeremy Myers
7 Comments

You can help others with their Bible Questions in the Forum!

bible and theology forum

Help others with their Bible and Theology questions!

Over the past several months, I have received dozens of Bible and theology questions using the contact form on the right sidebar, and due to time constraints, I have not been able to answer most of them.

So I am going to post them in the forum and let you provide answers to these Bible and theology questions if you want…. go check them out!

Here are a few examples:

Why is God so violent in Numbers 15:32-36? (Go suggest an answer)

Why did Paul re-baptize twelve men in Acts 19? (Go suggest an answer)

Do all Christians speak in tongues? (Go suggest an answer)

Why are there so many different beliefs among churches? (Go suggest an answer)

Is masturbation a sin? (Go suggest an answer … if you dare!)

Notes from Others

There have also been a couple interesting posts from others. Here is something Justin Wiles wrote:

Ever since I have … been able to share my story and struggles with the community the Holy Spirit’s power to fight sin in my life has abounded. It’s still a rough battle but I hold faith that I’m growing more and more.

So feel free to share a daily victory or a struggle so that we can come together in the spirit of truth and love and encourage everyone to keep fighting the good fight!

Have you found this to be true in your own life? Has community (online and in person) been helpful as you learn to follow Jesus and defeat temptation? I have! If you want to weigh in on Justin’s thread, you can do so here.

There have also been several new introductions from new members on the forum. Go and read them here, and introduce yourself as well!

James Johnson III wrote this:

I have no Seminary experience, but I consider myself autodidactic and my thirst for knowledge has lead me all over the gamut of belief systems in Christianity (I ended up a staunch Calvinist until recently). I consider myself in a state of cognitive dissonance, so I’m hoping to learn a lot and I have a plethora of questions.

Frank wrote this:

My profession is evaluating community development programs facilitated by Christian agencies. In more than 25 years of doing evaluations in Africa and Asia I have discovered that strong Christians often do not see the conflicts that there are between science worldview and Christian worldview.

I always find it fascinating to learn more about the people who read this blog, and I love it when you interact with each other as you so often do in the comment sections on the forums. Thank you for making this blog a place where people can gather online and discuss life, Scripture, and theology.

Join the Forum!

If you want to introduce yourself, or ask a Bible or theology question for others to answer, head on over to the forum and get started! See you there!

God is Redeeming Life, Redeeming Scripture, Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: Bible and Theology Questions, Bible questions, Blogging, forum, Theology - General, worldview

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A Theological Shibboleth about the Violence of God

By Jeremy Myers
66 Comments

A Theological Shibboleth about the Violence of God

shibbolethDo you know what a Shibboleth is? You might have heard the term and not known where it comes from…

In modern usage, a shibboleth is an idea, practice, belief, or custom which differentiates one group of people from another. So, for example, if you wanted to know whether someone was politically conservative or liberal, you could maybe ask them about global warming. If they thought global warming is a hoax, they are probably conservative. If they think global warming is irrefutable science, they are probably liberal. In this case, the “shibboleth” is the issue of global warming.

The origins of the word “shibboleth” come from Judges 12:5-6 when there was a war between the people of Gilead and Ephraim. The soldiers of Gilead set up a little checkpoint at a river crossing and whenever a man tried to cross, the soldiers would ask them to say “Shibboleth.” Why? Because the people of Gilead said “Shibboleth” and the people of Ephraim said “Sibboleth” (because they could not pronounce the Sh). If the soldier said, “I am from Gilead” but then could not pronounce “Shibboleth” and instead said, “Sibboleth” then the soldiers of Gilead would know the man was lying and would kill him.

Anyway, that is the origin of the word Shibboleth.

I recently stumbled across a theological Shibboleth regarding the violence of God in the Bible. Almost everybody claims to believe that God is love, that Jesus reveals God to us, and that God does nothing but that which is merciful, kind, and gracious. And yet there are vast numbers of Christians who believe that God commands people to slaughter others, that God drowned people in a flood, and that God is the one who killed His own Son on the cross to appease His own wrath and anger against human sin.

Yesterday I was reading the Gospel of Luke and read Luke 12:5. I did a double-take on the verse because while the pronouns are capitalized in the Bible I was reading, it sure seemed to me that Jesus was not talking about God, but about Satan. Here is the verse (without capitalization):

But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear him!

The shibboleth is this: Is Jesus talking about God or Satan in Luke 12:5?

If you check most modern commentaries, they will tell you that Jesus is talking about God. Some argue that the verse refers to Satan. During the first 300 years of the church, it was almost exactly opposite. Many of the early church fathers believed Jesus was talking about Satan, but a few thought He was referring to God.

But what do you think? In Luke 12:5, is Jesus talking about God or Satan?

In the comments below, please feel free to state you opinion, and then also state why you believe what you do about Luke 12:5. And I promise, that whether you answer “God” or “Satan” (Shibboleth or Sibboleth), nobody is going to kill you!

Whose name tag goes on that verse?

God or Satan Luke 12 5

I guess I’ll start…

I used to think Jesus was talking about God, but in the last couple years, my theology has changed enough so that I now think Jesus was talking about Satan.

After all, why would Jesus say that God kills when He later says that it is the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10)? Why are we called to fear God when John tells us that there is no fear in love for perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18)? And is it really God who casts people into hell, or is He rather working to rescue people from hell?

2017 UPDATE: After further study and discussion with people in the RedeemingGod.com discipleship group, it is interesting to note that the word for “hell” is Gehenna, which is the smoking trash valley outside of Jerusalem, and the word for “destroy” is appolumi, which is used in Matthew 10:6 in reference to the “lost” sheep of Israel, and then also in 10:39 (cf. 16:25) when Jesus says if you “lose” your life for his sake, you will find it. So other forms of the word can refer to “lose” or “lost.” Notice later that the Jewish leaders plot how they might “destroy” Jesus (Matt 12:14; 27:20). This sort of seems to indicate that other human beings might be in view … but if so, Jesus would be saying “Don’t fear human beings who can take your life, but do fear human beings who can cast you into the burning trash pile outside of the city.” How does this make sense?

Maybe the key is the word “soul” (psuche) in the context, which is not the “eternal principle of a person” but is instead the “life.” That is, your “life” here on earth. Who is it that can destroy your body AND your life by sending you out into the burning trash pile? Only one group: The religious leaders. They often sent people to live in Gehenna. It was one of the places where lepers and outcasts were sent. But how is this worse than being killed?

We have two contrasts here:

body (sarx) vs. life (psuche)
kill (apokteino) vs. destroy (appolumi)

2021 update: I address this text here, and provide my current beliefs about Luke 12:5 and Matthew 10:28

God is Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: gehenna, hell, Luke 12:5, Matthew 10:28, Theology of God, violence of God

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Watch out! The Lord’s Prayer will ruin your life

By Jeremy Myers
10 Comments

Watch out! The Lord’s Prayer will ruin your life

A while back I wrote about the 8 most dangerous Christian prayers. Afterwards, I realized that one of the most dangerous prayers of all was the Lord’s prayer, which we have also looked at briefly before.

Let us now take a closer look at the Lord’s Prayer and see why it contains several dangerous prayer requests.

the Lords Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer is full of dangerous prayers which can destroy your life.

Each line of the Lord’s prayer is designed to invite God into your life to overthrow, upend, and destroy your life. When you pray the Lord’s prayer, God enters your life like a bull in a china shop.

Afterwards, however, God takes all the shards of crystal and glass that He left behind, and makes the most beautiful mosaic you have ever seen.

If you pray the Lord’s prayer, get ready for destruction … but the beauty that rises from the ashes will be incomparable to whatever plans you had for your life previously.

Here is a quick run-through of how each line in the Lord’s Prayer will upend, overturn, and destroy your life as you know it.

Hallowed be thy name

In praying this, we announce that we want God’s name to be glorified. Sounds good, right?

Yes, except that usually, when we pray this, what we mean is “Hollowed be they name in and through me.” We want God to be gloried, and we want to ride His coat tails to some glory of our own.

But the prayer doesn’t say this will happen. It is a prayer for God’s name to be glorified; not our name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

This seems fairly safe, right? Haven’t many of us been taught to close out our prayers with “Not my will, but thy will be done?” Don’t we want God’s will to be done on earth?

Sure!

… Just not in our lives.

When it comes to our own lives, we want our own will to be done. God’s will for our lives usually looks much less enjoyable than our plans for our own life.

And besides, God’s will often seems to lead into death, slavery, obscurity, and suffering. Who wants that? Not me.

So this prayer is dangerous when we include ourselves in it.

Give us this day our daily bread

Daily bread means “enough food for today.” It means barely scraping by. But who wants that? I need a full fridge and a growing retirement account. I need a new car, a shinier cell-phone, a faster internet connection, and maybe an Apple iWatch.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgiven those who trespass against us

Of course we want God to forgive us, but are you ready to forgive the person who has wronged you?

… Um, maybe not yet.

Enough said.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

God doesn’t actually lead anyone into temptation, so this phrase probably means something closer to “Help us resist temptation when it comes.”

But regardless, we don’t really mean it. We like our pet sins. We don’t want God to point them out to us, nor do we want to get rid of them.

Instead, what we usually do, is invent other “sins” that we “struggle” so that we can make ourselves feel better about the small victories we gain over these fake sins while completely ignoring the bigger sins we harbor in our lives every day.

What sorts of sins? Oh, greed, pride, anger, and judgmentalism to name a few.

The Lord’s Prayer is Dangerous

So be careful about praying the Lord’s Prayer. Every phrase is a minefield just waiting for you to step on it so that your life can get turned upside down.

Here is a video in which I teach a bit more about the Lord’s Prayer:

The Disciple’s Prayer – Matthew 6:9-13

Do you want to pray like never before?

Do you what to talk to God like you talk to a friend? Do you want to see more answers to prayer?

If you have these (and other) questions about prayer, let me send you some teaching and instruction about prayer to your email inbox. You will receive one or two per week, absolutely free. Fill out the form below to get started.

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God is Redeeming Life, Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: answers to prayer, Books I'm Writing, Discipleship, how to pray, Luke 11:1-13, Matthew 6:9-13, pray to God, prayer, What is prayer

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The Resurrection of My Podcast

By Jeremy Myers
2 Comments

The Resurrection of My Podcast
http://www.tillhecomes.org/MP3_Sermons/Misc/Six-Denials-of-Peter.mp3

Six Denials of Peter by Jeremy MyersIt has been over eight years since I last added audio files to my podcast. Yikes! Oh well… it is up and running again now.

I will probably add one or two podcasts per month, so it won’t be an overload of information.

Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

I have been wanted to get it going again for several years now, but have never had the chance. So I decided that while we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, it would be the perfect time to resurrect my podcast.

And what better way to do it than by posting an Easter-themed message?

This first podcast episode is called “The Six Denials of Peter.” In it, I act as if I am Peter and am telling a story about the day I denied Jesus. I show that Peter did not deny Jesus only three times, but six times.

The Six Denials of Peter

One of the things I will try to do on my podcast is not only post the audio, but also post a manuscript of what is said so that you can ask questions or make comments. I always get frustrated when I listen to podcasts and there is no way to ask the speaker for clarification or to share with him or her how much I appreciated what was said.

So whenever I make a podcast, I will also be linking to a post or page where you can leave questions and comments. For this first podcast episode, I will be leaving BOTH a blog post and a Blog page.

This blog post contains some of the Bible references you may need to check the information I provide in the podcast episode. I cover a lot of ground and do so in the form of a narrative, and so the information below will be helpful for you as you seek to follow along.

The full manuscript of what I say about the Six Denials of Peter can be found here, as well as a link to a book which first helped me see this about 10 years ago.

[Read more…]

God is Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study Podcast, Theology of Salvation

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