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netchaplain

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The more the constitution of faith is understood, the more it will be realized that it is the sole provision by which the blessed Holy Spirit works in the believer “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3), which are all the concerns of the Father and the Son.

“Faith in Christ is not of a man's self, nor have all men it (2 Thess 3:2); it is a gift of God, the operation of His power (Col 2:12), and the work of His Spirit, whence He is styled the Spirit of faith (2 Cor 4:13); and which therefore must have a place among His fruits (Gal 5:22); and which lies and shows itself in believing in Christ for salvation, in embracing the doctrines of the Gospel, and making a profession of them, which is called the profession of faith (Heb 10:23); all which, when right, comes from the Spirit of God.” -John Gill
 
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In your introspection, what does faith mean to you?
And how is one to receive the gift of faith from God?
 
In your introspection, what does faith mean to you?
And how is one to receive the gift of faith from God?
HI and appreciate your question! Saving-faith is the seventh attribute (of 9) in the fruit of the Spirit, all of which one receives upon rebirth (Gal 5:22); which is not to be confused with the "gift of the Spirit" (1 Cor 12:9), of which there are also nine.

Blessings!
 
netchaplin I think you need to repost this a fresh, possibly in the Bible study section as this is a good teaching that others need to read and understand.
 
netchaplin I think you need to repost this a fresh, possibly in the Bible study section as this is a good teaching that others need to read and understand.
HI FHG! Appreciate your comment, but not sure there is enough in that post to qualify a necessity. Blessings!
 
Oh, but it does qualify a necessity as there is much there that others need to read and study as many need this teaching of faith even more so today as in the day you posted this. I would not have stumbled on it if it weren't for Hermit replying to it and asking questions as many have questions that need answering.
 
In your introspection, what does faith mean to you?
And how is one to receive the gift of faith from God?
HI and appreciate your question! Saving-faith is the seventh attribute (of 9) in the fruit of the Spirit, all of which one receives upon rebirth (Gal 5:22); which is not to be confused with the "gift of the Spirit" (1 Cor 12:9), of which there are also nine.
Blessings!
netchaplain, thanks for the response, but it does not answer my two questions.

The first question asked what your personal understanding, through introspection, what does faith mean to you.

The second question, also goes deeper through personal introspection, as to how one receives the gift of faith from God. Since your original post suggests that faith can only come as a gift from God. There is evidence in the Bible where people were healed by faith. How did they receive such faith? Same, how is one to receive the gift of faith in Jesus Christ before receiving the Holy Spirit?
 
netchaplain, thanks for the response, but it does not answer my two questions.

The first question asked what your personal understanding, through introspection, what does faith mean to you.
It's my understanding that faith is a knowing hope, not a potential hope, and is a confirmation apart from physical proof (Heb 11:1).

The second question, also goes deeper through personal introspection, as to how one receives the gift of faith from God?
[/QUOTE]
If you're referring to the gift of faith as one of the nine gifts of the Spirit, it and all these gifts were for a single cause--to confirm what the Apostles were bringing--the Word of God, which no longer requires physical proof (to allow greater faith) because it being a complete revelation source of God now confirms itself through faith given to to those who sincerely ask for it.

The Jews required proof (1 Cor 1:22), but where there is physical proof there is a lessor faith (John 20:29).


Hope this is what to which you're referring.
 
Thanks netchaplain for your response.
It's my understanding that faith is a knowing hope
Does one necessarily need to hope, which has elements of desire and expectation. Or can one simply hand over to God's will and be grateful for the hand-over and for whatever the outcome may be?

faith given to to those who sincerely ask for it.
Ah, the word 'sincerely'. It sure goes far towards truthfulness, where acceptance of God's will comes from.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Does one necessarily need to hope, which has elements of desire and expectation.
The Christian's hope is as you've mentioned, an inevitable convincing, not a potential expectation. Hope is what sustains faith, for it is what faith knowingly waits for, "and Lord Jesus Christ, is our hope" (1 Tim 1:1).

Or can one simply hand over to God's will and be grateful for the hand-over and for whatever the outcome may be?[/QUOTE]
I like this because it's by faith we accept that which occurs is God's will (by virtue of His allowing its occurrence), but most allowances in this life are not His desire, i.e. it's His will but not His desire that those who choose to remain unbelieving perish.

Blessings!
 
. . . it's by faith we accept that which occurs is God's will. . .
If one is always grateful and accepting of God's will, then one is already in a state of believing it has already happened.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
. . . it's His will but not His desire that those who choose to remain unbelieving perish. . .
Fear stops a person from believing, and they will perish by fear.
God is waiting for them to use their free-will to let go and let God. In this was, they come to God unconditionally, in the same way as God's love is unconditional to us. It is only us who are conditional by fear.
 
If one is always grateful and accepting of God's will, then one is already in a state of believing it has already happened.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Yes, appears we are saying the same thing.

Fear stops a person from believing, and they will perish by fear.
I agree, if you mean fear keeps one from choosing faith, because it's my understanding that faith is permanent and can't be hindered nor lost.
 
...I agree, if you mean fear keeps one from choosing faith, because it's my understanding that faith is permanent and can't be hindered nor lost.
Once you see the Light it becomes clear and certain. But if you only see the dark, you can never be sure.

Thanks again netchaplain for a very edifying thread.
 
Faith means the trustworthiness or reliance on Gods word for his salvation for us who believe in him. It's a belief in the promises and blessings of his word and applying his word to our daily walk with him by seeing the confidence in the testimony of others.

The nature of faith is seen through the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, which these fruits brings about kindness, self control and faithfulness through the works of God that comes from our heart.

Faith gives us freedom from condemnation and freedom of salvation through adoption as we become one body in the Lord as we walk by faith, live by faith, pray by faith and resist evil by faith. By faith we are an overcomer of this world as we stand fast and are grounded in Gods word knowing we have assurance of all of his promises that makes us victorious in all things here on earth by us applying his word to our lives to know for a surety that he will never leave us or forsake us.

Faith is a living reality in ones life through Gods service by declaring his word as we bear witness to his name by the mighty works he has done. It’s not even our faith, but that of Jesus who is our faith as we believe in who he has said he was and to the glory and honor that he has brought before the Father through his life, death and resurrection that we to can become heirs to the throne of grace by coming boldly to his throne and surrendering all of us to him to be Lord and Savior of our life.

Hebrews chapter 11 is probably one of the greatest faith chapters in the Bible. We have these same promises today and forever because of the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 and for all generations to come because we are the heirs of God and joint-heirs of Christ, Romans 8:12-17.
 
Faith means the trustworthiness or reliance on Gods word for his salvation for us who believe in him. It's a belief in the promises and blessings of his word and applying his word to our daily walk with him by seeing the confidence in the testimony of others.
You have some good points here and appreciate your input! The best truth I like keeping in mind concerning faith is that it has no power but is the medium of transfer of God's power, all which is via His Spirit within the life of Christ in us (Col 3:4). I like using the example of a wire and electricity. The wire doesn't effect the power but allows it to travel through it. To me this is a humbling mindset in knowing that not only is the power from God but also the faith!
 
It's faith that is found in us which is Christ Jesus through God's grace even though we do not deserve it.
 
I'm glad this subject came up again. I used to think of faith as an appendage like an arm that a person could exercise to grow by means of free will, and that if I exercised such faith that I could divine God's power and wield it like a wizard (in that imagery). But God's word and the Holy Spirit duly corrected me. I found out that faith is an underlying trust in God such that one's life is centered around what God said. And I have been discovering more and more that other people like myself understand that faith is the gift of God.

And it has to be the gift of God, if we deeply consider it. 1 Jn. 5:1 says "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Let us consider the logic of this statement: I cannot choose to believe something I have no trust in. I could try to, but that faith would surely fail, because I don't really believe it. Therefore, if I believe enough to have trust in God's word, then I can choose to believe it. If I do choose to believe it, then I am believing already before my choice to believe. If I didn't believe it in the first place, I certainly wouldn't choose to believe it, because I couldn't choose to believe in something I didn't believe in, since that would be a contradiction of character. No doubt some try to believe in things they don't believe in, but it never lasts, since they mostly find reasons not to believe in that which they do not believe in.

Therefore, 1 Jn. 5:1 speaks of regeneration preceding faith. "Everyone who believes..." means that if I believe in Christ, I am already born of God. It doesn't say "will be" or "could be" or any such thing, it says "is." Some translations render it "has been." Therefore if I believe enough already to trust in the word of the gospel, so that I choose to believe in it (and thus become His disciple), then I have already been born of God, according to this verse of scripture. At the moment I choose to follow Christ, I likely do not understand where my faith is coming from. But in my case, I knew I didn't want to be a Christian, but I did realize (in my own words) "I do believe, and there seems to be nothing I can do about it, so I might as well face it." That was one of the only moments of sincerity I ever had before, concerning self-evaluation.

So then, faith comes to a person as a result of regeneration. Eph. 2:5 says, "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)." "Even when we were dead..." tells me that I didn't choose to believe before He raised me up. The gospel was preached, I didn't believe at first, but then God raised me up and gave me ears to hear it, and then I believed. This is the sequence of events told us in this verse, and is how Paul defined the phrase "saved by grace." This is how saving faith comes to us as a gift of God. It is a supernatural and divine imposition. The disposition of our hearts are changed. We are given spiritual wisdom, and hope in Christ. It is the nature of spiritual rebirth. We then want to believe because our hearts were changed from hostility to friendliness toward God.

So what does this knowledge do for us? It causes us to see that our faith in God is dependent on God, and forces us to trust Him for the growth of it. Since the nature of faith is trusting in God, then once we see that faith is increased by God's supernatural imposition in our lives, we trust Him all the more. This causes our faith to grow by the very nature of faith itself. We don't believe in our faith, but we believe in God, in Christ who is the object of our faith (and the author of it). That faith which is the gift of God makes us thirsty for more knowledge of God's word.

The knowledge of where our faith comes from also causes us to be grateful, since we can see the great privilege of being chosen by God for His purpose. It causes us to desire to please and glorify God. It motivates us to love Him all the more. It moves us to believe in God's promise for healing of the heart, mind, and conscience, so that we can shine as lights of Christ's character in this world.
TD:)
 
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Amen! But it's encouraging to know in rebirth He makes us "worthy" (i.e. 1 Cor 11:27, 29). Therefore those who are not reborn are "unworthy." Hope my reply doesn't appear competitive but just sharing truth.

Have a look-see at Gill's comment here on verse 27:
https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary.php?com=gill&b=46&c=11

Blessings Sis!

Not competitive at all as 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 is of a greater truth. Many do partake that are unworthy and Christ will say to them, "I never knew you", Matthew 7:21-23.
 
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