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Faith? A gift or is the ability a gift

JohnDB

JohnDB

Member
Is a person's faith a gift or is a person's ability to have faith a gift?

Jonah believed wrongly... But did as he was told.

Sampson believed... Kinda...but still had issues. And he was made, his job determined long before he was born.

Ephesians 2 can be read either way if you wanted to. But Jesus always said "your faith" when he referred to it.

So...which is it... Is the faith itself the gift or the ability to have faith?
 
both
Rom_12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Rom_10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
 
reba said:
both
Rom_12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Rom_10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
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So

How does that agree with the parable of the soils?
 
I think there are levels of faith. For example: The spiritual gift of faith Acts 3:1-10 should not be confused with the saving faith of Ephesians 2:8-9
 
Faith is trust and belief in Christ Jesus as we also become servants of God. We might not always understand what God calls us to do like that of Abraham, Moses, Jonah and many others before us, but the gift of faith is Jesus and all have the ability to serve God and act upon His instructions.
 
Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

The word "by" in by the faith is better translated "in" the faith....You ask "Is a person's faith a gift or is a person's ability to have faith a gift?" I believe that for the Christian, Jesus is the source of faith and therefore His gift of His faith to me is a gift. If I need faith for a particular situation, I ask Jesus to fill me with His faith, and He does.
 
JohnDB said:
...
So...which is it... Is the faith itself the gift or the ability to have faith?
Click to expand...

It's both, Brother. Faith itself is a gift, and every man (& woman) is given a measure (certain amount) of it when they're born.

The ability to have faith is in us all, also. I'm taking that to mean, the ability to have more faith than we do...(correct me on that if needed)...
More faith than our original measure...is a choice that we make within our heart & spirit.

You have the ability to make that choice and to walk in more faith...do it without doubting and wavering and it shall be so.
 
Luk 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
Luk 8:6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
Luk 8:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
Luk 8:8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold

Given it a try JohnDB :)

the soil is our hearts ... He gives each heart a measure of faith... As sowers we need to nurture the new plantings around us... feed the lambs.... They need water He is the Living water.. as we nurture the 'seedlings' with the Word and Living Water .. the seedlings grow in faith and wisdom and so do we,,,
 
Faith is not a gift in the sense one can have faith only if God gives one faith as a gift. Such an idea makes God culpable for the faithless.

Rom10:17 faith is what develops within his own heart upon hearing the word of God. Therefore anyone can have faith and not just certain, select people chosen by God to whom God gives faith
 
If I am the source of my faith, then I would have some degree of responsibility for my own salvation. If I can legitimately claim something in and of myself was necessary for my salvation, then I have reason to boast in my own salvation and have reason to claim I have given something to God for which he is obligated to give me something - his salvation - in return. God owes me nothing. (Romans 11:35)
 
Anyone can have faith, it's man duty to have faith and doing one's duty is nothing to boast about Lk 17:10.
 
The question "What is faith?" might help answer how it is a gift to us. For me, including the verses that describd faith, faith boils down to trust. God has build in me good measures to trust in Him. Things that hold strong against the worries, doubt, and apathy with in me. And in that sense faith is a gift. God shows His love, His presence, His actions on the world, and His trustworthiness to each of us indivually. So in that sense faith and the ability to have faith are the same and both are a gift. But I also think faith is also on us. A father can be trusted or can be taken advantage of, even rebelled from. And those actions are on us. If we fail to have faith, it's not just on whether we were given it or not, but whether we held it or not.
 
reba said:
Luk 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
Luk 8:6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
Luk 8:7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
Luk 8:8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold

Given it a try JohnDB :)

the soil is our hearts ... He gives each heart a measure of faith... As sowers we need to nurture the new plantings around us... feed the lambs.... They need water He is the Living water.. as we nurture the 'seedlings' with the Word and Living Water .. the seedlings grow in faith and wisdom and so do we,,,
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There ya go!! That's the way it works.:thumbsup
 
JohnDB said:
So...which is it... Is the faith itself the gift or the ability to have faith?
Click to expand...
As already shown from Romans 10:17, saving faith is generated by hearing the Gospel, which is not only the Word of God, but the seed of the New Birth. Then there is the spiritual gift of faith, which is over and above saving faith. Then there is faith as a grain of mustard seed, which can move mountains.
 
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