Does God grant faith, repentance and belief? Or does man do it on his own?
This is a big subject that needs to be addressed. Some will say that God is the one who grants salvation to His people and others say that God made people savable but it is up to the individual person to choose. Could the Calvinist view be correct? Is it possible that God only grants repentance and faith to some and not others? Or is the Arminian view of the autonomy of man correct? Well, lets look at some Scripture to figure this out.
Some Arminians point to Romans 4:5 and they say that Abraham was the one who believed (once again exalting man). They will say that his belief was "counted to him as righteousness before God. Well, we wholeheartedly agree because that is what Romans 4:5 says. But is it safe to assume that Abraham believed as a result of his own will or was it God working in him? The Arminian might also point to verses like But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name (John 1:12), "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15), and So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). But do these really mean that man chooses out of his own free will? Do these (and others used by Arminians) teach that God gives people the choice? As Calvin said, "Interpret Scripture with Scripture and that is exactly what we should do.
For now, lets assume that it was Abraham's work. If you read Genesis, you could possibly come to that conclusion. But, if one keeps on reading through the Bible, one will find a whole different meaning. One gets to 2 Chronicles 30:6-12 and you see that God, through Hezekiah, was calling the people to repentance and to "return to the LORD God... that He may return to you." Let's look at the passage.
2 Chronicles 30:6-12 (NASB)
6The couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, "O sons of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria.
7"Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were unfaithful to the LORD God of their fathers, so that He made them a horror, as you see.
8"Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to the LORD and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you.
9"For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him."
10So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.
11Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
12The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD.
So the people in v. 10 " laughed them to scorn and mocked them" and they did not repent. However, we see in v. 11 that "some men" humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. But v. 12 changes everything. Look at what it says closely; "The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD."
The "also" in v. 12 clues us in to the fact that God's hand was what enabled the men in v. 11 to return to Jerusalem. There is no denying that. So we see in the OT that God commands something from His people, but He also grants what He commands. We see conditional statements being made all the time, but based on this verse and others, one should never assume that God commands something from us and leaves us to fulfill that command.
Now, one may say "But that is only one passage." Actually, we don't believe it is. In fact, we think there are a lot more that teach that God is the one who grants repentance and faith in people. Let's look at a few of them.
Deuteronomy 5:29 (NASB)
'Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!
Now, the literal translation says "who will give them such a heart". We again see that the heart will be given to them in order to fear God and keep His commandments.
Deuteronomy 29:2-4 (NASB)
2And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, "You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land;
3the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders.
4"Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.
V. 4 is the key in this passage. Moses is talking to the people of Israel and says that God has not given you [them] a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear." Once again, the ability to know, see, and hear are given by God.
Deuteronomy 30:5-6 (NASB)
5"The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.
6"Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
V. 5 talks about God bringing Israel into the land of their fathers. However, v. 6 is key. It says that God will be the one to circumcise their hearts "to love the LORD your [their] God." Again we see God commanding what He will and granting what He commands.
Jeremiah 32:38-40 (NASB)
38"They shall be My people, and I will be their God;
39and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
40"I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.
Here we have a tremendous passage on this subject. V. 38 is something God will accomplish, not simply make possible. It doesn't say "I will probably be their God." No, it says "Theyshall be my people, and I will be their God." V. 39 is another example of God "giving them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me [God] always." For what reason? "For their own good." Now v. 40 says that God will make an everlasting covenant with them and God "will put the fear" of Him in their hearts "so that they will not turn away" from Him. Once again we see God commanding what He wills and granting what He commands.
Ezekiel 11:19-20 (NASB)
19"And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
20that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.
Both verses speak clearly on this subject. God is saying in v. 19 that He "will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them." This is referring to regeneration. God takes out the "heart of stone" and gives them a "heart of flesh." What is the reason for doing this? What will result? Well, v. 20 tells us "that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them." Walking in the statutes of God and keeping His commands are the result of being given a heart of flesh, not the other way around. And we also see the same thing in v. 20 here as in the Jeremiah passage above. "They will be My people, and I shall be their God." It doesn't say "maybe" or "possibly" or "perhaps".
This is a big subject that needs to be addressed. Some will say that God is the one who grants salvation to His people and others say that God made people savable but it is up to the individual person to choose. Could the Calvinist view be correct? Is it possible that God only grants repentance and faith to some and not others? Or is the Arminian view of the autonomy of man correct? Well, lets look at some Scripture to figure this out.
Some Arminians point to Romans 4:5 and they say that Abraham was the one who believed (once again exalting man). They will say that his belief was "counted to him as righteousness before God. Well, we wholeheartedly agree because that is what Romans 4:5 says. But is it safe to assume that Abraham believed as a result of his own will or was it God working in him? The Arminian might also point to verses like But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name (John 1:12), "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15), and So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). But do these really mean that man chooses out of his own free will? Do these (and others used by Arminians) teach that God gives people the choice? As Calvin said, "Interpret Scripture with Scripture and that is exactly what we should do.
For now, lets assume that it was Abraham's work. If you read Genesis, you could possibly come to that conclusion. But, if one keeps on reading through the Bible, one will find a whole different meaning. One gets to 2 Chronicles 30:6-12 and you see that God, through Hezekiah, was calling the people to repentance and to "return to the LORD God... that He may return to you." Let's look at the passage.
2 Chronicles 30:6-12 (NASB)
6The couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, "O sons of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria.
7"Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were unfaithful to the LORD God of their fathers, so that He made them a horror, as you see.
8"Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to the LORD and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you.
9"For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive and will return to this land For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him."
10So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.
11Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
12The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD.
So the people in v. 10 " laughed them to scorn and mocked them" and they did not repent. However, we see in v. 11 that "some men" humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. But v. 12 changes everything. Look at what it says closely; "The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD."
The "also" in v. 12 clues us in to the fact that God's hand was what enabled the men in v. 11 to return to Jerusalem. There is no denying that. So we see in the OT that God commands something from His people, but He also grants what He commands. We see conditional statements being made all the time, but based on this verse and others, one should never assume that God commands something from us and leaves us to fulfill that command.
Now, one may say "But that is only one passage." Actually, we don't believe it is. In fact, we think there are a lot more that teach that God is the one who grants repentance and faith in people. Let's look at a few of them.
Deuteronomy 5:29 (NASB)
'Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!
Now, the literal translation says "who will give them such a heart". We again see that the heart will be given to them in order to fear God and keep His commandments.
Deuteronomy 29:2-4 (NASB)
2And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, "You have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land;
3the great trials which your eyes have seen, those great signs and wonders.
4"Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.
V. 4 is the key in this passage. Moses is talking to the people of Israel and says that God has not given you [them] a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear." Once again, the ability to know, see, and hear are given by God.
Deuteronomy 30:5-6 (NASB)
5"The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.
6"Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
V. 5 talks about God bringing Israel into the land of their fathers. However, v. 6 is key. It says that God will be the one to circumcise their hearts "to love the LORD your [their] God." Again we see God commanding what He will and granting what He commands.
Jeremiah 32:38-40 (NASB)
38"They shall be My people, and I will be their God;
39and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
40"I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.
Here we have a tremendous passage on this subject. V. 38 is something God will accomplish, not simply make possible. It doesn't say "I will probably be their God." No, it says "Theyshall be my people, and I will be their God." V. 39 is another example of God "giving them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me [God] always." For what reason? "For their own good." Now v. 40 says that God will make an everlasting covenant with them and God "will put the fear" of Him in their hearts "so that they will not turn away" from Him. Once again we see God commanding what He wills and granting what He commands.
Ezekiel 11:19-20 (NASB)
19"And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
20that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.
Both verses speak clearly on this subject. God is saying in v. 19 that He "will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them." This is referring to regeneration. God takes out the "heart of stone" and gives them a "heart of flesh." What is the reason for doing this? What will result? Well, v. 20 tells us "that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them." Walking in the statutes of God and keeping His commands are the result of being given a heart of flesh, not the other way around. And we also see the same thing in v. 20 here as in the Jeremiah passage above. "They will be My people, and I shall be their God." It doesn't say "maybe" or "possibly" or "perhaps".