If faith is a gift from God then how do you know you have it?

GingerBeer said:

If faith is a gift from God then how do you know you have it? Is there some infallible proof that works for you so that you are absolutely certain that you really do have faith and are not self deceived or over confident about your own status in Christ?

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Isn't there something in the Bible about this?

There's a way --

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

! Yes, that's precisely what it says.

--> Actually read His Words, taking your time, from the start, all the way through, as part of living, like eating. Like food.

And His Words (!) are free to find and read first hand, you yourself, in the 4 gospels. The NIV, ESV and NASB translations are excellent.

In other words, a church, a pastor, Sunday readings -- they are often not enough! We need to listen to Him, directly, reading His Words, directly. All the way through. Fully reading through the 4 gospels.


Here's one good website, of many: BibleHub. Another: Biblegateway.

There are many views on what saving faith is and how it comes to the individual so be warned you will get many responses and unfortunately most of those responses will be people bickering their specific theology rather than trying to answer you.

That being said, faith is a seed. Planted when we hear the gospel. We decide if we allow it the soil it needs to grow or if we harden our hearts to it so it is barren. Romans 10:17, 1 Corinthians 3:6, Mark 4:1-20

How do you know you have it? Well let me answer your question with a question. How do you respond to situations and circumstances? If you find a way to praise God, then chances are high you have faith. If you get upset and wonder why God isn't helping etc, then you may *still have faith but it may need some growing.

The disciples were in the boat with Jesus and got upset with him because they thought he didn't care they were going to drown. So he rebuked the wind and waves then rebuked them for their lack of faith.

God bless you

GingerBeer said:

If faith is a gift from God then how do you know you have it? Is there some infallible proof that works for you so that you are absolutely certain that you really do have faith and are not self deceived or over confident about your own status in Christ?

Click to expand...

The proof of my faith (even though I don't need proof) was being healed of my past illnesses through Him, finding the perfect wife for me, and the blessings keep on coming through my faith in Him.

GingerBeer said:

If faith is a gift from God then how do you know you have it? Is there some infallible proof that works for you so that you are absolutely certain that you really do have faith and are not self deceived or over confident about your own status in Christ?

Click to expand...

Faith(noun of action) is what/whom you truize, place your confidence in. It is not blind!

The bible says that you are given a "measure" of "faith". So you, tell me what you have truized and I will show you that measure. Actually, it will become self-evident! Enjoy your beer!

GingerBeer said:

If faith is a gift from God then how do you know you have it? Is there some infallible proof that works for you so that you are absolutely certain that you really do have faith and are not self deceived or over confident about your own status in Christ?

Click to expand...

If someone has faith in God to guide them in how to rightly live, then they will practice obedience to God's instructions. They way for us to deduce that someone is justified is by observing their works (James 2:24). Likewise, the way to deduce that a Gentile has a circumcised heart is by observing their obedience to the Law (Romans 2:26), which is the same way to deduce that a Jew has a circumcised heart (Deuteronomy 30:6). Those who are in Christ ought to walk in the same way that Jesus walked, which was in obedience to the Law (1 John 2:6). It is like following Jesus through a minefield and we want to put our foot is the exact spot where he put his foot, to trace the same groove he made. Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the Law (Matthew 23:23), so good works are evidence of faith, but good works can also be done for reasons other than faith, so they can be a false positive, and only God can judge the heart. However, if someone's goal of doing good works is to show their love for God and their faith in Him to guide them in how to rightly live, and to thereby grow in a relationship with him based on love and faith, then they be confident that they have this gift. God gives us faith by showing us that He is trustworthy.

@GingerBeer
When you purposefully let your love and surrender for God leads your acts, even when you consider something as the hardest ever but you don't hesitate to forget yourself for Him, or at least you work hard to get to that point. Then, I guess you might be sure you've faith.
Anyway, for me, the simple fact that someone can pray with conviction, unsure of if a god's actually listening or not, but not stopping anyway, can be considered as faith.
God bless you!

GingerBeer said:

If faith is a gift from God then how do you know you have it? Is there some infallible proof that works for you so that you are absolutely certain that you really do have faith and are not self deceived or over confident about your own status in Christ?

Click to expand...

Faith... How you know you have faith is by what you do.
Its a verb .
It's not a “thing“ you have ..no one can pull it out of their pocket and show you.
Faith is the action you take based upon what you truly believe.
This is why it is written .for by Grace are you saved THROUGH faith ..Through what you obediently do because you believe Jesus...
And this is the gift of God not of Works... What is the gift? The opportunity to repent and STOP doing action of unrightousness and start doing action of righteousness. This opportunity is provided by God graciously we could not earn this chance.

For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus into good works..

So we cease from evil works to do good works.
And the opportunity to do so..is unearned ..it is given by Grace.

This to reiterate
For by Grace are you saved THROUGH the action of faith..

Jesus said if your a hearer but not a Doer your self deceived..
He also says we know we love him ..when we obey him .

GingerBeer said:

How do you define "faith"?

Is it believing what God says?
Is it trusting God?

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Yes, yes.

But to obtain, as above -- "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by..."

GingerBeer said:

How do you define "faith"?

Is it believing what God says?
Is it trusting God?

Click to expand...

"Faith" is synonymous with "trust". So having faith in God is about trusting Him to do as He has promised and about trusting Him to guide us in how we should live. God said that what He commanded was for His people's own good (Deuteronomy 6:24), so those who believed that what God said is true lived by faith in Him by living in obedience to His instructions, for the righteous shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4). Every example of saving faith in Hebrews 11 is also an example of someone living in obedience to God's instructions, so living by faith has never referred to some other manner of living that is not in obedience to God's commands.

GingerBeer said:

How do you define "faith"?

Is it believing what God says?
Is it trusting God?

Click to expand...

..again
Its a verb .
It's not a “thing“ you have ..no one can pull it out of their pocket and show you.
Faith is the action you take based upon what you truly believe.
This is why it is written .for by Grace are you saved THROUGH faith ..Through what you obediently do because you believe Jesus...
And this is the gift of God not of Works... What is the gift? The opportunity to repent and STOP doing action of unrightousness and start doing action of righteousness. This opportunity is provided by God graciously we could not earn this chance.

For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus into good works..

So we cease from evil works to do good works.
And the opportunity to do so..is unearned ..it is given by Grace.

This to reiterate
For by Grace are you saved THROUGH the action of faith..

Jesus said if your a hearer but not a Doer your self deceived..
He also says we know we love him ..when we obey him .

GingerBeer said:

If faith is a gift from God then how do you know you have it? Is there some infallible proof that works for you so that you are absolutely certain that you really do have faith and are not self deceived or over confident about your own status in Christ?

Click to expand...

GingerBeer said:

If faith is a gift from God then how do you know you have it? Is there some infallible proof that works for you so that you are absolutely certain that you really do have faith and are not self deceived or over confident about your own status in Christ?

Click to expand...

Great ? In that agree with that faith
Is gift from God, and his grace to know the
Gospel of salvation. It's all written throughout
According only to word of God the K.J.V.
A person has believed in their Heart who
Will do the Will of God. And know that some-how that when it comes down to it, what a
Amazing realization whom share that clear
Understanding of when it comes up to
Knowing, by definition that by God no
1 else whom just found a place in his plan,
And either i listen to him or don't, but now
I have a clear choice to do so but I'm also reminded When reading throughout the bible that this Was not a good idea.

I just go to His word.

1 John 3
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

1 John 4
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

1 John 5
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments...

10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

If we don't love others, we don't love God. If we think His commandments are burdensome, we don't love Him.

2 John 6
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

I am saved by the grace of God through the gift of faith that He instilled in my heart.

Alithis said:

..again
Its a verb .
It's not a “thing“ you have ..no one can pull it out of their pocket and show you.
Faith is the action you take based upon what you truly believe.
This is why it is written .for by Grace are you saved THROUGH faith ..Through what you obediently do because you believe Jesus...
And this is the gift of God not of Works... What is the gift? The opportunity to repent and STOP doing action of unrightousness and start doing action of righteousness. This opportunity is provided by God graciously we could not earn this chance.

For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus into good works..

So we cease from evil works to do good works.
And the opportunity to do so..is unearned ..it is given by Grace.

This to reiterate
For by Grace are you saved THROUGH the action of faith..

Jesus said if your a hearer but not a Doer your self deceived..
He also says we know we love him ..when we obey him .

Click to expand...

We obey Him because He regenerated us, saved us, made us doers. All the good that we do is a result of the change He made in our hearts.

Phoebe Ann said:

We obey Him because He regenerated us, saved us, made us doers. All the good that we do is a result of the change He made in our hearts.

Click to expand...

So you are a robot that has no will but to obey and this obeys without hindrance ?
Obedience is never default auto mode..it is chosen action motivated by love.
And it begs the question..of What you say were the case ..do you obey him? If not why not?

Phoebe Ann said:

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments...

Click to expand...

Yup..when you obey a command..you Do an action in accordance with an instruction..

GingerBeer said:

If faith is a gift from God then how do you know you have it? Is there some infallible proof that works for you so that you are absolutely certain that you really do have faith and are not self deceived or over confident about your own status in Christ?

Click to expand...

All mature adults are gifted from God with the faith ability and so they all have faith (trust) in someone or something.

The nonbeliever needs to place his faith in God and Christ.

Halbhh said:

There's a way --

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

! Yes, that's precisely what it says.

--> Actually read His Words, taking your time, from the start, all the way through, as part of living, like eating. Like food.

Click to expand...

That would answer a question about how you get it, that's all.