Your point was faith is not a gift but Grace is.
I guess the question is where does this faith come from? Was it something inherent in us or something “excited” by the gift of Grace? Because remember God made we who were dead in our trespasses alive in Christ. So we are in a dead spiritual state God makes us alive in Christ and then Paul states we are saved by Grace through faith.
Faith comes from hearing the Word about Christ:
Romans 10:17
Yet, not everyone who hears will believe.
Why?
Because many will resist the Spirit and the Word:
(
Psalm 106:32; Isaiah 63:10; Acts 7:51; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 10:29).
Why? Because many are proud and arrogant, like many of the Jews in Elect Israel are. So because they continually rejected His grace, God (in punishment) hardened their hearts so they could not hear His words and understand anymore, so they could not take hold of salvation anymore (
John 12:40).
Christ Jesus was sent by the Father to preach the good news to the humble:
Isaiah 61:1-2
Why? Because the humble will listen:
Pslam 25:9
The humble are the ones God promises in prophecy to teach, guide and save. All those prophecies are fulfilled in Christ - to all who are humble:
Matthew 11:28.
Only those who are humble will listen to God through the Gospel message, and will be drawn by Christ by the Spirit.
The Spirit only indwells to regenerate those who believe.
This New Life is possible because, the Spirit we receive by faith sets us free from the bondage and curse of sin as we live out our faith in obedience to the Spirit – this is regeneration.
John 7:37-39 (NIV) Bolding mine
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty
come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this
he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 4:13-14
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a
spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The new life in Christ is only possible by the Spirit indwelling the one who believes. However, to receive the New Life (salvation) of the indwelling Spirit, we must obey the Spirit who lives in us, which is why we must daily crucify the old self - to take up or cross daily and follow Him:
Romans 8 (NIV)
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters,
we have an obligation — but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body,
you will live.
Galatians 5 (WEB)
16 But I say,
walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Galatians 6 (WEB)
8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But
he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Galatians 5 (WEB)
24 Those who belong to Christ have
crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
Therefore, the true believers live by the Spirit whom they receive by faith in Christ – these are the regenerate, the sanctified, the New Creation.