Not. Acts 16:31
Belief first then salvation.
To be reconciled with:
First off; what does it mean to have faith or believe?
Answer: Believing and having faith basically means to trust God.
This does involve certain degrees of intellectual understanding. (Intellectual understanding is the agent that drives profession. In people who have not the capacity to speak; we ultimately have no idea what that understanding consists of, for their lack of ability to communicate it.)
So obviously, the extent of that intellectual understanding varies on a lot of factors. What revelation has been given to a person and what access to that revelation do they have? Everyone has the witness of creation. Not everyone has the witness of written Scripture. Some people only have portions of written Scripture. Some of us have vast resources to study written Scripture; (like multitudes of online concordances and Greek and Hebrew texts). Some only have access to a single translation of Scripture.
A person’s ability to study depends on other factors. People in the workforce have less time to study than people who aren’t. (“Workforce” is not only those in the paid workforce, but also parents home caring for children, as well as students who have to factor in study time of other requirements for their schooling. Then of course we all have to engage in the labor of food prep and cleaning dishes, clothing, houses, yards etc. Volunteers are also “in the workforce”.) Retired and disabled people
potentially have more time to study than others.
A person’s ability to study though, also depends on things such as their education and aptitudes. Education is driven by access to material to study. Aptitudes factor in interests and intelligence. “Intelligence” is factored by lots of variables. Someone who’s ill and in a lot of pain is going to have a harder time studying than someone who isn’t. Medical and developmental issues that affect memory and cognitive reasoning ability bear real impact on individuals’ ability to intellectually grasp something. I’ll never be a physicist because I just don’t “get” that level of math; (nor do I have an interest in “getting it”). Could I “get it” if I tried? I don’t even know?
Which; this brings us to the other aspect of faith / belief. The ability to trust. This is the genuine demonstration of faith and is supernaturally imparted. I’ve known several developmentally disabled people who have not the intellectual capacity to grasp complex Scriptural doctrines; but they trust God. They firmly believe Christ redeemed them; even if they don’t understand it. I’ve also met people who don’t know a lot of Bible, but still trust Christ. (I’ve seen this a lot with immigrants who came from cultures with very little access to Scripture.)
On the flip side of this; I’ve also seen people with very high IQ’s who can accurately articulate the gospel, yet don’t trust God. So thus obviously we are not saved by having our doctrine right either! I’ve seen people who once claimed to be Christians convert to religions totally outside of belief in imparted grace. I’ve seen people who once seemed quite doctrinally sound “fall off the wagon” into some blatantly unorthodox beliefs about Christ.
The longer I’ve been a Christian; the more and more I’ve come to recognize that it is nothing but the supernatural sovereign will of God, Who keeps one “in the faith”.
The key is trust. The outcropping of trust is obedience. There are entities who acknowledge an understanding that God will take action. They “know” He is consistent. (Satan for example.) Human beings too are capable of possessing that type of knowledge. Yet that knowledge does not produce redemptive faith, for the Scriptures declare “
Thou believe that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:9)
Note the devils tremble! They understand the consequence of what is “coming down the pike” for their disobedience; whereas humans make up all kinds of excuses and justifications for their lack of obedience. And this is why “Faith without works is dead”. You tell me you have faith? I prove what redemptive faith is by the “works” (both internal fruit of the Spirit, as well as external labor of declaring the truth) evident in my life.
BELIEF = (Same root word as faith):
1 Peter 1:21
Who by Him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory;
that your faith and hope might be in God.
The origin of belief stated here is from Christ. The “object” is to “believe in God”. As a result of what Christ did; God “raised him from the dead and gave him glory”. The end result of Christ’s resurrection and being given glory (which part of “being glorified” is to have authority) is that believers have faith and hope in God.
FAITH originates with God.
1 Samuel 26:23
The Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed.
Although this is in context of a battle; yet Samuel is still acknowledging the action of God is the origin of the end result; to which he names God’s “faithfulness”. “Fidelity” is to show loyalty to something; to see it through to the end. To have faith; (to believe God) is also to have loyalty that sees action through to the end. James says “Faith without works is dead”; which means the evidence of faith is showed forth by action. The proof to the individual that God has indeed instilled genuine saving faith is that they persevere to the end. This is the “P” in “TULIP”. Perseverance of the saints.
Romans 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.
Two things about this passage:
1. Paul states grace is given to him; according as God has dealt “the measure of faith”. Both statements demonstrating the origin of given substance (grace and faith) is God.
2. Because God is the one who deals “the measure of faith”; should no-one think more highly of himself than he ought. (I.E. believing the “origin of faith came from self”!) One who truly understands the origin of faith, thinks soberly because they know God is the one who’s dealt this “measure of faith”.
Now what does “dealt every man” the measure of faith mean? We know it does not mean God has dealt saving faith to all of humanity. That is obvious by the fact that not all humanity believes. So, every man who possesses this “measure of faith” is confined only to those how actually demonstrate this measure of faith. (Refer back to what “belief / faith” actually is; to trust God.)
Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,
but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that
we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
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.
These two passages note that “faith” is “of Christ”. Keep that in mind as it relates to “works”; because in a later passage we will see that “to have faith” is actually “a work”.
Galatians 3:2
This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Galatians 3:5
He therefore that ministers to you the Spirit, and works miracles among you,
does he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Note the nuance of the phrase used in these two verses “the hearing of faith”. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:7) These two verses are cluing us into the fact that faith is not “mustered up” from within the individual. No, faith comes by “hearing”. And how does “hearing” come? Hearing comes by the “Word of God”.
Now ultimately what (or Who) is the “Word of God”? Christ is the “Word of God”. And this is why these passages here in Galatians speak of the “faith of Christ” being the origin of one’s belief.
Galatians 3:22
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin,
that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
And here is the “reverse reason” of this. The “faith of Christ” is given to “them that believe” because “all are concluded under sin”. Remember the definition of “faith / belief” is to trust God. God told Adam and Eve not to eat this particular fruit. Yet they did it anyways. This demonstrated their lack of faith. (I.E. they didn’t trust God.)
Now this creates a very interesting nuance in understanding the fall. Adam and Eve had not to that point committed any sin, nor were they subject to corruption. So their wills were still free to obey. Yet note the end result; they didn’t obey! Now why is that? This is because redemptive faith (the supernatural ability to trust God) was not inherent in their originally created state. If it had been, there never would have been a fall.
Redemptive faith is granted to someone predicated upon their sin being atoned for. So thus the necessity of “sin entering in” in order for the atonement to be enacted. This (redemptive faith) is compared in juxtaposed to being created in the image of God; which makes men accountable for their sin because of our inherent understanding of moral right and wrong. Those who endure God’s wrath because of their sin, are judged based on that inherent understanding of right and wrong. This is why these are the “wages of sin” that have been earned; yet grace is a “free gift” (to the sinner) of God.
It won’t no “free gift” to Christ though!
Ephesians 3:12
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence
by the faith of Him.
Philippians 3:9
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law,
but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Note this verse; “righteousness”… “through the faith of Christ”… which is “of God by faith”. Anyone who has redemptive faith only possesses it because of the faithfulness of Christ. This is why this faith is “of God”. And if there is any question as to the correct interpretation of
this verse; look at the next one!
Colossians 2:12
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also
ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
The “faith of the operation of God”. Because of the redemptive plan, again is the only reason anyone trusts God. (I.E. has redemptive faith.)
Jude 3
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and
exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Note “faith” isn’t mustered up by the saints; it’s delivered to us!
Faith is a work:
1 Thessalonians 1:3
Remembering without ceasing
your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
II Thessalonians 1:11
Wherefore also we pray always for you,
that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power:
Note what God is “fulfilling”! The “good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power”!
This is why Scripture also states “Being confident of this very thing,
that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6)
This is the hope of the saints; that God will faithfully complete what He has started in our lives; because we know on account of our weakness in the flesh that we can’t. That is trust in God who’s enacted (and sustains) redemptive faith.