Faith: How does a person get it

[Jermayn]

The Bible says unless a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour they are separated from God.

How exactly does this faith in Christ come about, from scripture. "Soul winners" will knock on people's door or go out street preaching the message "believe in Jesus" and I agree faith is needed. The question is: How do we do that? Specifically how can a lost person get faith in Jesus?

I've found that this is literally true -- it works just as it says:

Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

As Christ explained (to us all!) in Mark chapter 4, the Word is the seed, that sprouts into faith. ( I suggest to read the full chapter)

As He tells us in this chapter, we don't know how and when the seed grows. That part isn't at all from us. But the seed, the Word, is the necessary thing. When Christ went in spirit and made proclamation to the spirits in prison (1rst Peter chapter 3), they could hear the Word, if they were willing, these in 'prison' who had already passed from this mortal world.

The second quote is the answer to your question. Good job Halbhh.

 

[Aussie Pete]

The Bible says unless a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour they are separated from God.

How exactly does this faith in Christ come about, from scripture. "Soul winners" will knock on people's door or go out street preaching the message "believe in Jesus" and I agree faith is needed. The question is: How do we do that? Specifically how can a lost person get faith in Jesus?

Romans 10:
16But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

When the real gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit can bring conviction of sin to the one who will listen to the preaching. If the person is convicted, he/she may cry out, "What must I do?" as I did nearly 50 years ago. Unless the Word is preached, there will be no conviction and therefore no salvation - God saves sinners!

Faith comes when the person sees the truth that Lord Jesus died for their sins. It's not a mental understanding. It is a deep down, heart-knowing that effects a change of attitude. What I once loved I realised was keeping me separated from God. I have to admit that I was scared into God's kingdom. I feared being shut out of heaven. A revelation of God's love keeps me going day by day.

Faith begins at that first encounter with the Saviour. Faith is added as we receive revelation throughout our lives. It comes the same way - by God's word as revealed by the Holy Spirit. Those who diligently seek the Lord will grow in faith. Those who are spiritually lazy and apathetic stay immature and their growth is stunted. The parable of the sower applies throughout our lives. The honest heart is fruitful. Hard hearts, shallow hearts and hearts overly concerned with the world. God works in the heart of believers to make them more receptive to His word.

 

[Guojing]

The Bible says unless a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour they are separated from God.

How exactly does this faith in Christ come about, from scripture. "Soul winners" will knock on people's door or go out street preaching the message "believe in Jesus" and I agree faith is needed. The question is: How do we do that? Specifically how can a lost person get faith in Jesus?

You lean more toward TULIP?

 

[bottoWordx]

Faith comes from God.

 

[April_Rose]

For me, it was receiving the Holy Spirit. I asked God for it.

The order you gave me was spirit then call.

So you were regenerated before you had faith?

Oh my gosh is that The Doctor!? 0__0

 

[bottoWordx]

Romans 10:17
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

[bling]

The Bible says unless a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour they are separated from God.

How exactly does this faith in Christ come about, from scripture. "Soul winners" will knock on people's door or go out street preaching the message "believe in Jesus" and I agree faith is needed. The question is: How do we do that? Specifically how can a lost person get faith in Jesus?

A saving faith which allows you to be a child of God is a gift from God given to some and not others, so the question might be better asked: “What can a person do to obtain such a faith, since not everyone obtains this faith?”

Every unbelieving sinner has some God given “natural” faith, which allows him/her to trust in idols for one thing. Since a person has to be a real fool not to believe in a god and it takes great faith to believe God does not exist it takes very little “natural” faith to believe a benevolent God does exist. Since the lowliest mature adult on earth can believe in the existence of a benevolent Creator, it is a humbly experience to trust in a benevolent Creator. This humility does seem great enough for the sinner to accept from his hated enemy undeserved charity (love). Just the wiliness to accept pure undeserved charity in the form of forgiveness allow God to shower that person with unbelievable wonderful gifts, including a saving faith.

 

[Paul4JC]

How exactly does this faith in Christ come about, from scripture. "Soul winners" will knock on people's door or go out street preaching the message "believe in Jesus" and I agree faith is needed. The question is: How do we do that? Specifically how can a lost person get faith in Jesus?

So reading bible verses is what convinced you god existed and how you got saved? Is this correct?

I agree with "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. [Rom 10:17 ESV] but I would add to that...

[John 6:63 NIV 1984] 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

Long story short...I came to Christ through reading the Gospel of John about 36 years ago (No human contact/witness except incidental). So though I love all the word of God, the Gospels have preeminence for me.

 

[JacksBratt]

The Bible says unless a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour they are separated from God.

How exactly does this faith in Christ come about, from scripture. "Soul winners" will knock on people's door or go out street preaching the message "believe in Jesus" and I agree faith is needed. The question is: How do we do that? Specifically how can a lost person get faith in Jesus?

Romans10:17 “... Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God”, gives us knowledge on how faith comes, by taking in God’s word.

 

[PaulCyp1]

God always answers our prayers. We do not start out having full faith in Him. Faith grows over time as our relationship and communication with God gradually grows. How do we start? Just by offering a simple prayer to God in our own words. Even the "Agnostic's Prayer" will do ... "Dear God, if there is a God, save my soul, if I have a soul". The results will amaze you.

 

[lsume]

The Bible says unless a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour they are separated from God.

How exactly does this faith in Christ come about, from scripture. "Soul winners" will knock on people's door or go out street preaching the message "believe in Jesus" and I agree faith is needed. The question is: How do we do that? Specifically how can a lost person get faith in Jesus?

You take a step of faith by inviting Christ to save you. Your obedience is a measure of your faith. Continue knowing that if you continue to seek you will find.

 

[returntosender]

Trials, through faith in God to get you through your trials.

 

[Dave L]

The Bible says unless a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour they are separated from God.

How exactly does this faith in Christ come about, from scripture. "Soul winners" will knock on people's door or go out street preaching the message "believe in Jesus" and I agree faith is needed. The question is: How do we do that? Specifically how can a lost person get faith in Jesus?

Faith works by love. Make love your motive in all you think, say, and do, and faith will grow.
“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.” Galatians 5:6 (NCPB)

 

[Tony B]

I've found that this is literally true -- it works just as it says:

Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

As Christ explained (to us all!) in Mark chapter 4, the Word is the seed, that sprouts into faith. ( I suggest to read the full chapter)

As He tells us in this chapter, we don't know how and when the seed grows. That part isn't at all from us. But the seed, the Word, is the necessary thing. When Christ went in spirit and made proclamation to the spirits in prison (1rst Peter chapter 3), they could hear the Word, if they were willing, these in 'prison' who had already passed from this mortal world.

Yep, that’s what happened to me too. Started reading the Bible for the first time at age 35 (was born into a traditional Catholic environment and we only read the catechism or what was fed out by the parish priest or nuns, no Bible). I was searching for what life is all about and how it should be lived, and thought I should see what the Bible says on the matter. So I bought a Christian Bible and at home I started reading from John’s Gospel, and all of a sudden I understood the meaning and need for salvation, and how that salvation was offered to me by God as a gift. That was my born again experience. It was as if the shutters of ignorance were lifted of my eyes and heart.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

The Bible says unless a person believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour they are separated from God.

How exactly does this faith in Christ come about, from scripture. "Soul winners" will knock on people's door or go out street preaching the message "believe in Jesus" and I agree faith is needed. The question is: How do we do that? Specifically how can a lost person get faith in Jesus?

Faith is by hearing.

Romans 10:17
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

I can personally attest to this. I heard about Jesus Christ of Nazareth as a child and that is when I started to believe and have faith. The power of the Holy Spirit came later in life as an adult.
Be blessed.

 

[eleos1954]

Are you saying faith is a gift that saves,by itself,then things are added to make us stronger or are you saying there is a multitude of things at work assisting the gift of faith?

Romans 12:3
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

All gifts come through the Holy Spirit. The Lord knows the heart. He meets people where they are .... seems to me there are different types or levels of faith.

One first needs a basic faith to take steps towards Christ in the first place. ie
I stand at the door and knock .... one needs to answer and open that door.

Once that door is opened ... then the Holy Spirit moves in the believer to learn about the Lord through His Word ... no doubt as one studies continuously faith is increased through knowledge.

Saving is up to the Lord ... really who are we to say? Judgement is up to the Lord ... who are we to say?

Like I said ... only He knows the heart (the secret things).

We discuss and pass along scripture to people ... how they use and/or respond to that knowledge ... or not ... is through each one's personal relationship with the Lord ... much of that relationship however does come through His word.

John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Believe and obey.

 

[rturner76]

Yeah that's true and sometimes it is the other way round. We are told very simply to believe in Jesus and it is up to us to do it,when I started to examine the scripture for these instructions so I could help others follow Jesus,they are not there. Not in learnable detail. Why is that?

It's all right here

Matthew 25:34-40 is what I look to for instructions on how to love for God. Notice it doesn't say "bow down to me and worship me" It seems to be more important to show love to your neighbor that
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

This passage basically is the blueprint of what makes someone act like a Christian. I don't think it is as simple as "believe and receive" and that's all you need to do.

Matthew 16:24-25 says
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

So similar to the earlier passage, being a Christian means self sacrifice. Denying your sinful desires and "take up your cross" meaning:

John 15:12-13
12This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

So it's not just about accepting Christ but loving your neighbor to the death is the ultimate denial of self for others. That is the Christian way. To sacrifice yourself, your comfort, your time, your compassion, even your life if need be but deny your personal desires and desire to help and love your fellow man.

For "faith without works is dead" as Saint James tells us.

 

[All Glory To God]

From the Lutheran perspective this is a discussion between the "Ordered Power" or "Ordered Means" of God in contrast to the "Absolute Power" or "Absolute Means" of God. Luther himself addresses this--and, in fact, exactly in the context of miscarriages--and uses the story of Daniel's three companions in the fiery furnace to illustrate this distinction. Namely, that by God's ordered power and means, fire burns; and yet the fire in the fiery furnace didn't so much as singe a single hair on Daniel's companions--this because of God's absolute power.

As Christians we are called to confess God's ordered power and means--for this reason we preach the Gospel, administer the Sacraments, because of what God has said to us through the Scriptures concerning these as His Means of Grace. This does not mean that we get to dictate to God what He can and cannot do--for by God's absolute power He may do whatever He so pleases. Thus when we speak of God's revealed means and the necessity thereof--for example that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ, and it is through this gift of faith that we are freely justified by God's grace on account of Christ's all-sufficient work--we are not saying that everyone who has never heard the Gospel is damned. We do not mean that unbaptized infants are damned. We do not mean that children lost in miscarriage or through a tragic accident in childbirth are damned. We are not daring to speak of God's absolute power, His absolute means, His absolute will and what He shall ultimately do--we speak instead of what God has said to us, and given us. That Christ has charged the Church with the preaching of the word, and that this word is living and active, it is not inert, but actually causes to be what it promises: That this preaching of the Gospel actually results in conversion. Not through the will of man, not through the ability of man, but by the ordered power of God through His own Gospel word to sinners, God accomplishes that which He has promised.

Thus here through God's ordered means of grace, Word and Sacrament, God accomplishes that which He has promised to accomplish.

Outside of that, that is a matter of God's absolute power and means, and we leave that entirely to God. Believing and trusting in His mercy, grace, justice, and kindness as He has shown Himself to be.

-CryptoLutheran

The thing that confuses me about Lutheranism is it claims to be monergistic but at the same time shows sighs of God working in partnership with human creation. Like sacraments,this leads onto ''coopering'' with Gods will,therefore it is not monergistic. I will have to confess I am not too familiar with Lutheranism but it is complicated.

The obvious question is then how would a person have faith in Christ to do the sacraments to begin with?

 

[All Glory To God]

Isn't that different for everybody? I sought the truth. Strange things started to happen and at some point I believed the Bible was true. I got home one day from work realizing I was on my way to destruction. I prayed to God for forgiveness and I got born again.

Basically three things need to happen:

1. Start to believe the Bible is true. This understanding can come about in different ways.
2. Understanding you are lost.
3. Give your life to Jesus

So if you were preaching the gospel, the message you would give to an unsaved person is ''Start to believe the Bible is true. This understanding can come about in different ways''?

I don't think this doesn't really give much guidance,it's just a commandment.

 

[All Glory To God]

Each of us is given the measure of faith "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."

And faith comes by hearing hearing by the word of God... thats it. Christ is real.. that word is alive. One has to work their faith. With out faith its impossible to please God. He calls those things that be not as though they were...faith. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We must work our faith. So surprised how this is not talked about more. Much if it gets tossed at some GROUP yet the word of God is so clear on it. Like asking the Father for the holy Spirit <---shhhh. Yet John 3:16? TELL THE WORLD! Yet both Luke 13 John 3:16 go hand in hand. If its written.. believe it.. do it. He can't lie

The faith that is given is to people are already believers. We know this because Paul identifies them at the start of the chapter as ''brethren'' or fellow Christians.

Romans 12:1-3
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

John 3:16 does not tell us how to believe and that is what we are investigating.

In regard to Romans 10:17:

Two points in regard to that scripture.

1) If you believe that a person must hear the gospel to be saved,what happens to unborn people that die in the womb?

2) I interpret Romans 10:18 to mean all people have heard Gods word by his creation so the gospel is not necessary in every single case of salvation,only the saving grace of God is. If you disagree with scripture interpretation,what is your counterargument?