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

[Albion]

..again
Its a verb .

No, it isn't.

It's not a “thing“ you have .

Yes, it is.

And this is the gift of God not of Works... What is the gift?

Belief in and trust in the Lord, just as Pheobe Ann was saying.

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

...through Faith.

But of course none of this answers the question asked--how do we know that we have been gifted in that way? It is certainly possible to sign on to a cause, adjust your manner of living in accordance with that new commitment...and not have it be saving Faith (in Christ).

 

[fhansen]

How do you define "faith"?

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

It's admittedly quite subjective-because faith is a matter between yourself and God after all. But it's all about how one is changed, how they live their lives vs the way they'd live without having heard the word, without believing in any case. And it's a struggle; the world, with its skepticism and attractions and its own set of values, will constantly challenge and test whether or not our faith is really worth its salt. Don't let anyone tell you that their faith is absolutely bullet-proof, or so strong that they have 100% certainty in salvation. Here we only know in part: "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Cor 13

But that's what makes it such an awesome journey! We must respond to God's calling, and continue to contribute to and participate in "owning" our faith so to speak-that's what He wants from us in fact. It's not always easy to do the right thing. Someone once said that integrity is to do the right thing even when no one's looking. So God "hides" Himself in a sense, even though He's always here, even though we can't "live and move and have our being" without Him (Acts 17:28).

Faith, to speak very broadly, is ultimately to believe in goodness and love and truth and justice and meaning and purpose at their most basic levels-that these things are foundational to our universe-and that we're to align ourselves with them, with Him. And as we do, cooperating with His grace, we experience Him more and more deeply, and receive even more grace, grace sort of producing grace, and therefore stronger faith. But it's a relationship first of all between us and Him, and He'll never force us to enter it, or remain in it.

 

[Halbhh]

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

Then having it, from the source, as that says, then you have the real thing, to the OP question.

 

[Alithis]

No, it isn't.



Yes, it is.



Belief in and trust in the Lord, just as Pheobe Ann was saying.

...through Faith.

But of course none of this answers the question asked--how do we know that we have been gifted in that way? It is certainly possible to sign on to a cause, adjust your manner of living in accordance with that new commitment...and not have it be saving Faith (in Christ).

This is why you never see the power of God at work..
Faith is the action you take based upon what you believe.
You don't seem to believe anything about God or what he has said.So you don't act on it and you see the result of that..being nothing.
Thecwordxtranskated Faith is the name of an action .it is a noun in one tense and a verb in another.
You know when you have faith because you have done an action based upon true belief.
Go read the “faith chapter“ in Hebrews and you will notice every person listed is in that list not because of a thing they have.but because of an action they took.

 

[Albion]

This is why you never see the power of God at work..

I have seen it working on many occasions.

 

[GingerBeer]

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.

That's an interesting perspective. Do you think that faith is given at a specific stage or age? Or is it given case by case without any specific stage or age being reached?

 

[bling]

That's an interesting perspective. Do you think that faith is given at a specific stage or age? Or is it given case by case without any specific stage or age being reached?

Case by case. As we mature past instinctive behavior (animals do not need any faith).

 

[Alithis]

I have seen it working on many occasions.

Really

 

[GingerBeer]

But of course none of this answers the question asked--how do we know that we have been gifted in that way? It is certainly possible to sign on to a cause, adjust your manner of living in accordance with that new commitment...and not have it be saving Faith (in Christ).

You're right. I asked how a person knows that he/she has faith - both believing what God says and trusting God so that he/she acts on what God says. The scriptures warn about self deception.

When one of you has a grievance against a brother, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, matters pertaining to this life! If then you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who are least esteemed by the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between members of the brotherhood, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud, and that even your own brethren. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10
​

 

[Alithis]

You're right. I asked how a person knows that he/she has faith - both believing what God says and trusting God so that he/she acts on what God says. The scriptures warn about self deception.

When one of you has a grievance against a brother, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, matters pertaining to this life! If then you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who are least esteemed by the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between members of the brotherhood, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud, and that even your own brethren. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:5-10
​

Go to Hebrews 11 it has a list of people who has faith... And it list how it is known they had faith..
It was by the action they did.

The word Faith is the name of an action.
Yes it bursts a lot of people nice little bubble to realize that.
They think of I have a nice warm feeling in my heart that I believe God then I have faith in him.
But they say they believe but never Do what he says..then it is being a heater and not a doer..it is self deception.

Observe the most basic commands of the great commission..Go heal the sick .. Yet so very very few believe that in action..only I empty words. They say They have faith but thier lack of obedient action displays no faith at all.

 

[Ron Gurley]

To me, "Belief" and "Faith" as used in the New Testament are almost identical in meaning and synonomous.

"Believe" occurs 152 times in 140 verses in the NASB...mostly in the NT.

G4103 pistos ~= faithful, believe, believing, true, faithfully, believer, sure
G4100 pisteuo = ~believe, commit unto, commit to (one's) trust, be committed unto, be put in trust with, be commited to one's trust, believer

John 1:12 (NASB)
...But as many as RECEIVED Him (spiritually!), to them He gave the right to become children of God ,
even to those who BELIEVE (G4100) in His NAME,...

Romans 10:9,13-15 (NASB)
...that IF you confess (agree with God) with your mouth (mind) Jesus as LORD, AND
BELIEVE (G4100) in your heart (spirit) that God (the Father) raised Him (God the Son) from the dead,
you will (certain to) be SAVED (from eternal spiritual separation);
....for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not BELIEVED?
How will they BELIEVE in Him whom they have not heard?
And how will they hear without a preacher?
How will they preach unless they are sent?

"Faith" occurs 250 times in 232 verses in the NASB ...all but 4 verses in the NT.

G4102 pistis (pe'-stes) = ~faith, assurance, believe, belief, them that believe, fidelity

Hebrews 11 (NASB) ...Biblical examples of The Triumphs of FAITH...DEFINITIONS and EXAMPLES

1. Now FAITH is the (spiritual) assurance of things HOPED for,
the CONVICTION of things (+ truths) not seen.(nor proven!)
For by it (faith) the "men of old" (OT heroes) gained approval. ( AND mankind today gains salvation)

John 6: 28-29
28 Then they (disciples) asked him, "What must we do to do the WORKS God requires?"
29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to BELIEVE in the one he has sent." ...

John 3 ...extracts...Jesus to the inquiring Nicodemus
'You must be born again (spiritually).'
The wind blows wherever it pleases.
You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit....(NEED fulfilled...a NEW LIFE... CHANGED SPIRIT)
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert,
so the Son of Man must be lifted up, (crucified ?)
that everyone who BELIEVES in him may have eternal life.

Ephesians 2 ...Made Alive in Christ
1 As for you (believers), you WERE dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the "ruler of the kingdom of the air", (devil)
the (anti-christ)spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh ("sin nature")
and following its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest, we were BY (spiritual) NATURE deserving of wrath.
4 But because of His great (unconditional) love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions
—it is by grace you HAVE BEEN saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,(spiritual position)
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,
expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8 For it is by (undeserved) Grace you have been saved, THROUGH (spirit-led) FAITH—
and this (FAITH) is not from yourselves,
it is the GIFT of God—
9 NOT by "works", so that no one can boast.(of their own FAITH or WORKS!)
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus TO DO (unto) "good works",
which God prepared in advance for us to do.(will of God)

I adapt and rely on an excellent Bible scholar's statement:

"The CONDITION(S) for SALVATION...
Salvation is conditioned solely on FAITH/(BELIEF) in Jesus The Christ.("repentance" may be a SYNONYM when understood to be a spiritual "re-thinking" and a "turning around")
Nearly 200 times FAITH (or BELIEF) is stated as the single condition in the New Testament.
That FAITH must be placed in The Christ as one's substutute FOR and Savior FROM sin (/sins)...
There are some FALSE additions to FAITH...
e.g. ritual water baptism, repentance by works, confession / purification, lordship, etc
REF: Ryrie Study Bible...expanded NASB...p. 2073

(Jesus to sinful woman):.... "Your FAITH has saved YOU; go in peace."...>Luke 7:50

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that (faith) not of yourselves, it is the (spiritual) gift of God;

 

[Ron Gurley]

OP: ...Q1:..."If (spiritual) FAITH is a "gift from God"...

Q2:...then how do you know you have it (spiritual) FAITH?

A1: IT IS!!. SEE: Ephesians 2!

A2: A John 3 spiritually changed life!

God knows each of Man's spirits who truly seek. He ignores no Man. God spiritually draws / calls. Man has spiritual "free will" to accept / reject Him and His provisions for salvation.

John 6:44
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;
and I will raise him up on the last day.

Ephesians 2:5
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
MADE us (spiritually) ALIVE together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved),

Matthew 7:8
For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks it will be opened.

God "wants" all to be saved. The all everything God "needs" nothing!
If anyone truly and spiritually seeks God.
Jesus the God-Man will be revealed to him.

1 Chronicles 28:9...King David to his son in transferring the "kingdom.
“As for you, my son Solomon,
know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind;
for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts.
If you seek Him, He will let you find Him;
BUT if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

 

[shakewell]

If faith is a gift from God ...

Faith is only a gift from God in the sense of being a human is a gift from God. All humans have faith. Faith is part of our created anthropological make-up.

... then how do you know you have it?

Have you ever sat down in a chair? If you have, then you have faith.

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?

That sounds like pitting certainty of faith against self deception and over confidence. Here are some verses that seem to bear out that they both exist at the same time in the same person:

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark 9:24
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed ... Luke 17:5,6
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly ... 2 Thessalonians 1:3
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith ... Hebrews 12:2​

Since faith (in Christ as your personal Savior) comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17), one should not focus on the existence of their faith but focus on the word of God.

God's promises in His Word is where assurance of salvation comes from.

 

[Albion]

Faith is only a gift from God in the sense of being a human is a gift from God. All humans have faith. Faith is part of our created anthropological make-up.

When we say "Faith" it's short for "Faith in Christ and his atoning work."

 

[bling]

When we say "Faith" it's short for "Faith in Christ and his atoning work."

The Bible does not always use the word "faith" to mean "Faith in Christ and his atoning work.", so why must we?
Saving faith is not the same as just "faith".

 

[Albion]

You'd better give me/us some examples, i.e. Bible verses, of what you are thinking of there .

 

[Geralt]

faith is a human response, to depend on someone else for help. it is more than 'believing' , it is 'depending'. you not only believe on the object of your faith, you expect it to 'respond' in turn to answer your call for help or need.

everyone (believer or not) , one way or another, will need to have faith of something or someone to help them out in the course of their life.

"faith" is NOT a gift, as it is part of human ability.

"Faith In God" however is a gift, given that no one will have 'faith in God' UNLESS God reveals himself to the person (1Cor2). in true terms, no one will have faith on something they "do not understand". Thus the necessity of "true understanding" on the object of your faith, precedes you from having faith on your object. This is why the whole 'faith in God', in the true biblical sense, is impossible for the natural man. It only is true for the spiritual man, who in this case is granted spiritual understanding (revelation) compelling him to depend (have faith) in God.

 

[sdowney717]

faith is a human response, to depend on someone else for help. it is more than 'believing' , it is 'depending'. you not only believe on the object of your faith, you expect it to 'respond' in turn to answer your call for help or need.

everyone (believer or not) , one way or another, will need to have faith of something or someone to help them out in the course of their life.

"faith" is NOT a gift, as it is part of human ability.

"Faith In God" however is a gift, given that no one will have 'faith in God' UNLESS God reveals himself to the person (1Cor2). in true terms, no one will have faith on something they "do not understand". Thus the necessity of "true understanding" on the object of your faith, precedes you from having faith on your object. This is why the whole 'faith in God', in the true biblical sense, is impossible for the natural man. It only is true for the spiritual man, who in this case is granted spiritual understanding (revelation) compelling him to depend (have faith) in God.

Agree, you can not say Jesus is LORD, except by the HOLY SPIRIT.
If you say Jesus is LORD, then you have already believed in Him from the heart because the Holy Spirit has given you a heart of flesh (living heart) and removed from you the heart of stone (the dead heart), so that you then respond positively to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will not teach dead men anything.. We are His workmanship, for by grace are you saved by faith not of yourselves being the gift of God.

 

[bling]

You'd better give me/us some examples, i.e. Bible verses, of what you are thinking of there .

OK, but you have to also understand faith, faithfulness and believe are the same Greek word:


Judges 9:16 “Have you acted honorably and in good faith by making…

1 Kings 10:7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard.

Proverbs 14:15 The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.

Matthew 27:42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.

John 12:42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;

Acts 9:26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.

Acts 23:8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

Acts 26:27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

1 Corinthians 11:18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.

Galatians 2:4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.

2 Thessalonians 2:11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie


James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

1 John 4:1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

 

[Danthemailman]

Ephesians 2:8 (AMPC) - For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;

9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

Romans 12:3 - 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.

1 Corinthians 12:9 - to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit.

God has granted a differing measure of faith to His children. I don't see this as saving faith in Christ that all Christians have, since Paul implies that there are some in the body of Christ who have it and others don't. I see this "measure of faith" as a special endowment of faith to accomplish certain tasks in ministry.