Is faith a responsibility or a gift?

[mama2one]

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

For we live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
James 1:3

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9


For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17


I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set my heart on your laws.
Psalms 119:30

^ both?

 

[fhansen]

GENUINE FAITH is an absolute GIFT. If it was a RESPONSIBILITY, it would be works righteousness.

Faith, itself, is a matter of justice. Man is meant to know and believe in God and his world falls into a state of relative chaos, disorder, sin, injustice when man departs from Him, which is essentially what Adam did, departed from Him, that is, as Adam became his own "god" for all practical purposes. Adam's act of disobedience was as much an act of unbelief as anything else-he literally disbelieved in God. Faith is both a gift and an obligation, a choice, by man to accept and embrace and act upon that gift. When God comes knocking we are not forced to open the door and let Him in, or to contnue to dwell with Him once He comes inside. Anyway faith re-establishes realtionship, right relationship, between man and God.

 

[VCO]

Faith a Gift of God? – Ephesians 2:8 Reconsidered
July 1, 1989 by GES Webmaster in Grace in Focus Articles
by Gary L. Nebeker

From various theological quarters it has been argued that the NT teaches that saving faith is a gift of God. One of the favorite passages cited in this connection is Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (NASB).

Is Faith a Gift of God? – Ephesians 2:8 Reconsidered – Grace Evangelical Society

That says it all, not a single bit of FAITH, do we get to Pat ourselves on the back.

 

[Fervent]

Yes. Faith is a gift received, and it entails responsibilities. It all comes from God and God is the one that sustains it, but we must avail ourselves of it. If we do not give our faith nourishment and exercise it will wither in time, perhaps become so weak we may mistakenly view it as worthless and throw it away becoming apostate. But it comes from God and is kept by God, the only thing we have to do is put it to work.

 

[Clare73]

'Seeing the light' so to speak, is a gift, yes, but then comes a choice and
we chose to have faith either in the ways of man or the ways of the Kingdom. There can be only one for we cannot serve both.

That is not orthodox Christianity.

 

[timothyu]

Kingdom is simply another way of saying governance of God. So yes He rules us from within unseen by those of the governance of man, and yes His will is eternal and definitely not of the self serving ways of man which is the foundation of our governments. Any kingdom offered by the Jews would be anti-governance of God (and yet gentile Christianity jumped at the chance with Rome and all else after).

 

[Clare73]

Kingdom is simply another way of saying governance of God. So yes He rules us from within unseen by those of the governance of man, and yes His will is eternal and definitely not of the self serving ways of man which is the foundation of our governments. Any kingdom offered by the Jews would be anti-governance of God (and yet gentile Christianity jumped at the chance with Rome and all else after).

Not in the NT. That is not orthodox Christianity.

The NT one and only everlasting kingdom of God is the Church, in whose hearts Jesus reigns and rules, including the OT and the NT saints (Hebrew 12:23).

 

[timothyu]

Not in the NT. That is not orthodox Christianity.

Oh good grief.
Jesus' Gospel of the Kingdom was about the Father coming to live and rule among mankind once again. That is governance. That was the entire purpose of original Christianity to teach. Orthodox indeed.

 

[Clare73]

Oh good grief.
Jesus' Gospel of the Kingdom was about the Father coming to live and rule among mankind once again. That is governance.
That was the entire purpose of original Christianity to teach. Orthodox indeed.

Nope. . .that is not the gospel.

The gospel is Jesus came to die as a ransom for the sin of many (Matthew 20:28).

Yours is not orthodox Christianity.

 

[timothyu]

The gospel is Jesus came to die as a ransom for the sin of many

By establishing the Kingdom, yes. Don't confuse orthodoxy in scripture with the tenets of institutionalized religion. Institutional Christianity doesn't want us to focus on the Kingdom, simply because it itself focuses on the world.

 

[Clare73]

By establishing the Kingdom, yes. Don't confuse orthodoxy in scripture with the tenets of institutionalized religion. Institutional Christianity doesn't want us to focus on the Kingdom, simply because it itself focuses on the world.

Jesus' death was not the result of "establishing the kingdom."

Yours is not orthodox Christianity.

 

[timothyu]

Jesus' death was not the result of "establishing the kingdom."

Never said it was. Vice versa.

 

[VCO]

Luke 16:14-15 (HCSB)
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and scoffing at Him.
15 And He told them: “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.

2 Timothy 1:9 (HCSB)
9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.


Predestination
Predestination, in Christian theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Wikipedia


Titus 3:5-7 (HCSB)
5 He saved us— not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
6 He poured out this ⌊Spirit⌋ on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.

2 Corinthians 3:5(HCSB)
5 ⌊It is⌋ not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.

Philippians 1:6 (HCSB)
6 I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NJB)
8 Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God;
9 not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit.

Ephesians 1:11-14 (HCSB)
11 We have also received an inheritance in Him, predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will,
12 so that we who had already put our hope in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory.
13 When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
14 He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.

Romans 8:29-30 (ESV)
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.


SO much for freedom to chose. He gave us the power to chose the way to HE wanted us to CHOOSE.