Is Faith a Good Work?
Ok, so I'm blogging on a good buddy's site the other day and made the statement (paraphrased I'm sure), "surely saying a prayer - or even 'trusting' in God for that matter, cannot save us as they are both works." To which I received an unsolicited reprimand from one to whom I was not addressing akin to: (again paraphrased) "I'm a bit lost as to how someone is supposed to be saved prior to being justified". So, being the intellectual and theological babe that I am, I began to think - I mean REALLY think - about what exactly I believe faith to be and what, exactly, I think faith accomplishes.
To what faith is first: according to Heb. 11: 1, faith is "the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." and in Heb. 11:3, by faith we "understand" things of a spiritual nature that the natural man cannot understand (I Cor. 2:14). So, then, faith is a supernatural ability to understand things of a spiritual nature which blossoms into a supernatural hope and trust in Christ, God, and an assurance in God's sovereign ability to accomplish what the Bible says He will accomplish - which would include things personal (Rom. 8:28 for example) as well as things eschatological (where we go when we die for example). I think, to this point, I will be in general agreement with my 'choice' brethren - even those who are quick to reprimand me for my ideas regarding faith.
So, then, I know what I believe faith to be, but (1) how do I 'get' this faith, and (2) what does this type of faith accomplish? I will address first what I think faith accomplishes. There are numerous places in the Bible that imply that faith results in justification. Rom. 5:1 is a shining example of such doctrine. This presents a dilemna, however. If I believe that salvation is based on nothing more than God's unmerited favor toward me - and that I can do nothing to advance my salvation save for God's 'special' grace, and yet I believe that I am justified by faith, then I MUST believe that faith is not a 'work' in the sense that it is something I 'bring' to the salvation table. So, then, where does this faith come from? Is it something that I 'work up' within myself or is it something that God graciously gives to His elect? Rom. 5:1 says we are justified by our faith, but Rom. 5:9 says we are justified by His blood; are the two related? Can we be justified by two different things, or are the two things inseperately related? I believe they are related. I believe we are justified by His blood and the evidence of such is our faith which we have because of God's regenerating grace bestowed on his elect.
Eph. 2:8,9 says, "for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of works lest any man should boast; it is the gift of God." This passage raises at least two questions for me. (1) what does 'that' refer to (i.e. and THAT not of works), grace or faith?, and (2) what is the 'gift of God', faith or grace? For the longest time I believed that 'that' referred to faith, but I have come to believe it refers to grace. So, to restate the sentance in a manner which reflects where I'm at in my walk, "For by grace I have been saved through faith, and that grace is not of works." You see, the 'grace' that saves me also affords in me the ability to respond to God in faith - by which I know that I am justified. Does that make sense? And what is the free gift? It is the ability to believe.
So, then, the crux of this post is whether I believe that faith comes before regeneration or regeneration comes before faith. If faith comes before regeneration, it is something that I 'work up' on my own and is thus a work - and salvation is NOT by works. If, however, regeneration comes before faith, then faith is something that I have - in response to God's supernatural work of 'replacing my heart of stone with a heart of flesh'. And, the more I've studied the subject, the more great theologians I've found who adhered to the doctrine of 'reneration before faith'. This group obviously includes Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Spurgeon, and Sproul, but - much to my intrigue - the great Catholic theologians Augustine and Aquinas.
Grace and peace to all,
Posttinebraelux
To what faith is first: according to Heb. 11: 1, faith is "the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen." and in Heb. 11:3, by faith we "understand" things of a spiritual nature that the natural man cannot understand (I Cor. 2:14). So, then, faith is a supernatural ability to understand things of a spiritual nature which blossoms into a supernatural hope and trust in Christ, God, and an assurance in God's sovereign ability to accomplish what the Bible says He will accomplish - which would include things personal (Rom. 8:28 for example) as well as things eschatological (where we go when we die for example). I think, to this point, I will be in general agreement with my 'choice' brethren - even those who are quick to reprimand me for my ideas regarding faith.
So, then, I know what I believe faith to be, but (1) how do I 'get' this faith, and (2) what does this type of faith accomplish? I will address first what I think faith accomplishes. There are numerous places in the Bible that imply that faith results in justification. Rom. 5:1 is a shining example of such doctrine. This presents a dilemna, however. If I believe that salvation is based on nothing more than God's unmerited favor toward me - and that I can do nothing to advance my salvation save for God's 'special' grace, and yet I believe that I am justified by faith, then I MUST believe that faith is not a 'work' in the sense that it is something I 'bring' to the salvation table. So, then, where does this faith come from? Is it something that I 'work up' within myself or is it something that God graciously gives to His elect? Rom. 5:1 says we are justified by our faith, but Rom. 5:9 says we are justified by His blood; are the two related? Can we be justified by two different things, or are the two things inseperately related? I believe they are related. I believe we are justified by His blood and the evidence of such is our faith which we have because of God's regenerating grace bestowed on his elect.
Eph. 2:8,9 says, "for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of works lest any man should boast; it is the gift of God." This passage raises at least two questions for me. (1) what does 'that' refer to (i.e. and THAT not of works), grace or faith?, and (2) what is the 'gift of God', faith or grace? For the longest time I believed that 'that' referred to faith, but I have come to believe it refers to grace. So, to restate the sentance in a manner which reflects where I'm at in my walk, "For by grace I have been saved through faith, and that grace is not of works." You see, the 'grace' that saves me also affords in me the ability to respond to God in faith - by which I know that I am justified. Does that make sense? And what is the free gift? It is the ability to believe.
So, then, the crux of this post is whether I believe that faith comes before regeneration or regeneration comes before faith. If faith comes before regeneration, it is something that I 'work up' on my own and is thus a work - and salvation is NOT by works. If, however, regeneration comes before faith, then faith is something that I have - in response to God's supernatural work of 'replacing my heart of stone with a heart of flesh'. And, the more I've studied the subject, the more great theologians I've found who adhered to the doctrine of 'reneration before faith'. This group obviously includes Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Spurgeon, and Sproul, but - much to my intrigue - the great Catholic theologians Augustine and Aquinas.
Grace and peace to all,
Posttinebraelux
posted by posttinebraelux | 8:16 AM
4 Comments:
Absolutley regeneration precedes faith, Titus 3:5-7 "he [God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
But in Eph 2 "that" refers to both faith and grace!
How wonderful it is to have right standing with the Almighty, because of the pure, imputed righteousness onto our account by the wrath-bearer, King Jesus.
Reformed Charismatic,
I'm really glad you stopped by. That's the first time I've 'seen' the part about 'washing of regeneration' in Tit. 3:6. Pretty neat. Have a great week brother.
PTL
Hello PTL,
In stopping by, I found this discussion, and some believe that the "that" of Ephesians 2:8-9 refers to the whole package of "salvation by grace through face."
Both Arminians and Calvinsts agree that grace precedes faith, yet disagree as to exactly what that grace is, whether Prevenient Grace or Irresistible Grace. If the correct answer is Irresistible Grace, as Calvinism teaches, and if Irresistible Grace is Regeneration, and if Regeneration is the New Birth of being made Born Again, and if the New Birth of being made Born Again is being made a New Creature, and if being made a New Creature is solely reserved for those in Christ, as per 2nd Corinthians 5:17, and if being "in Christ" there is no condemnation, as per Romans 8:1, then Calvinism has presupposed a doctrine of preemptive placement of the condemned unbeliever "in Christ." Non-Calvinists and Arminians have characterized this as a doctrine of being "saved before you believe," to which the Calvinist responds that Regeneration, that is, the New Birth of being made Born Again, being made into a New Creature, being "in Christ" where there is no longer any condemnation, is NOT salvation. The puzzled Arminian naturally asks how in any reasonable way could a person who is Regenerated, Born Again, a redeemed New Creature in Christ could in ANY way be deemed "lost" or "unsaved." Calvinism stresses the difference between Regeneration and Salvation, but the problem ARISES when you see what comes along WITH Regeneration, in that Salvation is virtually indistinguishable from the whole package of Regeneration, and hence the charge that Calvinism really IS a doctrine of "saved before you believe."
Richard,
Thanks for stopping by. I'm afraid I'm not following your argument. I may be showing my ignorance here, but I wouldn't hesitate one bit to say that those who are saved are 'in Christ'. In fact, I'd probably use Rom. 8:7,8 in defense of man's state before glorious regeneration (i.e. that they are at enmity with God and cannot respond to Him without being first made to be "in Christ"). You'll have to go a little slower brother....
:)
Greg Reynolds
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