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USER COMMENTS BY “ FAITH. THE GIFT OF GOD. ” |
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| RECENTLY-COMMENTED SERMONS | More | Last Post | Total |
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 6/16/12 3:00 PM |
| Faith. The Gift of God. | |  |  |
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Mike wrote:
The gift called "it" of course is salvation, as Calvin understood, not faith "Faith is the special gift of God in both ways, - in purifying the mind so as to give it a relish for divine truth, and afterwards in establishing it therein. For the Spirit does not merely originate faith, but gradually increases it, until by its means he conducts us into the heavenly kingdom. "That good thing which was committed unto thee," says Paul, "keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us," (2 Tim. 1: 14.) In what sense Paul says, (Gal. 3: 2,) that the Spirit is given by the hearing of faith, may be easily explained. If there were only a single gift of the Spirit, he who is the author and cause of faith could not without absurdity be said to be its effect; but after celebrating the gifts with which God adorns his church, and by successive additions of faith leads it to perfection, there is nothing strange in his ascribing to faith the very gifts which faith prepares us for receiving. It seems to some paradoxical, when it is said that none can believe Christ save those to whom it is given; but this is partly because they do not observe how recondite and sublime heavenly wisdom is, or how dull the mind of man in discerning..." (John Calvin)(Institutes) |
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 12/9/09 4:36 PM |
| Faith the Gift of God. | | | |
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"Yet a beggar may darn his rags and wash his hands when he is to meet his sovereign. And this is right. But is it so with Christ? Does He ask the sinner to make himself better – less vile or less polluted – before he comes to Him? Can the sinner do this? Christ does not ask it, nor can the sinner do it. Just because the sinner is so vile and so polluted, Jesus says to him, Come unto Me; just because he is in such a pitiable condition and can never better himself, Jesus says, Come unto Me.
It is not you who are whole or who think that you can heal yourselves that Jesus invites, but you who are sick. It is not you who would first wash your souls somewhat clean with your own tears that Jesus invites so that He may wash you in His blood. And be assured of this: where there is faith, you will not wait till you have made preparation to go to Christ; you will go to Him just as you are: Lord, we are altogether vile, therefore we come to Thee to cleanse us; we are altogether naked, therefore we come to Thee to clothe us; we are altogether without strength and can of ourselves do nothing, therefore we come to Thee to do all for us.
This is ever the language of true faith."
(William Trail) |
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| 5/3/09 1:20 PM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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Saving faith, the GIFT of God, provided for our justification and
salvation, is COMPLETE trust in God and Jesus for salvation.
The ability to COMPLETELY trust God regardless of self is a fruit of
true saving faith.The theory that God requires the sinner to participate or contribute in
some way by retained "human faculty" is essentially the alternative to a
COMPLETE trust. Thus it is a "partial" trust in divine grace - whilst seeking to add the vain hope that the sinner = NOT quite Totally Depraved = NOT quite dead in sin - can retain an active response towards his own salvation.
Satanically subtle!! The sinner absolutely hates to hand over all authority and control to
the Lord. That is why many cannot receive the teaching of Total
Depravity, which is the very basis of Limited Atonement and Perseverance. Thus is Election completely Unconditional.
The Calvinist can declare
I trust in God ALONE
I trust in Christ ALONE
I trust in the Holy Spirit ALONE
I trust in Grace ALONE
For *ALL* my salvation. *ALL* the glory to GOD alone.
Zero to me! |
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| 3/9/09 4:32 PM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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"How many rest on their sound doctrinal views of Christ. They believe firmly in His Deity, His holy humanity, His perfect life, His vicarious death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to God’s right hand, His present intercession on high, and His second advent. So too did many of those to whom James addressed his epistle, but he reminded them that the "demons also believe and tremble" (James 2:19). O my reader, saving faith in Christ is very much more than assenting to the teachings of Scripture concerning Him; it is the giving up of the soul unto Him to be saved, to renounce all else, to yield fully unto Him.(A.W Pink. 'Studies on saving faith') |
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| 3/9/09 3:39 PM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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John UK wrote:
a] Pinky reckons that:b] Justification = salvation
Salvation = born again
But if quickening = born again
And salvation = born again
Then a man is saved before he has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ a] BTW John, Pink's quote comes from his book called "Saving Faith"
Forgot to mention that.b] Justification is the work of Christ before God which He achieved in His death (blood) on the cross.
Salvation is the ultimate result of all that Christ completed upon the cross.
Quickening is the work of the Holy Spirit in that He brings us to spiritual life, (born again) from being spiritually dead. Thus enabling us to walk by faith and not by sight, which is the Gift of God to His elect. Only thus can we believe on Christ Jesus This work of the Holy Spirit ultimately brings us to salvation.
Thus to be saved we must be justified by Christ.
Also to be saved we must first be quickened, obviously the unsaved are NOT yet quickened. So the Holy Spirit quickens the sinner to spiritually discern - ie works faith in his heart which is the same thing. Once this journey begins by the Holy Spirit's work the end *IS* salvation.
On the way we are justified, sanctified.....etc Regeneration is therefore BEFORE faith. |
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| 3/9/09 1:29 PM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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John UK wrote:
Are you saying that a sinner is born again, before he believes?
If you answer yes, then born again does not equal salvation, as this verse demonstrates. Acts 16:31 Reference Your post below then John.
What did you mean by the above question? |
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| 3/9/09 1:02 PM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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John UK wrote:
As I've said all along, the order is found in these verses "No sinner savingly "comes to Christ," or truly receives Him into the heart, until the will freely consents (not merely "assents" in a theoretical way) to the severe and self—denying terms upon which He is presented in the Gospel. No sinner is prepared to forsake all for Christ, take up "the cross," and "follow" Him in the path of universal obedience, until the heart genuinely esteems Him "The Fairest among ten thousand," and this none will ever do before the understanding has been supernaturally enlightened and the affections supernaturally quickened. Obviously, none will espouse themselves with conjugal affections to that person whom they account not the best that can be chosen. It is as the Spirit convicts us of our emptiness and shows us Christ’s fullness, our guilt and His righteousness, our filthiness and the cleansing merits of His blood, our depravity and His holiness, that the heart is won and the resistance of the will is overcome."
(A.W Pink) |
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| 3/9/09 11:22 AM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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John UK wrote:
Are you saying that a sinner is born again, before he believes?
If you answer yes, then born again does not equal salvation, as this verse demonstrates. John, I'm beginning to think that you have difficulty reading the Bible. But I've come across a lot of the free willer/arminian types/RC etc .... who display the same penchant for interpretation.Here is the Biblically correct order of salvation as taught by the Reformed (Calvinist) Church.
1) election, 2) predestination, 3) gospel call 4) inward call 5) regeneration, 6) conversion (faith & repentance), 7) justification, 8) sanctification, and 9) glorification. Based upon Romans 8:29-30. I agree wholeheartedly with this order and perceive it taught in Scripture. Your theory to reverse regeneration and faith, is simply the same old Roman Catholic dogma of working your own ticket to salvation. Before any sinner is regenerated he is blind to sin and blind to the need for salvation and does not know God and Christ. There is none righteous no not one. God does the drawing to His Son - not man.
"But the natural man receiveth NOT the things of the Spirit of God: for they are FOOLISHNESS unto him: NEITHER can he know them, because they are SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED" |
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| 3/8/09 7:01 PM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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John UK wrote:
Forget Charles just for a minute, and concentrate on the word of God. 8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT OF GOD"The ONLY reason why any sinner could have to seek to become a part of this process - is to steal from God. To presume in sin that he can contribute to his salvation. BUT as verse 9 states
"**NIL by WORKS**"
Man cannot and does not enter into that which God has ordained in His Word and purpose. The salvation of the Elect from start to finish is only in the hands of Christ. ONLY Jesus is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. Heb 12:2. Ro 12.3 "....but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Thus God teaches, not only, that He has given to His own the GIFT of Faith, but also in a measure which HE decided is appropriate to the person concerned. |
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| 3/8/09 6:08 PM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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John UK wrote:
Come to think of it, when are clothes washed? After you wash them, or before you wash them?
Now then,
Are you saying that a sinner is born again, before he believes?
If you answer yes, then born again does not equal salvation, as this verse demonstrates.
Acts 16:31 KJV And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Now then, do you understand the question? Or shall I simplify it even more? See Charlie Spurgeon's post below John.Faith is the work of the Holy Spirit on a sinner's heart. Jo 3.5 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Spirit first.
Born Again.
Only then will God's gift's of faith and repentance work.
Then human responsibility. John you must stop trying to pinch a bit of the glory for yourself.  |
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| 3/8/09 5:58 PM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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Huh wrote:
.....the same old popish salvation by works again???? But the good news and the truth which the Elect know well is...."The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox's gospel is my gospel. That which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again."—C. H. Spurgeon "Could the Saviour, therefore, have died because I had faith, when I myself was not yet born? Could that have been possible? Could that have been the origin of the Saviour's love towards me? Oh! no; my Saviour died for me long before I believed. "But," says someone, "He foresaw that you would have faith; and, therefore, He loved you." What did He foresee about my faith? Did He foresee that I should get that faith myself, and that I should believe on Him of myself? No; Christ could not foresee that, because no Christian man will ever say that faith came of itself without the gift and without the working of the Holy Spirit. I have met with a great many believers, and talked with them about this matter" Charles H. Spurgeon |
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| 3/8/09 5:11 PM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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John UK wrote:
Are you saying that a sinner is born again, then he believes? If you answer yes, then born again does not equal salvation, as this verse demonstrates.
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
(1Cor 1:21)
It is clear that "saved" is the result of "believed". John
Who does your exegesis for you? It's not the lady at the laundry again is it?  What Paul is teaching in this verse is that the wisdom of the worldly men, for all their vain belief in it, is going to send them to hell.
Whereas the preaching of the Word of God will be used by the Holy Spirit to save the Remnant whom God has elected unto salvation. As for your proposal quote - ""saved" is the result of "believed"
I think I'll stick to the merits of Christ since, Jesus saves! - NOT the act of the sinner. Jn 8.36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Jo 15.4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me" Stay in the vine John. He is the only way. Give Him all the glory, don't take any for yourself. Not even YOUR(?) faith. |
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| 2/26/09 5:59 PM |
| Faith. The GIFT of God. | | | |
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DJC49 wrote:
I could not find where Cornelius's spiritual discernment was mentioned in the Scriptural text of Acts 10. Perhaps you're using a different Bible than I use? Maybe yours is the "New World Hyper-Amplified Super Deductive Study Bible 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are **SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED**.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. If you cannot perceive how Cornelius has "spiritually discerned" truth, prayer, worship, the fear of God to the extent God replies by Angel to his prayers, then tell me how did you spiritually discern them?
And can you prove that GOD responds so vividly to your prayers?
Or does this "unsaved"(?) soldier do a more spiritual job than you? |
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