Is faith a work?

The Bible teaches we’re justified by faith alone and not by our works. But since this faith is ours, doesn’t that mean faith is a work? From one of our Ask Ligonier events, Stephen Nichols explains how people come to have faith in Christ.

[denonjoka]

Thanks Stephen Nicols *4 Answering Powerfully on This Powerful Question of "Is Faith a Work ?" 4 Faith Isn't Works Where Our Faith Comes By Hearing & By Hearing By The Word of God 4 Faith Is The Substance of Things Hoped 4 & Evidence of Things Unseen 4 Faith Without Action Is Dead Written In Romans 10:17, : Hebrews 11:1 & James, **2:20** 4 We Have Been Saved By Grace Thru Faith 4 It's Not Our Own 4 Salvation Is The Gift of God Written In Ephesians 2:8* & May Our Great Almighty God Bless Yu Stephen Nicols & Ligonier Ministries So Very Much.

[rocketsurgeon]

If we are dead and can do nothing, why does God continually call us to repent and believe? It is clear He is asking us to do something, thus we are capable of doing it. Everyone in the Old Testament had the ability to choose God or not. What changed?

[dehsa]

Depends on whether you think, the word, faith is a noun or a verb.

[williamdelacruz]

The man explaining failed to mention the snake on the pole. Someone has to look in order to live. This means faith before regeneration.

[hondotheology]

it is a gift from God however if, as the arminians believe, faith is not a gift but instead believers distinguish themselves from unbelievers by their righteousness (faith), and God responds to our faith, uncreated by God but manifested by us (whether through "prevenient grace" or not) to give us salvation (or to elect us), then faith become _meritorious_, i.e. it earns us our salvation. so therefore in the arminian scheme, faith is a work

[danielmontalvo]

Saving faith cannot be a gift. Increased faith (Mark 9:23-24) can be a gift. Everyone is provided basic faith through the mind as a necessary inference from creation (Romans 1:18-21 & Hebrews 11:1-8). This is the basic faith through which the Father (Matthew 16:17; John 8:45-47) by His Word testifies to Christ and then holds all hearers accountable to belief in Christ. If saving faith were a gift, Scripture verses that hold people accountable to belief in Christ would make God, not people, ultimately responsible for their lack of saving faith in Christ. God does not hold people accountable for something they cannot help and then condemn them to eternal suffering in hell for not doing it. That is antithetical to how the Scripture portrays God.

John 3:16-18

[16] “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

[kurtn]

Put another way how can a man have faith without a regenerate heart? Impossible

[userscnamesux]

If I have the gift of Faith then I will produce His Works. Ephesians 2:10 King James Version
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

[urawesome]

Faith that is a gift is based on Strongs 1650 which ties to 1651. Which is a conviction by God of the message. This can happen before or after regeneration by God. Both of these are gifts by God. Cornelius was an example of someone who was regenerated before faith. Titus was an example of someone who had faith by God first, then regeneration. So God works in both ways.

[matthewkay]

Is faith the same as belief?

Do I believe in gravity or have faith in it? Is that belief in gravity a gift?

Genuine questions I have.

[terminat]

The Bible clearly teaches in I Thessalonians 1:3 and II Thessalonians 1:11 that faith is a work.

Salvation is of grace. If a person could become saved through their personal faith, they could boast. There is no boasting in salvation because God is sovereign. He saves those whom He wishes, those whom He elected to salvation before the foundation of the world.

The faith of salvation is the faith of Christ (Galatians 2:16, 20).

[AidanAshby]

Yet if someone states that faith is required for regeneration (e.g “that by believing you may have life in his name”) so must precede regeneration, Calvinists treat faith as if it is a work by stating it must therefore be something we do that merits salvation. Faith is not a work (though works are its fruit), neither does it merit salvation, but it is inspired in us by God's calling grace (“many are called, few are chosen” so more than the chosen are called) and then freely chosen or rejected by us.

[MrKev]

Christ be with you
Faith is a gift that comes by hearing but it is not complete without doing
God bless you

[MegaAce]

I disagree. I believe we humans have to choose. The Holy Spirit is working on man here on earth, convicting him of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
We then humans have a choice to act upon that conviction by our free will choice to surrender to HIS work or reject HIS drawing!
Not Calvenism nor Arminiaism, but in the middle! GOD draws (Grace) we choose (faith). Through GRACE -GOD, by FAITH-Us, you have been saved ♥️ 😊

[treasurenkhwashu]

He didn’t answer the question 🙄
He spent two minutes telling us we need to be regenerated and that was not the question 😑

[rocketsurgeon]

Romans 4:1-5 says faith is not a work.

[MrKev]

Christ be with you
faint is not complete until we do work
Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
*You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God.*
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24)

God bless you

[andrewlawrencei]

Faith is the give of God to those peoples born again.Not our faith couse us to be come save is the work of God Galatians 2:16 .

[billyr]

Hebrews 11:1
[1]Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

That's what faith is.

English translation is really weird compared to the Greek.

[themessiahssecondassembly]

Well the Apostles thought it was and pointed us to scripture that indicated that the patriarchs as well as our fellow brethren of this household of faith in Jesus Christ thought it was and went on to explain to us what those works of Faith were, and without them your / our faith is actually DEAD, of no VALUE.
Works without faith is nothing more then the establishing of our righteousness through the doing of good deeds and repentance, tithe's etc, all of which are carnal ordinance's. These things are but the fundamental teachings of Christ, of which as children we are to put away, that we might come to full maturity spiritually into the height's, depths, width and length of the fullness of Christ Jesus.
Without a living active faith life that allows us to be lead by the Holy Spirit to do this or do that, to come here or go there, it is IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD. These things have all been written down for a any true seeker of God to find, there the pearls hidden beneath the surface of which you are speaking of. This is why we must BUY the WHOLE field, lot, stock and barrel and give ourselves completely to every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.