Post by gslou on Oct 16, 2011 19:34:09 GMT -5
Pastor Mike, I was talking to a co-worker of mine about our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It was a very nice conversation, until he threw something at me that has baffled me and I have been searching scriptures to see if he has a point. I will point out that he is a presbiterian, because this might be a clue to you??
He said that faith is someting given by God to man. Ephesians 2:8 says " For it is by grace you have have been saved, through faith", and I always assumed that this was "my faith", my trust and my belief that this was referring to. However, he made the point that it is not by works, which I fully understand and believe in and is the continuation of this same verse (verse 9); so if the faith that Paul mentions in Ephesians 2:8 is indeed my faith, is that something that I had to do first to earn salvation. Is me having faith works? Of course, I did not have faith first, God's grace covered me even before I believed.
Was the faith that Abram had in God's promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and that God credited to him as righteousness "works" that Abram did to earn his salvation? Genesis 15:6
During service today, you highighted Habakkuk 2:4 "but the righteous will live by his faith"; is this faith "God's given faith", or our inate faith in God? Is there such a thing as our inate faith in God if He did not give it to us first?
When Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that if our faith was as small as a mustard seed, that we could move a mountain, was he refering to our trust and belief in God.
I would appreciate your thoughts on this matter,
George
He said that faith is someting given by God to man. Ephesians 2:8 says " For it is by grace you have have been saved, through faith", and I always assumed that this was "my faith", my trust and my belief that this was referring to. However, he made the point that it is not by works, which I fully understand and believe in and is the continuation of this same verse (verse 9); so if the faith that Paul mentions in Ephesians 2:8 is indeed my faith, is that something that I had to do first to earn salvation. Is me having faith works? Of course, I did not have faith first, God's grace covered me even before I believed.
Was the faith that Abram had in God's promise that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and that God credited to him as righteousness "works" that Abram did to earn his salvation? Genesis 15:6
During service today, you highighted Habakkuk 2:4 "but the righteous will live by his faith"; is this faith "God's given faith", or our inate faith in God? Is there such a thing as our inate faith in God if He did not give it to us first?
When Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 that if our faith was as small as a mustard seed, that we could move a mountain, was he refering to our trust and belief in God.
I would appreciate your thoughts on this matter,
George