FAITH: GOD’S GIFT TO US – OR OUR RESPONSE TO GOD?
By R. Herbert
Among Christians there are two major and opposite responses to the question of whether faith is something we must exhibit ourselves or something that God provides. Most Christians of the Calvinist and Reformed traditions believe that faith is entirely a gift that is given to us by God, while most other Protestant Christians believe that faith is a response to God on our part. The question is an important one as it affects how we understand many parts of the Bible and how we see faith itself.
Where does faith come from?
There are a good number of biblical verses that are often used to show that faith is entirely a gift from God. Consider five examples:
Acts 3:16 says faith in Christ is faith that has come from and through Christ.
Romans 12:3 says God decides the measure of faith each one receives.
Philippians 1:29 says it is “granted” to us to believe in Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith.
Second Peter 1:1 says faith is given to us.
On the other hand, there are just as many verses that appear to show that faith is something involving our own effort. Consider five examples of this type:
Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34; etc.; show Jesus told individuals “Your faith has made you well.”
Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; etc.; show Jesus described his disciples as “you of little faith.” If faith can only come from God, why would Jesus criticize individuals in this way?
Matthew 13:58 shows that Jesus’ healing was sometimes impeded by people’s lack of faith.
Acts 14:9 shows Paul looked at a man who was listening to him preach and saw that he had faith to be healed.
Acts 16:31 tells us Paul said: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” Why would Paul tell people they must believe if faith is a gift of God?
Biblical verses viewed both ways:
Some New Testament verses are used by both sides of the argument. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not as a result of works, lest anyone should boast.” While some feel “the gift of God” is referring to faith in this verse, others feel the gift in question is grace and salvation. Grammatically, in the Greek, a convincing case can be used for both arguments! Interestingly, in his commentary on Ephesians, John Calvin wrote that the antecedent of “gift” here is not “faith’” but saving grace, though modern Calvinists mainly reject this. But in any case, it is clear that this and many other biblical verses can be viewed quite rationally in either of the two possible ways.
We know that “without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6 ESV). But this verse, and others like it, can be viewed either way, and no single verse shows us decisively whether we must produce or receive the faith we need. So where does this leave us in trying to understand which of the two views of faith makes the most sense or is the most biblically accurate? Or does a third possibility exist?
Could both sides of the argument be right?
If we look carefully at all the verses cited in this article, it is possible that both views may hold part of the truth. It is certainly difficult to read verses such as Second Peter 1:1, which says faith is given to us, and not see that clearly means faith is to at least some extent a gift. Yet it is equally possible to read verses such as Matthew 6:30, in which Jesus criticized his disciples as being “of little faith,” and see that we are accountable to at least some degree. But how exactly could both views be true?
An analogy that is used by some to explain this situation is that of a person being offered a check for a great sum of money. The person is given the check (God leads us to faith) but we must exercise the gift by endorsing that check (our response of, and to, faith). It is only if we sign the check that we will ever receive the gift of money. In the same way, as many biblical verses show, faith is a gift God freely gives us; but as other verses show, we must do our part – we must exercise our responsibility of acceptance in order for the faith to ever become active in our lives.
In this view, it is possible that faith can be given by God, but we have to exercise it to bring the faith to life, nonetheless. This is a much less common view than the two major approaches considered above, but it is a logical and possible alternative.
What ultimately matters
Ultimately, whatever view of faith’s origin we may take, there are biblical verses we can all agree upon, and these are where our main focus should be placed. The precise origin of faith is not as important as whether our faith is alive and growing. Jesus confirmed that even if we have only a small amount of true faith, we can accomplish great things (Matthew 17:20), but the Bible is also clear that whatever faith we have can be increased. For example, the Gospel of Luke clearly shows that God freely gives what is good to those who ask (Luke 11:9–12), and that we can ask for an increase of faith (Luke 17:5) just as Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith would be strengthened (Luke 22:32).
Our faith is grown and strengthened in various ways, but mainly through our interaction with the word of God. Romans 10:17 tells us explicitly that “Faith comes by hearing the word of God” and experience shows us that this is so. Whether we are inspired by the stories of biblical figures that were recorded for our benefit (Romans 15:4), by moving closer to God through prayer and deeper study of his word, or simply through actively hearing or reading discussions of it, it is through the word that our faith is primarily nourished and strengthened.
By R. Herbert
Among Christians there are two major and opposite responses to the question of whether faith is something we must exhibit ourselves or something that God provides. Most Christians of the Calvinist and Reformed traditions believe that faith is entirely a gift that is given to us by God, while most other Protestant Christians believe that faith is a response to God on our part. The question is an important one as it affects how we understand many parts of the Bible and how we see faith itself.
Where does faith come from?
There are a good number of biblical verses that are often used to show that faith is entirely a gift from God. Consider five examples:
Acts 3:16 says faith in Christ is faith that has come from and through Christ.
Romans 12:3 says God decides the measure of faith each one receives.
Philippians 1:29 says it is “granted” to us to believe in Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12:2 says Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith.
Second Peter 1:1 says faith is given to us.
On the other hand, there are just as many verses that appear to show that faith is something involving our own effort. Consider five examples of this type:
Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34; etc.; show Jesus told individuals “Your faith has made you well.”
Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; etc.; show Jesus described his disciples as “you of little faith.” If faith can only come from God, why would Jesus criticize individuals in this way?
Matthew 13:58 shows that Jesus’ healing was sometimes impeded by people’s lack of faith.
Acts 14:9 shows Paul looked at a man who was listening to him preach and saw that he had faith to be healed.
Acts 16:31 tells us Paul said: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” Why would Paul tell people they must believe if faith is a gift of God?
Biblical verses viewed both ways:
Some New Testament verses are used by both sides of the argument. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not as a result of works, lest anyone should boast.” While some feel “the gift of God” is referring to faith in this verse, others feel the gift in question is grace and salvation. Grammatically, in the Greek, a convincing case can be used for both arguments! Interestingly, in his commentary on Ephesians, John Calvin wrote that the antecedent of “gift” here is not “faith’” but saving grace, though modern Calvinists mainly reject this. But in any case, it is clear that this and many other biblical verses can be viewed quite rationally in either of the two possible ways.
We know that “without faith it is impossible to please [God], for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6 ESV). But this verse, and others like it, can be viewed either way, and no single verse shows us decisively whether we must produce or receive the faith we need. So where does this leave us in trying to understand which of the two views of faith makes the most sense or is the most biblically accurate? Or does a third possibility exist?
Could both sides of the argument be right?
If we look carefully at all the verses cited in this article, it is possible that both views may hold part of the truth. It is certainly difficult to read verses such as Second Peter 1:1, which says faith is given to us, and not see that clearly means faith is to at least some extent a gift. Yet it is equally possible to read verses such as Matthew 6:30, in which Jesus criticized his disciples as being “of little faith,” and see that we are accountable to at least some degree. But how exactly could both views be true?
An analogy that is used by some to explain this situation is that of a person being offered a check for a great sum of money. The person is given the check (God leads us to faith) but we must exercise the gift by endorsing that check (our response of, and to, faith). It is only if we sign the check that we will ever receive the gift of money. In the same way, as many biblical verses show, faith is a gift God freely gives us; but as other verses show, we must do our part – we must exercise our responsibility of acceptance in order for the faith to ever become active in our lives.
In this view, it is possible that faith can be given by God, but we have to exercise it to bring the faith to life, nonetheless. This is a much less common view than the two major approaches considered above, but it is a logical and possible alternative.
What ultimately matters
Ultimately, whatever view of faith’s origin we may take, there are biblical verses we can all agree upon, and these are where our main focus should be placed. The precise origin of faith is not as important as whether our faith is alive and growing. Jesus confirmed that even if we have only a small amount of true faith, we can accomplish great things (Matthew 17:20), but the Bible is also clear that whatever faith we have can be increased. For example, the Gospel of Luke clearly shows that God freely gives what is good to those who ask (Luke 11:9–12), and that we can ask for an increase of faith (Luke 17:5) just as Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith would be strengthened (Luke 22:32).
Our faith is grown and strengthened in various ways, but mainly through our interaction with the word of God. Romans 10:17 tells us explicitly that “Faith comes by hearing the word of God” and experience shows us that this is so. Whether we are inspired by the stories of biblical figures that were recorded for our benefit (Romans 15:4), by moving closer to God through prayer and deeper study of his word, or simply through actively hearing or reading discussions of it, it is through the word that our faith is primarily nourished and strengthened.