Whose Faith is it Anyway?

By

Malcolm Hester, Ph.D.

 

Introduction

 

            Where does “faith”come from? This question is at the center of the debate over Calvinism. Is faith a commodity stored in Heaven which a sovereign deity dispenses to a few chosen, beloved, elect human beings? Or is faith a response of a sinner who seeks forgiveness for his sin? Can anyone have faith or is it only a gift for a few? Both sides in the argument claim to have support in scripture.

 

Faith’s Pathway to the Sinner

 

            The scripture teaches us that:

 

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

 (Romans 10:17)KJV

 

1. Step one: Hearing

 

Faith then is a process involving activity (hearing) on the part of the sinner. It begins with the coming of the word of God. Is the word of God limited to only a few or is it available to all? The Bible teaches that it is available for all. Some verses will help us understand this better.

 

John 6:45 says:

 

“It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.”

KJV

 

Acts 14:17 assures us that God has not left himself without a witness with these words:

 

“Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

KJV

 

The same message is given in Romans 1 where we learn that creation is a witness to the existence of God. It is true that this level of revelation is not sufficient to be saved, but that is not the point I am making here. The point here is that every soul has the opportunity to know of God. Romans 1 also makes it clear that when mankind rejects that revelation, the mind becomes darkened (Romans 1:21).

 

So far we have determined that faith comes as a result of hearing and the hearing is focused on the word of God. God initiates this process by providing the sinner with evidence for His existence. We have determined that this evidence is available to every sinner and not just a select few. But just hearing is not enough. Many people hear the gospel but most of them do not move on to saving faith. Why?

 

2. Step Two: Learning

 

John 6:45 helps here as we read that the blessing is for those who have “…learned of the Father…” This is an active learning. Both the “hearing” and the “learning” are Greek Aorist active participles. The subject is doing the acting. In this case, the “every man” is the one who hears and learns. I know that this runs counter to some theories that say the lost sinner cannot learn. I maintain that the lost sinner cannot learn except with the help of God. It is my position that God is ever willing to help the sincere lost sinner understand. I know of no scripture that even hints that God is unwilling to help the sinner who is willing to learn. This is the meaning of the teaching of Jesus as recorded in Matt. 7:8 that:

 

 “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” KJV

 

What is happening at this stage is cooperation between the sinner and the seeking Father. When the sinner places himself in a position to learn, the Father supplies understanding. We see this played out perfectly in the story of Lydia recorded in Acts 16. Some like to use the events reported there to argue that God only opens the minds of a few He has already elected. Please notice that Lydia came to a place where worship was held, listened to a gospel sermon and then had her mind opened. Nothing here implies that the Father is only willing to do this for a few. An interpretation that is more in line with the total biblical picture is that Lydia was seeking and the Father helped her find what she needed. That is consistent with the teaching in Matt. 7:8 which says the Father rewards those who seek him (see Hebrews 11:6). The Calvinist wants to deny that lost humanity can seek God. See my article entitled “What About the Seekers?” for help in understanding the relationship of God and the lost person in the matter of seeking. 

 

3. Step Three: Faith

 

Faith is then the result of a relationship between the lost person and God. It is a relationship initiated by God so it is always correct to say that Jesus is the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). However, Faith also requires cooperation on the part of the sinner. Faith is not a “natural” attribute of the sinner in the sense that it is an achievement he can attain by works. On the other hand, it is not just something God arbitrarily bestows on an elect few. It is never correct for the sinner to say, “I’m lost because God didn’t elect me and give me faith.” That idea would make God responsible for all the lost people on their way to Hell.

 

In answer to the question in the title, the faith is man’s faith. Many scripture passages support this doctrine. Here are a few with some limited comment.

 

1. Matthew 9: 27-29 reports a healing in which Jesus restored the sight to two blind men. When they asked to be healed, Jesus told them, “…according to your faith be it unto you…” Jesus made their faith the deciding factor in their healing.
2. Matthew 13: 53-58 is one of the most revealing events in the ministry of Jesus on the issue of faith. Jesus visited his hometown and “…did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” Jesus had the power to do the works but he chose to allow the faith of the people to determine what would happen.
3. Mark 16:14 shows Jesus rebuking his disciples for their lack of faith. If faith is a commodity bestowed by God, why didn’t Jesus just give them more faith? He didn’t do that because that is not how the Bible shows us God has decided to interact with mankind.
4. The same question can be asked of the situation presented in Luke 22:32. There Jesus tells Simon that He (Jesus) has been praying that Simon’s faith not fail.

 

Conclusion

 

Some things need to be said very plainly.

1. Faith is not a piece of goods God has stored in Heaven that He arbitrarily gives to some while ignoring others. It may be called a “gift” of God in the sense that all good things come from God and without God’s mercy and grace, no one could have faith.
2. Faith is not a “work” about which we can boast. This is made clear in Ephesians 2:8-9. A person does not have faith because they “try harder” to please God. No group tried harder than the Pharisees and they had less faith than all others of their time and place.
3. Faith is a relationship built by the sinner actively hearing and learning from the special revelation of God. It requires an open heart that is willing to learn. Some will argue that the lost sinner cannot make a decision on whether to hear and learn but I do not find that position supported in scripture. That false position makes a mockery of all the Bible verses that call on a decision by sinners to repent or turn to God.