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| Pray tell, what's the use of the gift of faith to a man spiritually dead? Is he capable to utilizing the gift? |
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| What does a man dead in trespasses and sins stand in need of? The gift of faith or the gift of salvation? |
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)...
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Which of the two memes makes sense to you?
What is the gift? Why?
Does it even matter which is which?
1. Order of salvation reiterated:
- Salvation purposed for all the elect by God
in eternity
- Salvation accomplished for all the elect by
Christ at the cross
- Salvation applied by the Holy Spirit to
each elect personally in time (when the elect is dead in trespasses and sins)
- salvation experienced by faith in Christ
- Salvation consummated at Christ's second
coming
Before the cross, salvation was applied based
on what Christ would do (God has faith in His Son accomplishing the needed
redemption); after the cross, salvation is applied based on what Christ has
done. Salvation has only one ground/basis - the redemptive work of Christ.
In the application of salvation, an elect is
effectually called out of his native state of sin, condemnation and death to
that of righteousness, justification, and eternal life in Jesus Christ. These
divine activities (in number and logical order) are required:
- justification of life (application of
righteousness), Rom 5:18
- regeneration, the giving of life.
- adoption, and
- the giving of the Holy Spirit to dwell within
the adopted.
These divine activities bring an elect into
the state of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ; they make an elect perfectly
and completely fit for eternal glory.
The indwelling Spirit works the fruit of the
Spirit in the child of God.
Gal 5:22
¶But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no
law.
Since faith is worked within a child of God,
faith cannot be the gift; faith is an effect of the gift of salvation.
The gift of salvation comes from WITHOUT; the
saving grace of faith is worked from WITHIN.
These are elementary. May the Lord bless you with understanding. Amen.
