ORIGIN AND FOUNDATION OF SAVING FAITH

ORIGIN AND FOUNDATION OF SAVING FAITH

           Negatively:

                        (1) Not merely a product of sense experience.
                                    1 Pet. 1:8 "Whom having not seen....yet believing."
                                    2 Cor. 5:7 "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
                                    Matt. 16:17 "Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto you."

                                        Note: Miracles alone cannot produce saving faith - Acts 8:13 ff. Simon Magus is an example. Jews also

                                    cf. John 12:37 "So many miracles...yet they believed not."

   Not merely the product of historical evidence

      Acts 26:26-28 "The king knoweth of these things... almost thou persuadest me."
                                   -           May be convinced, but not saved.
                                   -           Historical evidences give us reasons for believing, but not  salvation.

                         Not merely the product of human reason

                                    1 Cor. 1:21 "The world by wisdom knew not God."
                                    1 Cor. 2:4-5 "Not with enticing words of man's wisdom...that your faith  should not stand in the wisdom of men." (Speculative)

            Note: ability and limits of reason. These are so quickly reached. Experiences of Chafer      with young man who wanted to discuss the issues on a philosophical basis. Chafer refused when he said he wasn't a Christian (1 Cor. 2:14). Man returned, Chafer explained, when he be­came a Christian.

             Positively:

                                  Saving Faith is man's response to the message of God's Word under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.

                                    Rom. 10:17 - the word man hears also produces his response
                               cf. John 5:25 for two kinds of hearing. The dead here are spiritually dead.                                         They hear spiritually.
                                    1 Cor. 12:3 Men come to call Christ Lord only by the Holy Spirit.

             Note: Three things to do--preach the Word, pray for the Spirit to use the Word, call upon men to believe.

 Saving Faith is based on the testimony of God concerning His Son.

      1 John 5:7-9, 13 God's testimony concerning Christ alone is sure and safe, and ultimately leads to assurance and further faith.

                        Saving Faith is sustained by the power. of God.

                                    1 Cor. 2:5 "That your faith should...stand...in the power of God."

                      This view does not exclude sense experience, historical evidences, or the  powers of  reason.

                        - The Word of God gives us the facts of Christianity. But consider:

                         These were originally facts of sense experience.

                                    John 20:27-29 "Finger...hands...side...because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed."
                                    2 Pet. 1:16-18 "Eyewitnesses...this voice...we heard."
                                    1 John 1:1  "We have heard...we have seen...looked upon...hands have handled."

 They were facts verifiable by historical evidence.

      Luke 1:1-4 "Having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first."

                         They were facts intended to convince man's reason..

                                    John 20:30-31 "But these are written, that ye might believe."

                        Faith aids the understanding (Heb. 11:3). Faith is not in opposition to reason. 

Rational means right. Most rational thing to believe in Christ. Gadarene maniac: "Clothed and in his right mind." Mark 5:15

                         Note: But these alone cannot produce the response of saving faith no matter how clever we become, Matt. 16:17. "Flesh and blood bath not revealed it unto thee."