Faith for salvation and surrender is a gift from God
https://reasonandscience.catsboard.com/t3117-faith-for-salvation-and-surrender-to-christ-is-a-gift-from-god#8542
Faith is described as coming when we read or hear the Word of God being proclaimed. Faith comes about when we think about God and what He has done and continues to do to this day, this produces faith
Romans 10:17 (NIV)
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
In other words, our faith comes about because we believe the evidence put forward in God’s Word concerning the miracles of Jesus and His resurrection,
John 20:30-31 The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe[a] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Faith itself - along with salvation, is also a gift from God.
The Bible tells us that sinners are dead in their sins. That includes that we are distant from God, and do not believe in him. Therefore, coming to believe is something that must be given to the sinner. That includes a new heart that is able to give up rebellion against God, and turn to Christ. Therefore, if anyone is to call upon the name of Jesus Christ, faith must be given to them. In fact, a new heart must be given to them that turns them around, away from their sin and the world, and they are turned to Christ. In that very moment, faith is imparted by the Holy Spirit to the spiritually made-alive sinner. And then, one can call upon the name of Christ with the faith that is given to him.
Salvation can never be merited, it’s a gift, it’s God’s grace, it can never be earned, and it can never be deserved.
Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
Philippians 1:29 (NIV)
29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him
Acts 3:16
16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
So, faith in Christ itself is a gift from God and comes from HIM. So, the antecedent of the gift of salvation is the gift of faith. And with it comes the gift of grace.
So, faith is not something that God demands that we provide by ourselves. We cannot generate faith because we are dead in our sins. It's God-given and then we can call upon the name of the Lord.
Faith in God is God's gift. Rejecting God is however man's fault.
Selfishness and pride
This comes together with an attitude of selfishness and pride. Pride is attempting to displace God with self or living as if we were the highest instance of reality, nobody above us, and no God. Both lead to apostasy from God. Selfishness is preferring one's own ideas as opposed to God's truth and revelation. It is an implicit and logical consequence and constitutes the antithesis to love God, and our next, and as a fundamental and positive choice of preference of self instead of God and our neighbor. Egoism and selfishness are on the opposite end of loving God, and loving our neighbor. Selfishness is expressed as the preference of exaltation of self, used to oppose anything that expresses God's existence and his virtues. It is the key explaining nearly and perhaps all sin. Selfishness expresses itself in many different forms. Sensual, lustful, inordinate, appetites, such as avarice, ambition, vanity, pride, covetousness, idolatry, unbelief, rebellion, lawbreaking, and pride all expressions of selfishness.
Rebellion
Atheism is an expression of rebellion and disobedience against God. All people possess volition, which can be exercised either in obedience or disobedience. We see the New Atheists direct their rebellion against the revelation of God in creation, conscience, law, and ultimately the person of Jesus Christ. There are many examples as the Israelites “stiff-necked” and were “stubborn” people who committed a “great sin,” thereby rebelling against the LORD (Deut. 9:6–21). The Apostle Peter warned his readers not to rebel as did those who lived during the time of Noah and fell under God’s wrath in the flood (1 Pet. 3:20)
Unbelief:
The sin of unbelief is a major theme in the Gospel of John. “Those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). Jesus equated unbelief with disobedience (John 12:48) and described unbelief as blindness (John 9:39). Unbelief and disobedience are so intertwined that some theologians define sin as “unbelieving-disobedience” or “disobeying-in-unbelief. Unbelief in the New Testament is depicted as: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:22–32); an evil, unbelieving heart (Heb. 3:12); deliberate sinning after the reception of the knowledge of truth (Heb. 10:26–29); and the “sin leading to death” (1 John 5:16). Unbelief includes the rejection of the general revelation of God within creation and conscience (Rom. 1:18–23; 2:14–15). The rejection of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the revealer and Redeemer, is the quintessential denial of the light and truth of God.
https://reasonandscience.catsboard.com/t3117-faith-for-salvation-and-surrender-to-christ-is-a-gift-from-god#8542
Faith is described as coming when we read or hear the Word of God being proclaimed. Faith comes about when we think about God and what He has done and continues to do to this day, this produces faith
Romans 10:17 (NIV)
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
In other words, our faith comes about because we believe the evidence put forward in God’s Word concerning the miracles of Jesus and His resurrection,
John 20:30-31 The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe[a] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Faith itself - along with salvation, is also a gift from God.
The Bible tells us that sinners are dead in their sins. That includes that we are distant from God, and do not believe in him. Therefore, coming to believe is something that must be given to the sinner. That includes a new heart that is able to give up rebellion against God, and turn to Christ. Therefore, if anyone is to call upon the name of Jesus Christ, faith must be given to them. In fact, a new heart must be given to them that turns them around, away from their sin and the world, and they are turned to Christ. In that very moment, faith is imparted by the Holy Spirit to the spiritually made-alive sinner. And then, one can call upon the name of Christ with the faith that is given to him.
Salvation can never be merited, it’s a gift, it’s God’s grace, it can never be earned, and it can never be deserved.
Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
Philippians 1:29 (NIV)
29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him
Acts 3:16
16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.
So, faith in Christ itself is a gift from God and comes from HIM. So, the antecedent of the gift of salvation is the gift of faith. And with it comes the gift of grace.
So, faith is not something that God demands that we provide by ourselves. We cannot generate faith because we are dead in our sins. It's God-given and then we can call upon the name of the Lord.
Faith in God is God's gift. Rejecting God is however man's fault.
Selfishness and pride
This comes together with an attitude of selfishness and pride. Pride is attempting to displace God with self or living as if we were the highest instance of reality, nobody above us, and no God. Both lead to apostasy from God. Selfishness is preferring one's own ideas as opposed to God's truth and revelation. It is an implicit and logical consequence and constitutes the antithesis to love God, and our next, and as a fundamental and positive choice of preference of self instead of God and our neighbor. Egoism and selfishness are on the opposite end of loving God, and loving our neighbor. Selfishness is expressed as the preference of exaltation of self, used to oppose anything that expresses God's existence and his virtues. It is the key explaining nearly and perhaps all sin. Selfishness expresses itself in many different forms. Sensual, lustful, inordinate, appetites, such as avarice, ambition, vanity, pride, covetousness, idolatry, unbelief, rebellion, lawbreaking, and pride all expressions of selfishness.
Rebellion
Atheism is an expression of rebellion and disobedience against God. All people possess volition, which can be exercised either in obedience or disobedience. We see the New Atheists direct their rebellion against the revelation of God in creation, conscience, law, and ultimately the person of Jesus Christ. There are many examples as the Israelites “stiff-necked” and were “stubborn” people who committed a “great sin,” thereby rebelling against the LORD (Deut. 9:6–21). The Apostle Peter warned his readers not to rebel as did those who lived during the time of Noah and fell under God’s wrath in the flood (1 Pet. 3:20)
Unbelief:
The sin of unbelief is a major theme in the Gospel of John. “Those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). Jesus equated unbelief with disobedience (John 12:48) and described unbelief as blindness (John 9:39). Unbelief and disobedience are so intertwined that some theologians define sin as “unbelieving-disobedience” or “disobeying-in-unbelief. Unbelief in the New Testament is depicted as: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:22–32); an evil, unbelieving heart (Heb. 3:12); deliberate sinning after the reception of the knowledge of truth (Heb. 10:26–29); and the “sin leading to death” (1 John 5:16). Unbelief includes the rejection of the general revelation of God within creation and conscience (Rom. 1:18–23; 2:14–15). The rejection of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the revealer and Redeemer, is the quintessential denial of the light and truth of God.
