“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” -Ephesians 2.8-9
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus . . . For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” -Romans 3.23-24,28
It has been my experience that any good debate between a Calvinists and an Arminian will eventually reach a point at which the question of where our faith comes from is brought up. This is a common ground, as all (non-hyper) Calvinists and all (non-Pelagian) Arminians will agree that faith is a necessity of receiving salvation. However, the rub becomes, particularly for Calvinists, if our faith in necessary then where does it come from? Is it a work of ours that we must choose to exercise or is it a gift from God procured by Christ’s death on the Cross and irresistible imparted to all of the elect?
For my part I will be arguing to the later statement, that as faith is a necessity for a person to be saved, that faith is actually bought by Christ on the Cross and is gifted to all those whom are among the elect and who shall be irresistible called. In order to defend this position I will borrow from my good buddy John Owen and the wonderful argument which he sat forth in his book The Death of Death in the Death of Christ.
First, we will again state that without faith it is utterly impossible that anyone should attain salvation (Hebrews 11.6, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” ; Mark 16.16, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” ).
Next, we see that Jesus Christ, according to his name, achieves for those whom he died a perfect salvation (Matthew 1.21, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ). This salvation earns for them eternal redemption (Hebrews 9.12, “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” ), and saves them as they come to God through him (Hebrews 7.25, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” ).
Therefore, for these reasons, it must be that faith is among those promises which are to be found in Christ (2 Corinthians 1.20, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” ).
July 25, 2008 at 6:53 am |
In order to properly frame this discussion, you need to begin by correcting the false dilemma. You posit “Is it a work of ours that we must choose to exercise or is it a gift from God procured by Christ’s death on the Cross and irresistible imparted to all of the elect?” You’re offering a false proposition in your counter position, that receiving the gift of salvation is a work. You were clear on which side of that argument you would place your bet, but what support can you offer to make the “works” argument more than a straw man?
July 25, 2008 at 9:55 am |
Would you be willing to clarify what you are questionning more? The dilemma I am meaning to set up is simply this, is it up to us to make Christ’s work effectual or does Christ procure this in us himself? And since the basis for effecting our salvation comes to the matter of faith, then this question expands to the question of if our faith is up to us (which I think, by the meaning of the word ‘ergon’ would be a work) or if it is something that Christ earns and bestows upon us, which would make it a gift?
Please show me what I am missing so that I can attempt to address your concern more fully. Thanks.
July 26, 2008 at 9:41 am |
In answer to the question you’re posing: without a doubt the matter of salvation is entirely in Christ’s hands. Augustinians/Calvinists would aver that it is grace within, infused by God as a result of their election before the Fall, that gives them the faith necessary to believe. Therefore, the faith that they exercise is not their own but God’s moving through them. Obviously, not a meritorious work. The Arminian is often said to believe in a works salvation because he or she exercises their faith of their own volition, ignited by prevenient grace of the Spirit and the power of God’s word.
ergazomai and ergon have to be carefully translated in the context from which they are derived because the biblical authors used them in different ways. Your Pauline quotes for example, carry the freight of the Law and the human effort to follow the law as a way to salvation. John uses the word group to denote the activity of Christ while the synoptic authors often use it in reference to general activity.
Peace brother