Faith is the means not the end

[mizpeh]

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:Eph 2:8

Some folks add a little to the scripture, like this:
Ye saved by grace [alone] through faith [alone] in Christ [alone].

I believe we are saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ. But...grace and faith are the means of acquiring the gifts of God not the "how to". Acts 2:38 is the "how to" verse when it comes to being born again and becoming part of the body of Christ/the church of the living God. If we believe on Jesus Christ we SHALL be saved...HOW? obey the gospel. I'm not saying Acts 2:38 is the gospel but it is a REPRESENTATIVE of the gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ) for us. Obeying Acts 2:38 is how we obey the gospel.

The 'how to' happens because of faith and through faith, we repent. We do a complete and radical 180 degree turnaround. Because of this change of heart we no longer pursue sin but instead we seek to please God. It's like we left the path that leads to death and turned onto a new path in the opposite direction that leads to life.

We are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for or "with a view toward" having our sins remitted not because our sins have already been remitted. BY FAITH we get into the water, call on the name of the Lord, and symbollically are buried with Him, but literally the Spirit does a circumcision of our hearts in removing the body of the sins of the flesh. It is the "currency" of our faith that God sees and acts upon to bring about the remission of our sins through the blood of Christ. We didn't have our sins washed away at the cross where Christ's blood was shed, but in the water of baptism the blood was used to cut away sin stains from our heart.

Same goes with receiving the Holy Spirit. We receive it by faith.

Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Gal 3:2

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Gal 3:14

For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. Gal 5:5


Faith is the agency or the means by which we obtain anything and everything from God which includes salvation.

[Theophil]

Amen. Good post!

[mizpeh]

Originally Posted by Theophil

Amen. Good post!

Thanks for the Amen but this is still something I'm trying to think through and get a handle on.

All of the scriptures on salvation HAVE got to fit together. The Bible says more than once that baptism SAVES us. I see speaking in tongues as the evidence of receiving the initial indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Something visibly happens when we are filled with the Holy Spirit Acts 8:18-19. This is a small sample of puzzle pieces from the word of God that don't fit into the 1 Stepper view of the new birth.

I'm hoping for some contrary responses so I can evaluate my thinking more deeply.

[gloryseeker]

Originally Posted by mizpeh

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:Eph 2:8

Some folks add a little to the scripture, like this:
Ye saved by grace [alone] through faith [alone] in Christ [alone].

I believe we are saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ. But...

Why did you have to put the "but" in there? You were doing so good.

But...grace and faith are the means of acquiring the gifts of God not the "how to".

To keep it short I will give you the following scripture:

Eph 4:7
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. (KJV)

If I understand you correctly, "grace and faith are the means of acquiring the gifts..." separate grace from the gift.

To understand you must understand "grace." When you find grace you find something supplied to us from heaven. That supply is a free provision. What has been given to you through grace is then received by faith.

So the extent of the provision of heaven that has been given to us is according to the gift that is in our life. This is why Paul said, "I am what I am by the grace of God."

Faith is the tool that receives and grace is the provision from which we tap into. Salvation was provided as a free gift...a manifestation of grace. You receive this grace by faith.

Acts 2:38 is the "how to" verse when it comes to being born again and becoming part of the body of Christ/the church of the living God. If we believe on Jesus Christ we SHALL be saved...HOW? obey the gospel. I'm not saying Acts 2:38 is the gospel but it is a REPRESENTATIVE of the gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ) for us. Obeying Acts 2:38 is how we obey the gospel.

While there is truth in what you have said, it is a very limited view of the Word of God. The "how to" that you refer to in Acts 2:38 is only one aspect of the gospel.

• Our healing is received by faith through grace.
  
• If you are an addict then your deliverance is provided by faith in grace
  
• If you need more money it is available by faith through grace.

To many Christians think that Jesus is a go-pher. Their prayers are:

• Jesus, I need this
  
• Jesus, heal me
  
• Jesus, give me a raise
  
• Jesus, help me in this problem

When in fact the scriptures tell us that Jesus is "seated" not running around answering prayers.

The truth is, when Jesus cried out, "It is finished" everything you will ever need had been purchased. Now it is your responsibility to receive what is provided by faith.

Faith is the agency or the means by which we obtain anything and everything from God which includes salvation.

You then sum it up in a way that I can agree with you on. So, maybe in essence we are saying the same thing.

Now, for the kicker. What many Christians don't understand is that fear is faith in reverse. Just as faith receives the life cycle that Jesus set in order, fear brings into your life the death cycle that is in operation in the earth.

You cannot be fearful and in faith at the same time. This is why so many Christians lose battles in the areas of health and finances. The condition they are facing creates fear in their life which paralyzes their faith from operating the way it was designed.