Post by Brother Ben on May 10, 2012 15:06:38 GMT -5
Can an unbeliever have faith?
The answer is both yes and no. Let's look at the negative first.
No. An unbeliever cannot have faith becasue he, of himself, is incapable of finding it.
2 Cor. 4
[3] But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
[4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Eph. 2
[1] And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
According to this passage, man is described as lost, blind, and dead. Any one of the three would be sufficient to show that man, in and of himself, is so damaged by the sin nature, that he is alienated from God. Paul goes on to say:
Eph. 4
[17] This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
[18] Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
[19] Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Because holiness is a characteristic of God, even a good man could not come up with a way to God becasue the lost man has a darkened understrand. The life that comes from God, (by faith,) is alien to the natural man, he is ignorant of it.
John 3
[19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
[20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Not only is man in darkness, he loves it, and he is under the just condemnation of God. Thankfully, God knows man's dread state and draws men, by the Spirit to Christ.
John 6
[44] No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Man will not come to God because he has come up with it as a "good idea" of himself. Regardless to some "humanistic" philosophies, man is not basicaly good.
1 Cor. 2
[14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The things of God must be discerned by the indwelling Spirit of God. So how can man be exposed to the Spirit and the things of the Spirit? By yielding to the three lights of God.
The Light of Creation:
Psalm 19
[1] The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
[2] Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
[3] There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
God has so masterfully designed his creation that it is speaking to man. Though it alone may not give him faith, it is testifying of hisglory, handywork, and knowledge.
The Light of Conscience:
Rom. 2
[14] For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
[15] Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Though the conscience of the natural man is darkened, God has laid the framework for the law of conscience in them. They may not know what to call it, but their conscience is accusing and excusing based on a "unknown law," at work in their minds.
The Light of Christ:
John 1
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[2] The same was in the beginning with God.
[3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
[4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
[9] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
[10] He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
[11] He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
[12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
[13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Knowing that the Law and Prophets, ultimately, could not bring man to a full understand of God and his salvation, the plan was fulfilled in Christ.
Gal. 4
[4] But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
[5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Faith, then, must be infused into the heart of man God's way, by his word.
Rom. 10
[17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
John 6
[63] It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Through scripture, God has made available to man the ability to understand the spiritual. God's words are spirit and can shed light on the heart of man.
Psalm 119
[130] The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
There is also a gift of faith given to man by God that he can "see" the things of God, though his natural eyes were darkened.
Rom. 12
[3] For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
God, in his faithfulness, has measured out the means of faith to all men. It still remains the responsibilty of man to accept or reject the light that comes to him. When married to the wonderful dynamic, grace, man is able to reach out and embrace salvation and receive it as his own.
Eph. 2
[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 2
[11] For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
The answer is both yes and no. Let's look at the negative first.
No. An unbeliever cannot have faith becasue he, of himself, is incapable of finding it.
2 Cor. 4
[3] But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
[4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Eph. 2
[1] And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
According to this passage, man is described as lost, blind, and dead. Any one of the three would be sufficient to show that man, in and of himself, is so damaged by the sin nature, that he is alienated from God. Paul goes on to say:
Eph. 4
[17] This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
[18] Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
[19] Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Because holiness is a characteristic of God, even a good man could not come up with a way to God becasue the lost man has a darkened understrand. The life that comes from God, (by faith,) is alien to the natural man, he is ignorant of it.
John 3
[19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
[20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Not only is man in darkness, he loves it, and he is under the just condemnation of God. Thankfully, God knows man's dread state and draws men, by the Spirit to Christ.
John 6
[44] No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Man will not come to God because he has come up with it as a "good idea" of himself. Regardless to some "humanistic" philosophies, man is not basicaly good.
1 Cor. 2
[14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The things of God must be discerned by the indwelling Spirit of God. So how can man be exposed to the Spirit and the things of the Spirit? By yielding to the three lights of God.
The Light of Creation:
Psalm 19
[1] The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
[2] Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
[3] There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
God has so masterfully designed his creation that it is speaking to man. Though it alone may not give him faith, it is testifying of hisglory, handywork, and knowledge.
The Light of Conscience:
Rom. 2
[14] For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
[15] Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Though the conscience of the natural man is darkened, God has laid the framework for the law of conscience in them. They may not know what to call it, but their conscience is accusing and excusing based on a "unknown law," at work in their minds.
The Light of Christ:
John 1
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[2] The same was in the beginning with God.
[3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
[4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
[9] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
[10] He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
[11] He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
[12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
[13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Knowing that the Law and Prophets, ultimately, could not bring man to a full understand of God and his salvation, the plan was fulfilled in Christ.
Gal. 4
[4] But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
[5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Faith, then, must be infused into the heart of man God's way, by his word.
Rom. 10
[17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
John 6
[63] It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Through scripture, God has made available to man the ability to understand the spiritual. God's words are spirit and can shed light on the heart of man.
Psalm 119
[130] The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
There is also a gift of faith given to man by God that he can "see" the things of God, though his natural eyes were darkened.
Rom. 12
[3] For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
God, in his faithfulness, has measured out the means of faith to all men. It still remains the responsibilty of man to accept or reject the light that comes to him. When married to the wonderful dynamic, grace, man is able to reach out and embrace salvation and receive it as his own.
Eph. 2
[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 2
[11] For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
