I did not say infused did I?
Sorry, that does not say how it is granted. You can hear it all day long and if you have not been granted to believe, you won't.
NEXT
But that is Calvinist theology
Faith: Is it a gift infused, a gift received, or a decision to believe?
For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is
the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJ)
There are several views of the role of faith in Ephesians Chapter 2 verses 8-9. It might be helpful to examine briefly these views. These two verses are acknowledged to be scripture by those who accept the New Testament. The different concepts of the role of faith come from trying to understand what these two verses mean. There are, at least, three basic views regarding the role of faith in these two verses.
In brief, the views are as follows.
1.
Faith as an infused gift of God. Faith is believed to be infused into the person who is dead-like. While dead, they become gifted with saving faith. In this sense, faith is an infused gift from God. This view holds that no one is saved unless God imparted the gift of faith into them.
2.
Faith as a received gift of God. The gift of faith is welcomed and received by a lost sinner who feels his or her deep need of salvation. With this gift of faith, he or she believes the gospel. This view emphasizes the acceptance of the "
gift" of faith by the sinner. The sinner willingly and knowingly receives the gift of faith and has believing faith. In this sense, the sinner willingly, knowingly, and actively receives the gift of faith.
3.
Faith as a personal decision to believe the gospel. This view holds that the gift of God does not refer to the word,
faith; rather it refers to the whole plan of salvation. This view teaches that the whole "
by grace you are saved through faith" plan of salvation is the gift of God. For Israel in the Old Testament, the plan was "
by the law you are blessed through obedience." The OT involved the "
keeping the law." The New Testament involves "
faith in Christ." The OT was a system of "
works." The NT is based upon "
grace."
1. Infused Faith.
Probably the most popular view is that faith is infused into a sinner. Since the human population is held to be incapable of believing the gospel message, it is necessary for God to impart living faith into the dead and unresponsive sinner. After the Holy Spirit has imparted faith into the sinner, the person is able to accept the gospel of salvation.
This view emphasizes the sovereignty of God in saving souls. Whoever God sovereignly chooses to impart life and faith, comes to faith.
2. Faith is a gift.
It is easy to see why this view would be thought to be the case. A straight forward reading of the passage would lead one to believe that faith was itself the gift. Granting that faith is a gift, a gift still has to be received by the one to whom it is offered. So, even this second view requires acceptance of the gift and belief in the Savior by the lost sinner. In effect, it is similar to the third view. It holds that the sinner has some form of real faith in the value of the offer of the gospel.
3. The gift is not faith but the entire plan of salvation.
