IS FAITH A GIFT FROM GOD?

Some say that sinners are incapable of believing in the gospel because they are indeed sinful. And so, God has to give faith to sinners first in order for them to respond positively and be saved. Many of our Reformed and Calvinist brethren share this belief. For quite some time, I firmly believed, like them, that faith is a gift from God. It was not until recent years that I tried to think about the biblical basis and implications of this idea. Those who support this view provide verses as the basis for it. Today, let’s focus on discussing only two of the most commonly used passages.

EPHESIANS 2:8

Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”. For those who argue that faith is a gift, this particular verse is an obvious proof. According to them, the antecedent, or being referred to in “this is not from yourselves” and “it is the gift of God,” is none other than faith. Others have a different view. Some say that the statements refer to the whole process or arrangement of salvation, which is by grace through faith. Some interpreters believe that both suggested meanings could be supported by the context. As Dr. John MacArthur said that it “might refer to the act of believing, employing the antecedent that is not stated but understood. It is possible that Paul had in mind the entire process—grace, faith, and salvation—as the gift of God. Both possibilities certainly are in keeping with the context.”

Although I have to admit that the context may support any of the two proposed meanings, the original text's grammar could only support one of them. The word “this” (Gk: “touto”) in “this is not from yourselves” is neuter, while “faith” (Gk: “pistis”) is feminine. Because of this, “touto” could not refer to "pistis" because they are different in gender. Even MacArthur admits that “the antecedent... would seem, cannot be the word faith.” It's important to remember that the word "touto" can also be used to summarize a concept or discussion, as in Matt 1:22, which states, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet”. The “touto” here refers to all the events that happened in the passage. The emphasis in v. 8 “not your own doing” and v. 9 “not a result of works” leads us to conclude that the “touto” is referring to the process of salvation being by grace. Both the grammar and the context support the view that Paul was referring to the whole of salvation as a gift rather than just faith.

What other arguments did people use to defend the idea that faith is a gift even though grammar cannot justify it? MacArthur argues that “Spiritually dead, we were helpless until God intervened to quicken us... Faith is graciously given to believers by God himself.” It seems that he is proving his point by presenting another idea that must be proven first and cannot be seen in the immediate context. Though the passage talks about being spiritually dead (Eph 2:1–3), it does not talk about the idea that the spiritually dead cannot really respond to the gospel, and so they must be given faith first to be able to believe. Even if proponents of this view cite other verses to back up this claim, it is clear that Ephesians 2:1–10 does not mention such a thing.

HEBREWS 12:2

In this verse, it is said that Jesus is the “author and perfecter of our faith." Many use this verse to support the view that faith is a gift because Jesus is the one who made it and gave it to believers. Commenting on this verse, Dr. Steven Lawson said, “All faith within the one who believes was authored by Jesus Christ.” Is this the proper way to understand the verse?

It seems that this interpretation is inconsistent with the context. In v. 1, it was said that we should run with endurance in the race set before us. In v. 3, Christ was set as an example of endurance for us not to grow weary. Through these passages, we can properly understand what the writer meant when he said that Jesus is the author of our faith. The writer used the term “archegon” for “author.” This term has the same meaning as the Greek word “prodromos” and could also mean “pioneer” or “forerunner.” This definition of “archegon” appears to be more fitting in the context. In what way did Christ become a pioneer of our faith? He endured the suffering for the joy set before Him; in other words, He also ran the race of faith and won it. Because Christ is the “archegon” of our faith, it means that He is the forerunner who paved the way for us, and because He is said to be the perfecter, it means He is also the finisher of the race. Jesus is the best example of living the life of faith, and so the writer put Him at the climax of the list of the heroes of faith (11:2–40). Only by fixing our eyes on Him can we also persevere in faith (v.3). Christ being the forerunner could be observed all throughout the book of Hebrews (2:10; 6:20; 12:2). Translations today, like NIV, NRSV, and ISV, use the term “pioneer” instead of “author” to better capture this idea.

By understanding the context and the original term used, we can clearly see that Christ as the author of faith has nothing to do with Him creating faith and giving it to sinners; rather, it speaks about Christ running the race before us, giving us an example to follow.
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Doctrines and beliefs must be built upon a proper interpretation of the Scriptures. And every idea that is proven to be based on misinterpreted verses must be corrected. Is faith a gift? It seems that there are other passages and arguments that must be examined first in order for a believer to come up with a position. But today, it appears that the two mentioned above cannot support this view. Stay Curious. 

Sources and Studies:

Walton, J.H, and, Keener C., (2016). “See footnotes for Hebrews 12:1-2” . 𝘕𝘐𝘝 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. (p. 2159). Zondervan
Walton, J.H, and, Keener C., (2016). “See footnotes for Hebrews 2:10” . 𝘕𝘐𝘝 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. (p. 2142). Zondervan
MacArthur, J.F. (1994). “The Nature of True Faith.” 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 (𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯). (pp. 188-189). Zondervan
Craig, W. L. (2023 Feb 19). " 𝘐𝘴 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵?" Reasonable Faith. Retrieved from https://www.reasonablefaith.org/.../is-faith-a-gift-of...
Bingham, N. and, Lawson S. (2020 Feb 27). “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵? Ligonier Ministries. Retrieved from https://www.ligonier.org/.../ask.../how-is-faith-a-gift
"𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘴".(n.d).  Bible Study Tools. Retrieved from https://www.biblestudytools.com/.../greek/nas/archegos.html