Is Faith A Work?

Is faith some kind of “work” that some one does or can do?  Believe it or not – according to the Bible – the answer is yes:

1 Thessalonians 1:3 – “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father”

2 Thessalonians 1:11 – “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power”

Faith is either a work of God or it is work of man.  Now if faith is a work, and if we are not saved by our works (as clearly stated in Romans 11:6, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8&9, Titus 3:5 and elsewhere) then whose faith saves us?…

Where does saving faith come from?

We may think that we choose God but it is God who gives us the desire to want Him and the faith to be able to trust Him. God is the giver of every aspect of salvation even regarding repentance and faith:

John 3:27 – “John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.”

God has to enable sinners to repent:

Acts 11:18 – “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”

2Timothy 2:25 – “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth”

God has to give people faith as a gift so that they can believe on Christ:

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

Regarding salvation, man has absolutely nothing to contribute: “knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked?” (Revelation 3:17).

Until God puts a new heart in us we are just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, who hid from God after they sinned. Until God draws us and converts us, we have no desire for fellowship with Him or His children on His terms. Instead we run from Him and His messengers and we consider His commandments burdensome and His Lordship something to be scorned OR we may think we are quite capable of keeping His commandments yet we are blind to the fact that salvation is by grace alone and that all our feeble attempts to do good are tainted with sin, especially the sin of self-righteousness.

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