Faith and Works

Faith and Works(救恩是神賜給的禮物.)

Calvin appears to be unaware of the argument that God's election of individuals to salvation is based on foreknowledge of their faith.  He assumes that everyone who makes foreknowledge the cause or origin of election claims that God foresees the individuals' merit or lack of merit.

The question considered is the origin and cause of election.  The advocates of foreknowledge insist that it is to be found in the virtues and vices of men.  (Book 3, Chap 22, Sec 4)

This is an example of Calvin's response to a Pelagian view rather than an Arminian view.

Many modern Calvinists treat faith as though it were a work, that is, a form of human merit.  They argue that salvation is entirely of grace and man can do nothing spiritual until he is regenerated.  For them, to hold that man exercises faith and thus is saved would be to hold that man does something for his own salvation.  In this sense they classify faith as a work.  However, Paul and James make it clear that faith and works are not to be confused.  Paul states repeatedly that salvation is by faith, not by works (e.g.: Romans 3:27-28; Galatians 3:1-14; Ephesians 2:8-9) requiring a sharp contrast between faith and works.  And James' argument that both faith and works are necessary because genuine faith will produce good works (James 2:14-26) also requires a definite distinction between faith and works.

Saving faith, when properly understood, is the opposite of works.  When the individual realizes that he has no merit of his own to offer God, he cries out for help.  This request for God's help expresses both the belief that God is able to help, and the belief that the individual cannot help himself.  The individual realizes that it is only due to God's goodness that he will be saved.  In other words, the individual's act of faith affirms God's grace.

Some Calvinists attempt to bolster the idea that God elects certain individuals by claiming that God gives certain individuals faith, passing over other individuals.  They attempt to support this claim by referring to Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.

They interpret the word “that” as though it refers to “faith”.  However, in the Greek both “grace” and “faith” are feminine nouns, and the demonstrative pronoun “that” (touto) is neuter, as shown in the following graphic (from Mounce and Mounce, Greek and English Interlinear New Testament, Zondervan, 2011.  See the red arrows.)

Thus, the word “that” ("this" in the above interlinear) does not refer just to faith, nor just to grace, but to the whole idea of salvation by grace through faith, all of which is a gift from God.  And certainly this is what we would expect since no one would be able to understand anything about his own need of the gospel or be able to exercise faith if it were not for the grace of God in restoring everyone to a place of free choice.  The above passage does not support the idea that God gives faith to certain individuals but not to others.

你們得救是本乎恩，也因著信；這並不出於自己，乃是神所賜的。也不出於人的行為，免得有人自誇。弗2:8-9

ab

   For  by  grace  you  have  been  saved  through  faith  and  that 

              c

 not  of  yourselves ， it  is  the  gift  of  God。

           

  a.徒15:11我們得救乃是因主耶穌的恩，和他們一樣，這是我們所信的。

    弗2:5 當我們死在過犯當中的時候，便叫我們與基督一同活過來，你們得救是本乎恩。

  b.彼前1:5你們因信蒙神能力保守的人，必能得著所預備，到末世要顯現的救恩。

  c.約4:10 耶穌回答說：「你若知道神的恩賜，和對你說給我水喝的是誰，你必早求衪，衪必早給了你活水。」

以弗所書二8的「乃是神所賜的」一語，參看前面第五節就清楚：「當我們死在過犯中的時候，便叫我們與基督一同活過來；(你們得救是本乎恩)」。後面重申「乃是神所賜的」一語，與前文對照，就看出它不是指信心，而是指救恩而言。保羅的意思是：你們得救是本乎神的恩典和因著人的信心，這救恩不是出於人自己，也不是出於人的行為。所以救恩是神賜給的禮物。

         神預備的救贖計劃與恩典是在基督裡，人一點貢獻都沒有。神的心意是要萬人得救，明白真道。Cf提前2:4，彼後3:9，多2:11。

神的救贖計劃與恩典己經在基督裡顯明出來。因此人要以信心(神給人有自由意志選擇)回應或接受這一份救恩的禮物。cf約1:11-12