And now you must go into the forest and cut down the largest tree with ... a herring!

Previously, I dealt with the question of whether or not "faith is a gift" and what that means, and doesn't mean.

Along those lines, the Bible insists human beings do what they cannot in their natural state, which is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is the necessary condition for justification, but just because we ought doesn't mean we can.

James Montgomery Boice explains a common misconception:

"Sometimes evangelicals express their ideas in the following fashion. They say that God first gave the law to see if anyone could keep it. But since no one did or can, God now comes to us with a slimmed-down or much-facilitated gospel, as if he were saying: ‘I know you can’t keep my law. So let me ask instead for something you can do. Just believe in Jesus. If you believe in Jesus, I’ll save you.’ If that is the way God operates, faith becomes a work—something you or I do on the basis of which we are saved—and there is ground for boasting." (Romans, 409)

In other words, the ability to believe is a gift enabled by the regenerating Holy Spirit.

See also:

• Gunny's "Only a fool looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart."
• Tom Ascol's "Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism & Arminianism"
• James Galyon's "Born Again in the SBC"
• John Piper's sermon "Regeneration, Faith, Love: In That Order" (listen, watch, or read)
  

Sometimes, I can't tell at all what's going on in that head of yours.

It's not very common, but every once in a while I get a church that expresses interest in me as a pastoral candidate. Years ago I had a church interested when a friend passed along my name.

The first thing I do in such a situation is look for a doctrinal statement. After reading the church's, I wrote the following:

"I had a quick question for clarification regarding the doctrinal statement of the church.

It says that one of the tasks of the Holy Spirit is to 'to regenerate the unbelieving,' but then in Salvation the statement says that, 'all who repent (turn from sin to God) and receive by faith Jesus as personal Savior & Lord, are born again of the Holy Spirit. '

My query is just whether the church views regeneration (being born again) as preceding (as is stated in former) or following (as is stated in the latter) faith."

The following is response from the chair of the search committee:

"Dear Rev. Hartman,

I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your email. I can certainly see why you would have a question. We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus alone. We believe that the true believer, sealed by the Holy Spirit is eternally secure. I appreciate your bringing this to our attention, b/c to tell you the truth I think it is probably a typo., which needs to be fixed. We definitely believe that faith is the prerequisite to salvation.

If you would like to send a resume, it can be forwarded to me at ..."

While I appreciated and agreed with the response, the fact that my issue wasn't even understood told me there was no need to submit a resume.

Only a fool looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart.

One of the questions that comes up often in discussions of the nature of conversion has to do with faith. Is faith a gift?

8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
-Ephesians 2:8-10, ESV

What is the gift of God? Is it faith? Is it God's grace? Is it the kwan of our salvation?

Exegetes will disagree, but many in my camp want to affirm that faith is a gift and others want to object, to strenuously object.

What if instead of seeing faith as a gift, one sees regeneration as a gift?

And if one sees regeneration as God's gracious gift of:

-giving eyes to see and ears to hear

-making them born again, before which they cannot even see the kingdom (let alone see the kingdom, like the kingdom, and choose the kingdom) (John 3:3-6)

-making those who are dead alive (Eph 2:1-3)

-opening hearts to believe (Acts 16:14)

-drawing them to Christ, because they cannot come otherwise (John 6:44)

-changing their hearts (Ezek 36:26-27) so that they no longer love the darkness and hate the light, but now they love the Light of the World (John 8:12) and believe in Him and are justified freely by His grace

Then really the gift is not so much faith, but the ability to see and thereby trust the object of faith, Jesus the Christ.

Really, I think gets more to the biblical understanding of things with regard to God's gift. It also explains the nature of the will in the process of conversion. God does not violate the will of the person, for the will of the person is such that he/she always does what he/she wants. In that sense, the will is free (cf. Edwards', Freedom of the Will). But, likewise, this faculty of choosing we call the will is such that a person must do what he/she wants. That's why the will is said to be in bondage (cf. Luther's, Bondage of the Will) for the unconverted person. That person is bound by a sinful heart to always and only do in accord with loving the darkness and hating the light (John 3:19-20).

But, after regeneration folks have new hearts and through new eyes Jesus is seen rightly and since they now have hearts disposed to love the light, they come to Him, believing on Him for salvation.

Everyone has faith in something or someone, but the unregenerate do not really have Christ available as an option because the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing and faith seems unreasonable.

Their hearts will never incline them to do what seems logically for us who are being saved, but it's foolish to look for logic in the chambers of the human heart ... before it's renewed. They don't believe because they don't want to. They will never want to until Christ appears as trustworthy to them, which cannot happen apart from divine grace. This is the gift of regeneration.

Regeneration is a change of heart, wrought by the Holy Spirit, who brings to life the dead in trespasses and sins enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the Word of God, and renewing their whole nature, so that they love and practice holiness. It is a work of God's free and special grace alone, apart from which humanity is powerless to positively respond to God.
-Statement of Faith, Providence Church

Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.

Recently I came across this story about a woman who was offended/insulted by the quip on her Starbucks cup (Woman expresses indignation at quote on Starbucks cup).

The unhappy woman was/is Michelle Incanno, a married mother of 3 who is a Catholic (but may or may not be an "Evangelical Catholic" and the story did not report as to her membership status in the Evangelical Theological Society). (HT Gunny)

The thought provoking comments were attributed to London, Ontario, Starbucks patron Bill Schell (likely not a Catholic nor an Evangelical). The comments were part of Starbucks' effort to "collect different viewpoints and spur discussion." I have appreciated this bit, on occasion, but I too would not have been a fan of this one.

Printed on the cup was:

"Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure."

In a very Modern way, he encourages us to not look up or out, but within. Trust in humanity, for we have the power to overcome.

Doesn't he know that's so Modernity? Doesn't he know we've lost our "faith" in humanity?

Anyway, she was offended by that, which is understandable. He basically criticizes people for being dumb and/or weak in punting their responsibility to act.

"As someone who loves God, I was so offended by that. I don't think there needs to be religious dialogue on it. I just want coffee," said Incanno.

It's funny to me. The whole bit has been, you're not just buying a cup of coffee, you're buying the experience. Yet, here we have a woman who doesn't really want the experience they're trying to offer, she just wants her cup of steaming Joe.

But, hey, if I was a non-believer like Bill Schell, I would likely give him a hearty, "Amen." Our faith doesn't make sense to him, but that's the nature of our foolishness. In the same way, one must realize the limitations of trying to use reason to prove to someone why he/she should believe in God and/or be a Christian.

There's a supernatural element involved whereby the blind cannot see and the message of the cross will be foolishness to those without the Spirit. But those who have been regenerated to see the beauty and majesty of the Savior and have experienced the fullness of a God of love can endure whatever may come.

That's why John Huss (a forerunner to the Reformation) could stand strong though it meant being burned at the stake as a heretic in 1415, by the church. As Huss stood before the stake he reportedly said, "In the truth of the Gospel which I have written, taught, and preached, I die willingly and joyfully today." Incidentally, he proved to be a prophet when he said, "You are roasting a poor Bohemian goose, but in 100 years there will arise a swan whom you will neither roast nor boil." I don't know if many would refer to him as a swan, especially since Pope Leo called Martin Luther a wild boar (i.e., pig) in his papal bull of excommunication, Exsurge Domine.

Folks like Huss can live lives that perplex and maybe even disappoint others, but that's the nature of our supernaturally enabled faith in the supernatural One. It's not a blind faith or an unfounded/ungrounded faith, but it's faith nonetheless and faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.