Topical Bible: Faith: Through It Is: The Gift of the Holy Spirit

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Topical Encyclopedia

Faith, as a central tenet of Christian doctrine, is both a profound mystery and a divine gift. It is through faith that believers are justified, sanctified, and ultimately glorified. The Berean Standard Bible provides numerous insights into the nature and function of faith within the life of a believer, emphasizing its role as a gift from the Holy Spirit.

Definition and Nature of Faith

Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 as "the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see." This definition underscores faith as both a confident assurance and a conviction in the unseen realities promised by God. It is not merely intellectual assent but involves trust and reliance on God and His promises.

Faith as a Gift of the Holy Spirit

The Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Ephesians, highlights that faith is a gift from God: "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). This passage underscores that faith is not a human achievement but a divine endowment, bestowed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit works in the hearts of individuals to awaken and sustain faith, enabling them to respond to God's call.

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Faith

The Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in the development and nurturing of faith. In 1 Corinthians 12:9 , Paul lists faith as one of the spiritual gifts: "to another faith by the same Spirit." This indicates that the Spirit imparts varying measures of faith to believers, equipping them for different roles and challenges within the body of Christ.

Moreover, the Spirit's work in faith is evident in the process of regeneration. Jesus, in His conversation with Nicodemus, explains that one must be "born of the Spirit" to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5). This new birth is the Spirit's work, bringing about a transformation that enables a person to believe and trust in Christ.

Faith and Justification

Faith is instrumental in justification, the act by which God declares a sinner righteous. Romans 5:1 states, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." This justification is not based on human merit but on faith in the redemptive work of Christ, a faith that the Holy Spirit kindles and sustains.

Faith and Sanctification

The journey of sanctification, the process of becoming holy, is also deeply intertwined with faith. Galatians 5:22-23 lists faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit, indicating that the Spirit's ongoing work in a believer's life produces a steadfast and growing faith. This faith empowers believers to live in obedience to God's commands and to grow in Christlikeness.

Faith in the Life of the Believer

Faith is not static but dynamic, growing and maturing as believers walk with God. The Holy Spirit continually works to deepen and strengthen faith, enabling believers to persevere through trials and to trust in God's promises. James 1:3-4 speaks to this process: "because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Conclusion

While faith is a personal response to God's revelation, it is fundamentally a gift of the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit's work, believers are drawn into a relationship with God, justified by faith, and empowered to live lives that reflect the character of Christ. The Holy Spirit's role in imparting and nurturing faith is essential, ensuring that believers remain steadfast in their journey toward eternal life.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 11:15-17
And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Galatians 3:14
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ephesians 1:13
In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Greek

4102. pistis -- faith, faithfulness
... 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more
highly of himself than ... faith is spiritual, the gift of God . ... Right faith is a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4102.htm - 18k

Library

Of the Holy Spirit and the Mystery of the Trinity.
... absurd, and one proper not to the catholic faith, but to ... also upon the express fact
that it is through the Holy ... whence also, when He is called the Gift of God ...
/.../augustine/a treatise on faith and the creed /chapter 9 of the holy spirit.htm

The Holy Spirit of Promise
... of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the ... these things; and so is also the Holy
Ghost, whom ... might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.""Gal.3 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/byers/sanctification/chapter iv the holy spirit.htm

The Holy Spirit.
... the possession of every heart prepared by faith, love and ... into all truth," and "bearing
witness through them," "with ... Christ, "Ye shall receive the gift of the ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/the holy spirit.htm

Faith in General.
... We are saved through faith; and that faith is not ... It is very specially a gift of
the Triune God, by a peculiar operation of the Holy Ghost; "No man can say ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xxxiv faith in general.htm

Salvation by Faith
... that they should walk therein," and enjoy and manifest all holy and heavenly ... it is
the gift of God;" the free, undeserved gift; the faith through which ye ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 1 salvation by faith.htm

Rejection of Errors
... and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching ... into the will, and
that therefore faith, through which we ... is not a quality or gift infused by ...
//christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/synod of dort/rejection of errors 3.htm

On the Holy Trinity
... By the Gift of the Holy Spirit is Meant the Gift Which is the Holy Spirit. ... The Trinity
is Now Seen Through a Glass by the Help of Faith, that It May ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/on the holy trinity/

'Full of the Holy Ghost'
... who receives a spark of the divine life, through his most rudimentary and tremulous
faith, if he ... exaggerate the extent to which the primitive gift of the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/full of the holy ghost.htm

Love, which is Greater than Faith and Hope, is Shed Abroad in Our ...
... [1317] For faith obtains through prayer that which the law commands. For without
the gift of God, that is, without the Holy Spirit, through whom love is shed ...
/.../augustine/the enchiridion/chapter 117 love which is greater.htm

The Gift of the Holy Spirit is the Principle of all Good Actions ...
... For the virtue thereof extends itself through all the faculties of ... see; for even
when by the light of faith we are ... So that it is God, or the gift of his Holy ...
/.../chapter vi the gift of.htm