Well I keep a healthy skepticism because I see there is a slippery slope here. If faith is a gift and the Bible proved it, I would probably immediately convert to Univeralism because I know God wants no one to perish and would provide a total path to salvation absent of any requirements because God is omnipotent.
I don’t really want to go down that road because of the labyrinth of theological and Biblical problems associated with it.
As it goes, the Bible does not in fact succinctly say faith is a gift anywhere. What I see is Jesus came and told people to believe, have faith, repent, etc. Why would Jesus need to come and say all of that and be sacrificed if God just needed to instead just speak whatever He wanted into existence?
I propose that Jesus fulfilled a legal requirement that enables death to be destroyed. Jesus died a sinless person and death received Him. Death cannot receive a sinless person because only sinners die. Therefore, death itself sinned and will be cast into the lake of fire. Now the resurrection to eternal life is legally possible and those who believe in Christ and what He did will have eternal life. Those who don’t will perish.
Thanks for responding. You touched upon many Doctrines in your reply. I would like to fly over a few of them because time and space will not allow a serious discussion on each.
You said:
As it goes, the Bible does not in fact succinctly say faith is a gift anywhere.
If we reject the view of many, who say otherwise, on Eph. 2:8 - then maybe. However, if you are looking for "succinctly" stated verses, then one must ask: Where is your succinctly stated verse, for the fact, that God is Triune?
There isn't one. The Trinity of God, is developed by putting many verses together, which then and only then, are realized points of Doctrine. You do believe that God is Triune, do you not?
You said:
I would probably immediately convert to Univeralism because I know God wants no one to perish and would provide a total path to salvation absent of any requirements because God is omnipotent.
All I can say here is: Please don't. Universalism is an out right heresy. Questions: What makes you think God wants everyone to be saved? If that was His will, then everyone would be saved - He is God. Are you thinking of this verse?
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering toward you(us) not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. This verse speaks of the chosen of God - not all of mankind. Notice: He is
longsuffering toward you - those that Peter is writing to because they were wondering what was taking the Lord so long to come again. The "all should come", of this verse, is the same as in John6:37, 39 and 44, as an example. Are you building a doctrine on one or two verses? Again, we must go back to the fact, that God chose before the foundation of the world those in Christ Jesus. That God Himself said, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." Where do you see Universalism in that?
This also touches upon the Doctrine of Particular Redemption. Perhaps one day we will discuss that.
You said:
What I see is Jesus came and told people to believe, have faith, repent, etc. Why would Jesus need to come and say all of that and be sacrificed if God just needed to instead just speak whatever He wanted into existence?
Jesus Christ had an earthly ministry for sure. The Great Shepherd of the sheep, had come in the flesh, to minister personally to His flock. However, this was not the reason for His first advent. The purpose of God was to secure redemption for the Elect. Since, God's Holy Character demanded legal payment for breaking His Holy Law. God could not demonstrate His mercy, unless His righteousness and justice was satisfied. Righteousness, speaks to God's Holy Nature and Justice speaks to the righteousness of His Nature and Moral Standard/Law. Since mankind had broken His Moral Standard through the disobedience of Adam, His Righteousness demanded death.
It was impossible for mankind to appease God's legal penalty. So even before God ever created anything, The Father devised a plan for a remnant to be saved. His only Son, the Second Person of the Godhead, would be incarnated in flesh and become the Lamb of God. Since God is perfect in everyway. only God could appease God's required perfection. But God the Son, as God, cannot die - so He took upon Himself sinless flesh. If Christ had not died, then all would be held guilty by God, the perfect Judge and all would be lost.
The second part of your question, would take a long, long time to answer. As such it would have to be taken in pieces step by step.
A short answer is this: Only God is Perfect and Holy in everyway but when God determined to Create -
God could not and cannot create God. Therefore, God cannot create something or someone as Perfectly Holy as Himself. This is His essential Glory and His alone. Make sense so far? Thus, anything God creates is inherently LESS than Himself. Adam was created "Upright" (Ecc. 7:29), but Adam was NOT perfectly Holy. Adam proved that mankind could not keep God's Holy Standard. However, God knew this from before the beginning of His creative work. Thus, the Plan of Salvation and whom would participate in receiving His Judicial Mercy, was already determined.
Finally, "Death" is a
condition of the Fall. (Read Genesis chapter 3). This condition killed Adam and Eve's spiritual ability to commune with God. Just as in "physical death", they were separated from God. This condition also will kill all physically - at God's appointed time. (Ecc. 3:2). It is not an entity. It is a sentence upon all mankind for not keeping the one Commandment of God. (Gen. 2:16&17). Death cannot sin. Only living... thinking beings can transgress and sin. Death was overcome by the sacrifice of the Lamb. It will be thrown into the lake of fire, at the end of time. Death can only affect that which is temporal. Once one, who is saved, steps into the eternal presents of the Lord, death has no power over them.
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Wow. Now I've heard it all.