Where Does Faith Come from
John Piper teaches that faith is ultimately a gracious gift from God, not a human achievement, enabling spiritually dead sinners to see and believe in Christ.
This sermon delves into the concept of faith as an act or experience of the soul, emphasizing that faith originates within the individual and is ultimately a gift from God. It explores the idea that faith is not something we possess inherently but is bestowed upon us by God's grace, highlighting the biblical perspective that all individuals are sinners and dead in their trespasses and sins, with faith being a divine gift that rules out boasting. The message underscores the distinction between earning a wage through sin and receiving the gift of eternal life through faith.
Full Transcript
Faith is an act or an experience of the soul. It doesn't happen outside. It happens in the soul, in you.
It's your act. And so, the first and obvious answer is faith comes from you. It isn't coming from you.
It's not yours and you don't have faith. But when I ask the question, where does it come from? I'm pushing this back further than that. I want to ask the question, why you, if you have, a dead, spiritually dead, spiritually blind unbeliever, one day were quickened to life and had your eyes enabled to see Christ as compellingly real, whereas another person, reading the same Bible, hearing the same message, didn't.
And the biblical answer to that, the ultimate biblical answer to that is that you are, and I am, all of us are, sinners, dead in our trespasses and sin, a veil lies upon our minds, and God, in His mercy, owing us nothing, enabled some of you to see what you nor anybody didn't deserve. You didn't deserve that. Nobody deserves it.
The ultimate answer to the question, where does faith come from, is that it's a gift of God arising in the soul, Ephesians 2:8, by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, which is why Paul says it rules out boasting. It's one of the reasons, there are more.
You can't boast in a gift. If you boast in a gift as though you deserve the gift, it's not a gift, it's a wage. The Bible clearly distinguishes in Romans 6:23 the wages of sin and the gift of eternal life.
If you deserve, you get a wage. If you don't deserve, you get a gift. Faith is a gift, 1 Corinthians 4:7. What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? You see, in Paul's mind, the relationship between boasting and gifts, if you produce your faith, you can boast in it.
If it's a gift, you can't.
Sermon Outline
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I
- Faith is an act of the soul, not external
- Faith does not originate from the individual
- The question of why some believe and others don't
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II
- All humans are spiritually dead and blind
- God mercifully enables some to see Christ
- Faith is undeserved and given by God's grace
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III
- Faith is a gift, not a human work
- Boasting is excluded because faith is a gift
- Distinction between wages and gifts in salvation
Key Quotes
“Faith is an act or an experience of the soul. It doesn't happen outside. It happens in the soul, in you.” — John Piper
“The ultimate answer to the question, where does faith come from, is that it's a gift of God arising in the soul.” — John Piper
“If you boast in a gift as though you deserve the gift, it's not a gift, it's a wage.” — John Piper
Application Points
- Recognize that faith is not your achievement but a gracious gift from God.
- Avoid boasting about your faith and instead give glory to God for His mercy.
- Trust that God enables spiritual sight and life according to His sovereign grace.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does faith come from according to John Piper?
Faith comes as a gift from God, not from the individual, enabling spiritually dead sinners to believe.
Why can't we boast about our faith?
Because faith is a gift from God, boasting would imply we earned it, but gifts exclude boasting.
What does it mean that faith is an act of the soul?
It means faith happens internally within a person’s soul, not as an external event or work.
How does God enable some to believe and others not?
God, in His mercy, quickens some spiritually dead individuals to life, allowing them to see Christ.
What biblical passages support the idea that faith is a gift?
Ephesians 2:8, Romans 6:23, and 1 Corinthians 4:7 clearly teach that faith is a gift from God.