Temporary faith is NOT real faith

AV1611 · #1 (**permalink**) 02-01-2008, 01:42 PM

Thoughts:

Temporary faith is NOT real faith « Reformed Anglican

Semper Fidelis · #2 (**permalink**) 02-01-2008, 06:17 PM

Grymir · #3 (**permalink**) 02-01-2008, 09:02 PM

Kevin · #4 (**permalink**) 02-01-2008, 10:38 PM

I might quible...

I did not read the blog that you were respondoing to so do not take this as an endorsment of his view. In truth I do not even know what he said other than from your pull quotes.

I would only say this, we sometimes have a tendency to understate the "faith" of those who fall away. I fear that I myself have been guilty of presumtion in this regard. We do not know with eschatological certainty the nature of the faith of any person excepting those that scripture gives insight to by way of example.

So I would suggest this by way of an alternative formulation, they "really" had (a) faith that was not "real" faith.

Semper Fidelis · #5 (**permalink**) 02-02-2008, 03:31 AM

Kevin,

I think you need to read the article. It makes a solid point about Evangelical faith being born from above and not of the quality that can fall away because it does not originate from within.

Now, I also would agree that we need to be careful in Pastoral contexts where a person is struggling with the question of whether they have such faith. Pointing out the nature of our faith as born from above is supposed to be a source of strength against our existential doubts and needs to be approached from that angle. What Arminians (and the FV) do is by saying that all have the same basic quality of faith and that it is a "completed faith" that separates the sheep from the goats fails to lay hold of the Biblical truth surrounding God's electing grace and, hence, leaves behind the ground of our assurance.