Atonement Series: Faith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwiyS5Yf8w8

Today we are going to discuss faith, but not in the Hebrews 11:1 way, which is, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I think that’s a bit monolithic, and we need to understand faith in a multidimensional way. Now, before we get into our topic, let’s recap, because I think up to this point, we have covered a lot of ground. And I want to make sure if you are hearing this for the first time, you understand what’s going on here.

This is a teaching series on numerous theological points on the atonement and how some of the core truths are demonstrated through the account of Lazarus of Bethany.

Now, why is knowing the atonement and its parts important for us today? Why am I doing this? Well this isn’t just some

Understanding the atonement and its parts is vital for everyday life because it soundly, scripturally, biblically and accurately anchors our identity, reminds us of our worth in Christ, and empowers us to live transformed lives. Through aspects like justification, regeneration, sanctification, and reconciliation, we see how God not only forgives us but also restores, renews, and walks with us daily. The atonement frees us from guilt and striving, giving us confidence in God's love and grace, even in suffering. It shapes how we love others, resolve conflict, and extend forgiveness, modeling Christ’s sacrificial love. Ultimately, knowing the atonement gives everyday life eternal purpose, guiding how we live, work, serve, and witness to others—not out of obligation, but out of gratitude for the finished work of Jesus.

This approach is drastically different from sensationalism, emotionalism, or unchecked and subjective spiritual experiences. It resists the pull of spectacle and avoids the instability of feelings-based faith, focusing instead on a sober-minded pursuit of truth, and reverence for God’s Word.So what have we covered?

So far, we have learned that God originally created man positionally and morally good, intended for eternal fellowship and rulership with Him.

Positionally means that there was no separation or estrangement between humanity and God.

Morally means that man was endowed with integrity and the ability to live according to God's will.

The fall corrupted this, perverting man’s will and inclining him to determine position and morality for himself. Therefore, we have learned that sin was and is a perversion of this.

Sin is a perversion man’s will and an act against God’s divine order; it is the practice of turning away from our Creator and turning to the created.

Being unable to save ourselves from this condition, God, who deeply loves us, graced us or provided His divine assistance to help restore us back into fellowship with Himself.

This He initiates by regenerating our ability to hear, respond, and align to His calling. The regeneration then allows for the realization of our depraved state, prompting repentance.

Once realized, repentance occurs, which is the complete deconstruction of the old psyche and reconstruction of the new psyche, all initiated and governed by God.

Now we arrive at faith!

You see, what God is doing here is that He is creating a new man. Just as in the beginning when He created Adam and Eve, He is making you anew!

So let get into today’s teaching.

First, what I’ll do is make an assertion, then I will support the assertion with Scripture. I think this might be the best way to go about explaining faith. Here is the assertion:

Faith is a gift that has nothing to do with your ability to generate belief. I’ll say it another way: Faith isn’t you trying hard to believe or mustering up mental or emotional certainty. It’s not a product of your own attempts at believing.

You’re probably thinking, what about places where scripture says "if you have faith the size of a mustard seed" or "if you have faith to move mountains" or when we are commanded to have faith or believe. Doesn't that indicate that faith is produced by human effort or originate with us? My answer to this would be you are partially correct.

What my assertion means to accomplish is to establish the object and origin of faith. Scripture clearly teaches that faith originates from God, and we will see this in a moment.

You see, the capacity to believe is not native to us. In our fallen state, we are spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1), unable to come to God unless He draws us (John 6:44). Faith, then, is awakened in us by God’s initiative.

Yet—and here’s where the mystery lies—we are still commanded to believe. Scripture doesn’t treat us like robots; it calls us to respond. This is where we see the biblical tension, or what I’ll call the mystery of grace and responsibility. Philippians 2:12–13 holds both together beautifully: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

In other words, we are responsible to believe, but we are unable to believe apart from God’s grace. Faith is both a divine gift and a human response. Now, this doesn’t weaken the truth—it deepens it. God empowers what He commands, and our ability to respond in faith is itself a result of His grace working in us. So, if you ask yourself, “Is God’s grace present in my life,” and you have faith. Then the answer to your question is yes, God’s grace is present in your life; because he is working in you for His good pleasure.

Let me show you this in Scripture and in some of this you will see the tension between grace and responsibility.

Let’s start with Ephesians 2:8–9:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Notice the phrase: “this is not your own doing”. That includes the faith—it’s part of the gift. Salvation is not earned, and neither is the faith that receives it. It originates in God, not in us.

Also, consider Philippians 1:29:

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.”

Belief is something granted—not merely chosen.

John 6:44 + John 6:29

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…” (John 6:44)“This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:29)

God must draw a person to faith.

Yet the call to believe is a work of God that humans are commanded to respond to.

Acts 13:48

“And as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

Those who believed did so because they had been appointed by God—highlighting divine election.

Yet the act of believing is still a human response.

Luke 22:22

“For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!”

God’s sovereign plan (“as it has been determined”).

Human responsibility and guilt (“woe to that man…” – Judas).

This reveals that divine sovereignty does not remove human accountability.

Romans 9–11 (especially 9:18–20)

“So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, ‘Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?’ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?”

This section reveals the mystery of divine election, mercy, and justice—and acknowledges human responsibility, even when it’s hard to comprehend.

So, what this all means is that faith comes from God and is not something we can muster up on our own. It is a gift that has nothing to do with your ability to generate belief.

Here is the official definition that I will give you: Faith itself is a divine substance. It is something created by God that He gives you, to (1) believe in Him and (2) to believe that He can sustain you. Here are few more passages to ground this home a little further:

John 6:44 (ESV): “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” Coming to Jesus, involves faith, which is initiated by God.

Acts 16:14 (ESV): “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” Faith results from God opening one’s heart to respond to the message of salvation.

2 Peter 1:1 (ESV): “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Faith is obtained through the righteousness of Christ, a gift from God.

Romans 12:3 (ESV): “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Faith is assigned by God.

Hebrews 12:2 (ESV): “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Describes Jesus as the initiator and completer of faith, highlighting His role in both starting and sustaining faith.

Galatians 5:22 (ESV): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” Lists faith as a fruit of the Spirit, indicating that it is produced by the Holy Spirit’s work.

Acts 3:16 (ESV): “And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know. And the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.” Speaking of the lame man at the gate called Beautiful, that faith comes through Jesus, highlighting that faith is a gift from Him.

We can continue listing Scriptures, but I think you get the point. Faith is a gift that has nothing to do with your ability to generate belief. You cannot procure it. Rather, faith is a gift from God that enables us to believe in Him, trust in Him, and grow in Him. It is an anointed perspective given by God to see as He sees and will as He wills in obedience. By "anointed," I do not mean in a charismatic way, but in the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit way (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

Ephesians 1:18 tell us "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.

2 Kings 6:17 reads, “Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Now, let’s turn to Lazarus.

We will focus on John 11:25-44, which is where the demonstration of faith occurs.

In verses 25-27 (ESV), we read, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.’”

What Jesus is doing here is giving her the opportunity to align her perspective with His perspective, to see as He sees. In this very moment, Martha is growing in faith. Prior to this, in verses 21 to 24, Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Then Jesus says to her, “Your brother will rise again,” to which Martha replies, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

See, her initial starting point was that she believed Lazarus would rise on the last day, the day of resurrection for all believers. But what Jesus wanted her to do is grow in her faith. Remember, faith is a gift from God that enables us to believe in Him, trust in Him, and grow in Him. It is an anointed perspective given by God to see as He sees and will as He wills in obedience. Again, Jesus was growing Martha’s faith.

As we read further down, Jesus’ instruction to remove the stone and His declaration about seeing God’s glory challenged Martha to see beyond the immediate human limitations. Faith enabled her to see the situation from God’s perspective, recognizing that Jesus’ power can overcome death. Martha demonstrates obedience in removing the stone, reflecting her alignment with Jesus’ will.

Then we have Lazarus himself, who was assuredly dead and unable to do anything at all! In John 11:43, Jesus says, “Lazarus, come out,” and Lazarus responds by emerging from the tomb. The power that raised Lazarus from physical death came entirely from Jesus, not from Lazarus himself. This mirrors the spiritual condition of a person dead in their sins: they cannot come to faith or repentance on their own because they are spiritually dead.

When a person is spiritually dead, God must first give them new life. Ephesians 2:5 explains this: “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” God acts first to regenerate the heart, bringing spiritual life where there was none. Once Lazarus was alive, he listened to the sound of Christ’s voice, making his way out of the tomb. In other words, Lazarus was granted faith as a gift from God that enabled him to hear the voice of Christ, believe in Him, trust in Him, and grow in Him.

This is faith! A gift from God that enables you to believe in Him, trust in Him, and grow in Him. It is an anointed perspective given by God to see as He sees and will as He wills, in obedience. This is why God gives you faith: to (1) believe in Him and (2) to believe that He can sustain you. [Analogy of a new born, Lazarus, and the new believer]