Caroleem, if we turn to its context (the “For” in 12:3 suggests we should) we can see that Paul is writing within the context of Christian service and clearly means that we are measured an ability to exercise our gifts. I won’t exegete this fully as I don’t have the time, but I note that Romans is a wonderful overview of the Christian faith, with its main body (5:-11:) a presentation of Paul’s theological foundation – how aionion life is graciously given by promise through faith in the Christ (and notunto faith). From this grounding he turns to the new and radical life that believers possess (12:-15:). He writes in 12:1, that we must “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” and then (12:3) “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Faith contextually being the capacity (our knowledge and experience) of Christian service. He continues, writing (12:4-8) “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Paul is simply writing here that our extension of Yahweh’s grace in service to others (cf. 1 Peter 4:10-11) is measured differently, so do not consider yourself more haughty than those with a lesser capability to perform them. It says nothing of salvation unto faith, but our different abilities to serve others in diverse ways. Paul had already well and truly covered salvation (through faith) in 3:, 4: and 5:. This is a very rough overview I concede, but I can revisit this if absolutely necessary.
Hahaha… no. I believe humanity cannot approach Yahweh and that any faith we have is contingent on the prevenient grace of God (that goes to all men). But I do believe that salvation proceeds through our faith. This is classical Arminianism (as far as I understand) – Revival doesn’t seem to agree with my first statement (semi-/Pelagianism).
Again, I dont get into man made labeling but I have already told you I’m not a pelagian. God’s grace is where the gift of salvation lies and is extended to us and when extend our faith to receive it… we partake of it. God created man with the ability to choose, free-will beings.
I sincerely apologize for branding you as a semi-/Pelagian. I do not recall you explaining this to me. When I asked specifically and didn’t hear back from you, I pieced your position together from some of your statements. Evidently, I was wrong. Sorry to have offended you. If you believe that God personally offers us salvation and must first enable us to respond to it, then we do not really differ.
Hopefully I can help you fend off the Calvinists, comrade
I know you’re asking Revival, but yes. There is plenty, though it’s a systematic conclusion from all scriptures, and cannot be explicitly deduced from individual proof-texts. Libertarians infer this from what they believe it means to have the Image of God, and may use the subsequent verses to show that humanity has an inherent self-determinism (most of mine have been sourced from the Society of Arminian Evangelicals). However, Arminians always ground free-will in personally extended grace – absolutely no one can exercise their free-will towards Yahweh without His express permission and action. If you were not called, you could not approach. There are countless other verses, but these should do for now. Please ditch those you feel are not compelling or out of context.
Isaiah 1:18-20, redemption is conditional upon us choosing obedience over resistance (and this is the argument of Yahweh): 18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” says Yahweh, “though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. 19If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Ezekiel 33:11, Yahweh does not predestine reprobates, but implores the wicked to repent:
"Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord Yahweh, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’
John 7:17, Those who will the divine will, know that Yeshua is of Yahweh.
“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself…”
1 Corinthians 7:37, though this verse is clearly not in the context of salvation, Paul describes free will as an unconstrained power over our own will, in which we have authority over.
But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well.
1 Corinthians 10:13, though also not in the context of faith, this verse could imply that everyone bears sufficient grace to believe freely.
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
Whereas Calvinists believe that people cannot resist the grace of Yahweh, the following verses show that we can indeed resist (this is the Arminian doctrine of Resistable Grace). Calvinists often state that humanity cannot thwart the will of Yahweh. This is clearly untrue. Every day humanity, including Christians, thwart the will of Yahweh by practicing sin. He allows this, not because He is impotent and/or sadistic, but because he values genuine love. And genuine love is necessarily relational and free.
Proverbs 1:23-33, People are implored to obey Yahweh’s call, but choose to resist. 23 “Turn to my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 Because I called and you refused, I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention; 25 And you neglected all my counsel and did not want my reproof; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, 27 When your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. 28 Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. 30 They would not accept my counsel, they spurned all my reproof. 31 So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be satiated with their own devices. 32 For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 But he who listens to me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Jeremiah 7:24, People resist Yahweh by refusing to obey or incline their ears and walking in their own backward purposes.
Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.
Luke 7:30, The Pharisees thwart what Yahweh wanted for them.
But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.
Luke 13:34, The inhabitants and rulers of Jerusalem thwart what Yeshua wanted for them.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!..”
Acts 7:51, Stephen’s audience blatantly resist the Holy Spirit. It is perfectly reasonable to infer that had they not resisted, they would have been led to repentance.
You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.
Romans 10:(14-)16, not all who hear will believe. 14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”. 16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”.
I find Romans 10:14-11:36 an interesting passage for Arminian-universalists.
2 Corinthians 6:1, evidently one can receive the grace of God in vain.
And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain
The writer of Hebrews is encouraging Hebrew Christians to persevere in Christian doctrine (that which is grounded in grace, not works or genealogy). Throughout 11: and 12: he/she provides, as examples, the heroes of the Hebrew scriptures remarking that it was always by their outstanding faith that they “gained approval” (11:12). Their faith was “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:11), in other words, faith is confidence in promise and in the faithful dispenser of that promise (though works are wholly necessitated in response to that confidence). With these “men of old” as our example we are to “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (12:1). Doing this, we are to fix our eyes on Yeshua who “… for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:2). It is Yeshua’s faith that the writer of Hebrews offers as his/her final example of faith-fulness.
Properly translated, Hebrews 12:2 should read “… the author and perfecter of faith”. There is no “our” in the Greek; this confuses the meaning of the text. Removing this, helps to clarify the meaning. Without “our” and by being mindful of this verse’s immediate context, faith is clearly generic and not individual (nor necessarily salvific). So what this verse is saying is that Yeshua is the first and last example of faith, over the other heroes of faith in 11:. The word translated “author” (***archégon***746) comes from the words ***arché***745 (meaning “prince” or “chieftain”) and ***agó***71 (meaning “to lead”), and means first-leader. Perhaps “authority of faith” might be a better dynamic equivalent. Likewise the word translated “perfecter” (***teleiótés***5051) tells us that He is the perfect and final example. Yeshua being the first-leader and final example of faith shouldn’t surprise anyone, for in all things Yeshua has the pre-eminence. For He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the “author and perfecter” – especially as a model of faith for our own example (Philippians 2:5,8). This emphasis on example, is further reinforced by the proceeding verse (Hebrews 12:3), where we are exhorted to “consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart”.
In summary, I think this passage says nothing of a divine decree of forced-faith – this would be eisegesis. I believe it clearly speaks of Yeshua being our principal example in matters of faith. This interpretation is coherent with the fullness of Yahweh indwelling in Yeshua, the loving and humble servant of humanity, who is not an imposing, cosmic tyrant (for as long as one resists the divine life, they will not receive it). I firmly believe this to be the intended meaning of the text. I know of no other that does context justice.
All this withstanding, Yahweh is, in some sense, an “author” of my faith. For without His prevenient, enabling grace I could not author my faith in Him.