Does God need/demand humans' faith for them to be saved? If so, why?
score:2
One has to argue the premise - God doesn't necessarily need faith, he might just want it.
A truly compassionate and loving God who understands his people, may simply desire what is best for them. If God is the best, then it would be His desire that his people come to him- willingly and without coercion.
As an analogy, a father may understand that his children learn the value of money. That would entail getting the child's attention, showing correct courses of action, and rewarding desired / punishing undesired behavior. But, before any of this training can occur, the child must first believe that the parent knows how best to deal with money. Without that implicit faith, nothing can be taught.
Likewise, God demands faith (1) in order that he might help his children to be better.(2)
(1) Heb 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him
(2) Heb 12:6 - 10 the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness
Yes, it does sound a little bit like an old Army ad, but its true: God wants you to be all you can be.
In order to accomplish that, however, one must choose (via free will) that God is in fact the best authority you can emulate.
Upvote:-2
God doesn't need our faith, he already has plenty of his own, it is we who need to develop faith. The question is why.
Every particle in the Universe ever acted upon by an intelligent being, is done through faith (at the very least we have to have faith that our perceptions are real). Every miracle ever performed was done through the power of faith – "by their faith they were healed.” Once in the celestial kingdom we will be able to create worlds of our own according to our faith.
Hebrews 11:5. “By Faith Enoch Was Translated that He Should Not See Death."
Upvote:2
Remember that the idea of salvation is that God saves us from the penalty and power of our sins that He may have a loving relationship with us. Trust is an important foundation for any relationship to form and prosper. For instance, is any marriage relationship sound in which the spouses do not trust one another?
God has already gone out to us through the offering of His Son for our salvation. Faith on our part, trusting God, is our response to what He has done. (We believe in His finished work because believing in our works-righteousness will ultimately be fatal.) When we believe on the Son, when our hearts are hooked, then the "romance" begins.
Remember, too, that heretofore we have trusted in many other things, like in ourselves, society, mom and dad, money, good looks, and so on, to get us where we want to go. But God wants to take us in an entirely new direction, in which His kingdom values are to ultimately prevail within us. Trust will be key as we transition from one state to the next, groping along as we let go of cherished notions to grow in this foreign thing of trusting an invisible being. Faith in this God is important because we haven't been this way before.
More post
- 📝 Why did God come down so hard on Job?
- 📝 How does Catholic sacramental theology explain the efficacy of the sacraments conducted by a priest who is in the state of mortal sin?
- 📝 Is it possible not to be contented in heaven?
- 📝 Being an endtime prophecy, how does Genesis 49:10 affect Christians since one side of it in ''Judah'' already has?
- 📝 Is the Vulgate the official version of the bible for entire Catholic Church, or just the Latin Church?
- 📝 Is Obeying a Stay at Home Order Biblical or Not Biblical
- 📝 What, if anything, is known about the practice of baptism for the dead in the early church?
- 📝 Who is the most recent saint recognized by both the Catholic and the Orthodox churches?
- 📝 Can we use KJV Bible version in mobile application
- 📝 Did the "spirit of Samuel" come from God?
- 📝 Is the seal of the living God in Revelation 7:1-3 the same as the seal Paul wrote about (Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30; 2 Cor 1:22; cf. 1 John 4:13)?
- 📝 Remembering vital scriptures?
- 📝 What is the LDS meaning of the New Jerusalem?
- 📝 Why does God ask Abraham to walk blameless?
- 📝 Is Orthodoxy more important than Orthopraxy?
- 📝 Could there be a "Newer" Testament? If so, how would it become canonical?
- 📝 How do we make sure that we are on the rightful religion/path?
- 📝 Why do Christians care so much about what you believe?
- 📝 How do Trinitarians explain Titus 1:3 & 4 in light of Isaiah 43:11?
- 📝 Prominent Theologians' answer to: What is "The Parable of the Shrewd Manager" about?
- 📝 Origins of Ash Wednesday
- 📝 Heaven/Paradise/Sheol, Hell/Hades/The Lake of Fire
- 📝 Which tribe did Paul belong to?
- 📝 Why did God kill a man for picking up sticks on the Sabbath?
- 📝 How do Christians who see Scripture as self-evidently inspired explain that Catholics, Protestants and Mormons have different sacred scriptures?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for the belief that man is no longer made in God's image?
- 📝 How do Catholics make sure that the supposed saint they are asking intercession of is truly saved?
- 📝 Did St. John Chrysostom believe in papal primacy?
- 📝 Converting from Russian Orthodox to Roman Catholic in 1820
- 📝 What is the reasoning given by Trinitarians for using 'He' instead of 'It' to refer to God, inclusive of 3 persons?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Does God need/demand humans' faith for them to be saved? If so, why?
- 📝 Since God provided for the forgiveness of sins in the Old Testament, why do we need Jesus?
- 📝 According to Calvinists, does God command the non-elect to do what is for them impossible?
- 📝 According to Protestant interpretations why does God want people to serve Him when He doesn’t need it?
- 📝 Did most of the people that Jesus heal believe he was God? If so, why does the Bible not record them asking for salvation?
- 📝 If God cannot change, then why does His wrath need to be appeased?
- 📝 If Christ Has Been Given All Authority Why Does He Need to Make Intercession For Us?
- 📝 Why does God promise descendants for Hagar?
- 📝 Why does God punish us for sin
- 📝 For Those who deny the deity of Jesus Christ why does He at Revelation 1:8 identify Himself as the Lord God Almighty?
- 📝 Why does God promise something that satisfies our greed for longevity?
- 📝 Why is there a need for a perfect sacrifice? Why does Jesus have to be perfect?
- 📝 Why does God punish us for our will?
- 📝 Why has God punished every human for one person's sin?
- 📝 According to Roman Catholic doctrine, why does Mary refer to God as her Savior if she was born without sin?
- 📝 Why was God so upset with Moses for striking the rock the second time in the desert?
- 📝 Why did God kill a man for picking up sticks on the Sabbath?
- 📝 Are there theological explanations for why God allowed ambiguity to exist in Scripture?
- 📝 Does God need our praise and glory?
- 📝 Why does Jesus value leap of faith more than those who rely on direct evidence?
- 📝 Why does God command the Israelites not to boil a goat in its mother's milk?
- 📝 If we are saved by grace, then why does Jesus say we must be baptized in both spirit and water?
- 📝 According to Calvinism, why does God give mercy to some and not to others?
- 📝 Why does God have a chosen people?
- 📝 Why did God make garments of skin for Adam and Eve when they had already made clothing for themselves?
- 📝 Why does God not show Himself beyond reasonable doubt?
- 📝 Why does God command us to have children?
- 📝 Why did God need to plant the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden in the first place?
- 📝 Why does God resort to genocide and destruction?
- 📝 Why does any Archbishop get to decide if alligator is okay for Lent?