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Faith is the Fruit, Not the Bait, of the Spirit

I. Many Christians think that faith is a condition to acquire eternal life from God.

They think that God offers fallen mankind eternal life, but they must accept it by faith in order to receive it.

This would make human faith the ultimate cause of eternal life since God could not, or would not, save them without it.

II. But the Bible teaches that human faith is the fruit of the Spirit, not the bait of the Spirit.

The Spirit of God dwells in the hearts of God's children.

Rom 8:9 - But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Rom 8:10 - And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

One of the fruits of the Spirit is faith, which shows evidence that the Spirit is dwelling in a person.

Gal 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Fruit n. - 1. Vegetable products in general, that are fit to be used as food by men and animals. 7. Anything accruing, produced, or resulting from an action or effort, the operation of a cause, etc. b. An immaterial product, a result, issue, consequence.

In that faith is the fruit of the Spirit, it is something that is produced by the Spirit of God in the heart of one of God's elect.

If faith is produced by the Spirit of God in the life of a person, then faith cannot be the thing that causes the Spirit of God to dwell in a person's heart.

If faith is a condition to receive the Spirit of God, then faith should be referred to as the bait of the Spirit, not the fruit of the Spirit.

Bait n. - 1. a. An attractive morsel of food placed on a hook or in a trap, in order to allure fish or other animals to seize it and be thereby captured.

The Spirit of God actively quickens and regenerates a person, not passively comes into someone's heart when he asks Him to.

Joh 6:63 - It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Tit 3:5 - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Sinners are drawn to God by His sovereign power.

Joh 6:44 - No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Draw v. - 1. a. trans. To cause (anything) to move toward oneself by the application of force; to pull.

Joh 6:65 - And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

God is not coaxed or wooed to sinners by their faith (which they don't have).

Joh 10:26 - But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.

Rom 9:16 - So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Joh 1:12 - But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Joh 1:13 - Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

III. Faith is a gift from God when He gives a person eternal life by His grace, not a means of getting eternal life.

1Jn 5:4 - For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Act 18:27 - And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

2Pe 1:1 - Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: