Faith: The Gift and Work of God Alone (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798249899127)

Faith has been misunderstood, misrepresented, and misplaced.
Modern Christianity presents faith as man's contribution to salvation--a decision, an act of will, or a condition upon which God responds. Scripture teaches something radically different.

In Faith: The Gift and Work of God Alone, Mikal Smith presents a clear, uncompromising, and deeply pastoral exposition of biblical faith as it is revealed in the Word of God. Drawing from Scripture alone and echoing the historic preaching of Old School Predestinarian Baptists, this work proclaims that faith is not natural to man, not initiated by the sinner, and not the cause of salvation--but the sovereign gift and work of God.

This book establishes that fallen man is spiritually dead and utterly incapable of believing apart from divine quickening. Faith does not precede the new birth; it follows it. Faith is not offered to all; it is given to the elect. Faith is not the ground of justification; Christ's faithfulness is. The believer's faith does not save--Christ saves, and faith receives what Christ has already accomplished.

Through six carefully structured chapters, the reader is guided through:

• The biblical definition of faith and its misuse in modern religion

• The total inability of the natural man and the necessity of the new birth

• Faith as the work of God, the gift of God, and the fruit of the Spirit

• The vital doctrine of the faith of Christ as the ground of salvation

• Election and ordination as the cause of believing

• The believer's experience of faith in time--rest, assurance, perseverance, and comfort

Written in a clear, reverent, and pastoral tone, this book is not a theological novelty but a return to the "faith once delivered unto the saints." It strips away man-centered religion, silences boasting, magnifies the finished work of Christ, and brings deep comfort to weary consciences.

This is not a call to do more, decide better, or believe harder.
It is a proclamation that salvation is of the Lord, from beginning to end--and that faith itself is part of His gracious work.

A vital resource for pastors, students of Scripture, and believers who desire to rest fully in Christ alone.