I can't believe it!

Victor Meldrew said 'I DON'T believe it!'  but have you ever said - 'I just CAN'T believe it'? Perhaps someone has said it to you.  You have told them about God's love.  You have explained that we don't need to do anything to get into heaven.  You have said, our good works don't matter at all. But they said - 'I don't believe it'.  Surely, I have to do something.   Surely, at least, I have to believe. That's true - but the amazing thing is, even your faith, is a gift from God.

Q35.  Since we are redeemed by grace alone, through faith alone, where does this faith come from?

A. All the gifts we received from Christ we receive through the Holy Spirit, including faith itself.

A couple of things to note:

• All means all

When it comes to the gift of salvation, there are no optional extras or hidden clauses which mean you have to pay for something. Jesus paid it all.  Jesus, through his Holy Spirit, give us absolutely everything we need for salvation.  That includes the faith we need to believe. And that makes sense - remember, we where dead in our transgressions and sins.  The Holy Spirit had to make us alive, open our eyes, give us the understanding, and enable us to believe.  That is what we mean by the gift of faith. It is this gift, which enables us to take the step from 'I get what you are saying' to 'I believe it.'  This gift moves us from understanding to belief.

• It's still my faith

Faith is a personal gift to you.  It is your personal response to all that God has done.   It involves your heart and mind.  It engages your emotions and will. Think of it this way; some gifts we get are things - a watch or a bike.  Other gifts are experiences - a parachute jump or pamper day.   This gift is an experience, something which you respond to and do. Faith is a gift, which involves your whole being.  It enables you to respond to God's gracious call of salvation, with all that you are.  It is truly personal.  So much so, it you may not realise that this has been given to you by God. So make sure you thank him for the gift of faith, and pray for those who are saying 'I can't believe' to be given the gift of faith too.