As we continue on our journey in thinking about inability, some might think this is an absurd topic to discuss. After all, whether God gives faith or whether man believes of himself all man has to do is believe. If a person believes, then that person is saved. That sounds good on the surface, but once one begins to examine it that begins to unravel. What does it mean to believe? What does one have to disbelieve in to truly believe? What does one have to believe in to savingly believe? Is a person saved by grace and grace alone or does one add to grace in terms of salvation by an act of faith? Can a person trust in himself for faith and believe in grace alone and Christ alone for salvation? Is a trust in self the same as having an idol? These questions at least point to some important issues.
Some of the issues at hand are simply concerning what it means to believe. If belief is nothing more than a cognitive awareness and agreement with some facts, then perhaps that is not so hard. But we know that Jesus said that a person must be born again to even see the kingdom (John 3:3). Faith is seen as a simple thing and without any real power needed to exercise it, but that is simply incorrect. It takes the power of God to produce the power of faith. Ephesians 1:19 sets this out: “and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.” In the text of Ephesians 1:19 the words “these are” are in italics which means they were added by the translators. However, the verse reads very well without those words being added. It would then read like this: “and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.” With this translation one can see that the greatness of His power is seen in that those who believe actually believe in accordance with the working of the strength of His might. Faith is not a simple and powerless act; it takes the power of almighty God to produce it.
Edward Griffin puts it this way: “The real question lies between the Calvinistic doctrine of divine efficiency and the Arminian self-determining power” (Divine Efficiency, p. 75). We must not think of faith as something simple that takes no power to do. The will has no power to overcome those things which are against it in order to exercise faith. Indeed it takes the power of God to do so. We know that Scripture teaches that human beings are slaves of sin (Romans 6:6; John 8:34-36). Scripture also teaches that when a person is saved that person is delivered from the domain (dominion, power) of darkness (Colossians 1:13). Who can deliver human beings from slavery to the devil and from being under his power? Where does that power come from? It can only come from God as He alone is more powerful than the evil one.
Faith has the devil fighting against it in terms of salvation and in terms of the Christian life. Ephesians 6 sets out the spiritual battle of the believer. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10-12). In this text we see that it takes the strength of the Lord to stand against the schemes of the devil. It tells us that our very struggle is not against flesh and blood (and we are flesh and blood) but is instead against spiritual forces of wickedness. The battle is not fought in the natural realm as such, despite the appearances of that, but in the spiritual realm. Then we see this: “in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). It takes faith to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. What can faith extinguish? The darts and arrows of doubt that the evil one shoots are what faith extinguishes. If the power of faith comes from human beings, then this shows that it is not the strength of the Lord that we fight with.
It is clear that for a person to exercise faith it must be done in accordance with the strength of His might (Ephesians 1:19). It is clear that a person must have the have the power of God to overcome the dominion of darkness as that cannot be done by a puny human being (Colossians 1:13). It is clear that once a believer a person’s faith is from God as it is being strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. The believer is protected by the power of God through faith (I Peter 1:5). Faith is not a simple exercise of the mind as in a decision, but is an act of God in the human soul. In one sense faith is a divine act and a divine act of divine power. Indeed it is also the act of the human being at some point, but it is the act of God through the human being. Every human being is born under the dominion of the evil one and in bondage to sin. The human will cannot free itself from its bonds and the devil. It has no ability to do so. It takes the ability of God to free a human soul from those spiritual bonds.
God Loves... Himself 
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