How Does Scripture Produce Faith?
00:00:00.000 | A podcast listener named Kobe, who also keeps current on our blog at desiringgod.org it
00:00:09.840 | seems, writes in to ask this, "At the 715 mark in your sneak peek video in the Look
00:00:15.520 | at the Book series, you connected the sacred writings in scripture, then made the jump
00:00:20.680 | to say that these inspired writings produce or yield faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
00:00:26.460 | But it seems that scripture here makes one wise for salvation through faith.
00:00:30.880 | So faith is the means by which scripture produces salvation, not scripture producing faith.
00:00:36.280 | So my question is, how do you take 'through' to mean 'produces' or 'yields'?
00:00:41.420 | How do you arrive at the conclusion that scripture produces faith from this text?"
00:00:47.360 | That's a complicated question.
00:00:49.280 | I'm sure the listeners are kind of, "What?
00:00:51.280 | What did he say?"
00:00:52.960 | So let me try to answer it in a way that clarifies the question, and I don't think it takes long.
00:00:59.920 | I really look forward to doing this more often, that if people see the Look at the Book, they
00:01:03.920 | have another question, they call you, or they write to you, and we kind of tie together
00:01:08.160 | Look at the Book and APJ this way.
00:01:11.160 | So let me give the verse.
00:01:12.160 | Here's 2 Timothy 3:15, which he's asking about.
00:01:15.120 | "From childhood, Timothy, you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to
00:01:21.840 | make you wise unto or for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
00:01:29.640 | Now Coby says, "I think, the very words, it seems that scripture makes one wise for salvation
00:01:38.160 | through faith, so that faith is the means by which scripture produces salvation, not
00:01:45.880 | scripture producing faith."
00:01:48.880 | Now Coby sees these as alternatives.
00:01:52.240 | Either scripture produces or yields salvation, or scripture produces faith.
00:01:58.440 | But I don't see them as alternatives.
00:02:01.060 | Both are true, and both are essential.
00:02:03.440 | The scripture makes us wise for salvation through faith.
00:02:10.160 | Yes, faith is the means by which scripture leads to salvation.
00:02:16.240 | That's right.
00:02:17.240 | And scripture does this by awakening and producing or yielding, that's the language I used in
00:02:23.720 | the LAB, faith.
00:02:25.800 | In other words, if faith is essential to salvation, which it is, then if scriptures are going
00:02:32.560 | to lead to salvation, scriptures must do it by awakening or producing or yielding faith.
00:02:41.040 | So Coby's asking, "How do you arrive at the conclusion that scripture produces faith from
00:02:49.160 | this text?"
00:02:50.160 | And my answer is, it seems to me to be demanded by the wording.
00:02:53.560 | Here's the wording again.
00:02:55.120 | The sacred writings are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
00:03:03.580 | If the sacred writings lead us to salvation through faith in Jesus, then they must be
00:03:08.560 | the means used by God to awaken our faith.
00:03:12.160 | That is, they produce faith.
00:03:14.120 | And then I find that confirmed in Romans 10.
00:03:17.520 | Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
00:03:21.160 | So let me just close with one application beyond what Coby asked, because I think it's
00:03:26.560 | relevant here.
00:03:29.040 | The sacred writings that Paul's talking about here that lead us to salvation and produce
00:03:34.220 | faith that brings us to salvation are the Old Testament scriptures.
00:03:39.520 | These made Timothy wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
00:03:45.920 | That's amazing.
00:03:47.200 | The Old Testament scriptures are designed by God to lead us to faith in Jesus Christ.
00:03:55.060 | They're not an end in themselves.
00:03:56.360 | Romans 10, 4, the goal of the law, and I think it means the instruction of God in the Old
00:04:02.240 | Testament, the goal of the law is Christ for righteousness to all who believe.
00:04:09.400 | This is how the scriptures make us wise unto salvation.
00:04:13.360 | They prepare our minds and our worldview and our hearts so that when Jesus the Christ is
00:04:20.560 | proclaimed, we're ready, we are wise, and we believe and are saved.
00:04:26.720 | Yes.
00:04:27.720 | Thank you, Pastor John.
00:04:28.720 | And that video can be found at DesiringGod.org embedded in a blog post we titled, "A First
00:04:34.160 | Glimpse at 'Look at the Book.'"
00:04:36.360 | So what is "Look at the Book," this series of videos we're calling "A New Chapter in
00:04:40.840 | John Piper's Legacy?"
00:04:42.720 | We can find out more in episode number 354 of this podcast series.
00:04:47.320 | I'm your host, Tony Reinke.
00:04:48.720 | Have a wonderful weekend.
00:04:49.880 | [END]
00:04:50.380 | 1.
00:04:51.380 | John Piper's Legacy
00:04:51.380 | 2.
00:04:52.380 | John Piper's Legacy 3.
00:04:53.380 | John Piper's Legacy 4.
00:04:54.380 | John Piper's Legacy 5.
00:04:55.380 | John Piper's Legacy 6.
00:04:56.380 | John Piper's Legacy 7.
00:04:57.380 | John Piper's Legacy 8.
00:04:58.380 | John Piper's Legacy 9.