"For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake" - Philippians 1:29
I'm currently reading the book of Philippians. I have read the book numerous times over the years. As I embarked on reading Philippains for the "gazzionith" time, I had hopes that I would glean something new from yet another reading. But I must be honest and admit that I had doubts that I would learn anything new.
When I got the verse 29 of chapter one I stopped dead in my tracks! I could not believe what I had just read! Something had not registered in earlier readings. The mention of suffering being granted always grabbed my attention. However, this verse mentions 2 things that were granted the Philippians by the Lord: 1) belief and 2) suffering. It never registered with me that this verse mentions that belief in Christ is a granted gift!
Since my eyes have been opened to the truths of God's sovereignty in salvation, such verses now grab my attention instead of being oblivious or blind to them. I now find similar verses all over the place. When I encounter such verses now, I'm always amazed and think, "why didn't I see this before?!"
One cannot have true, saving faith in Christ until the Lord grants it so.
Repentance is another action that I took for granted. Even repentance cannot take place until the Lord grants it:
"The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth," - 2 Tim 2:24-25
As a result of the above Philippians and 2 Timothy passages and numerous others, I now see Ephesians 2:8 in a whole new light. That verse says,
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God".
I used to think that my faith was something that I gave to the Lord and once I gave it to Him, He'd then give me the gift of eternal life. But as this verse plainly says, "faith" is not of myself; it is the gift of God!
Faith and repentance are God-given gifts.
