Faith Is Not A Decision, It Is That Simple (Law & Gospel In Laymen's Terms)

Thesis XIII Of Walther's Law and Gospel In Laymen's Terms


Faith is not a decision, it is that simple.  Rather faith is a gift.  Great error can occur when a preacher appeals to a person as if they have the ability to conjure up faith in themselves to believe the Gospel.  To make things worse, when a preacher makes faith into a personal decision, poison has been injected into the Gospel.


No my friends!  A pastor should not preach "about" faith but should preach so that faith "happens."  Take Martin Luther for an example, he rarely appealed to his hearers to believe, but preached in a manner that the hearer got the impression that all they had to do is take what is being offered and find a place of rest in divine grace.  


The real issue at hand here is that if a preacher preaches in a way that communicates that a person can produce faith in himself, such a poor sermon would make faith into a work of man.  Instead of the Word creating faith in the hearer as a gift, this empty sermon can  turn faith into a work and poisons the whole message of the Gospel.  One should be able to preach a sermon on faith in a way that he shall never use the term "faith."    


We do not preach "about faith," rather we preach Christ so that "faith happens."