The Source of Saving Faith: Gift or Human Contribution? 得救的信心的来源：天上的恩赐还是地上的贡献？
If the source of faith is ourselves, what does it mean for salvation? This article explores the theological consequences from a historic orthodox perspective. 如果信心的来源是人自己，这对救恩意味着什么？本文从大公教会正统神学和历史基督教信仰出发，探讨其中的神学后果。
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Introduction: A Common Misconception
引言：一个常见的误解
In modern evangelical circles, the language of “making a decision for Christ” is ubiquitous. While the Bible certainly calls all people to repent and believe, a subtle but dangerous shift often occurs in our understanding: we begin to view faith as something we generate from our own natural resources.
在现代福音派圈子中，“为基督做决定”这类语言无处不在。虽然圣经确实呼吁所有人悔改并相信，但在我们的理解中，往往会发生一种微妙而危险的转变：我们开始将信心视为我们凭着自己的本性所产生的东西。
But if the source of our saving faith is ultimately ourselves—our own will, our own wisdom, or our own effort—what are the theological implications? Is faith a work we perform to get God’s attention, or is it a gift He bestows upon the spiritually dead? To answer this, we must look to the witness of Scripture and the historic Christian faith.
但是，如果我们得救的信心的来源最终是我们自己——我们的意志、智慧或努力——这在神学上意味着什么呢？信心是我们为了引起上帝注意而做出的“功劳”，还是祂赐予那些灵性死人的恩赐？为了回答这个问题，我们必须考查圣经的见证和历史基督教信仰。
1. The Biblical Witness: Faith as a Divine Gift
1. 圣经的见证：信心是上帝的恩赐
The Scriptures are clear that faith is not a native product of the human heart. Because of the fall, human beings are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). A dead man cannot exercise faith any more than he can walk. Therefore, faith itself must be granted by God.
圣经清楚地表明，信心不是人心土生土长的产物。由于堕落，人类“死在过犯罪恶之中”（以弗所书 2:1）。死人既不能行走，也无法运用信心。因此，信心本身必须由上帝赐予。
As the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Ephesus:
正如使徒保罗写给以弗所教会的信中所说：
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
— Ephesians 2:8-9
“你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信；这并不是出于自己，乃是神所赐的；也不是出于行为，免得有人自夸。”
—— 以弗所书 2:8-9
Notice that Paul qualifies the entire package of salvation—including faith—as “not of yourselves” and “the gift of God.” Furthermore, he writes to the Philippians:
请注意，保罗将救恩的整个过程——包括信心——都界定为“并不是出于自己”和“神所赐的”。此外，他在写给腓立比人的信中提到：
"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
“因为你们蒙恩，不但得以信服基督，并要为他受苦。”
—— 腓立比书 1:29
If faith is “granted,” it cannot be something we produce by our own power.
如果信心是“蒙恩”赐予的，那么它就不可能是我们凭自己的力量产生的东西。
2. The Testimony of the Historic Christian Faith
2. 历史基督教信仰的见证
The orthodox catholic theology of the church has long defended the truth that God is the primary mover in the inception of faith. In the early church, the Second Council of Orange (529 AD) met to address the errors of Semipelagianism—the view that man can take the first step toward God.
大公教会的正统神学长期以来一直捍卫这样一个真理：上帝是产生信心的首要推动者。在早期教会中，奥兰治第二次会议（公元 529 年）专门为了处理半伯拉纠主义的错误——即认为人可以向着上帝迈出第一步。
The Council declared:
该会议宣布：
"If anyone says that the beginning of faith and the very desire for belief... is not through the gift of grace, that is, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit... but is by nature in us, he is proved to be an enemy of the doctrines of the Apostles."
— Second Council of Orange, Canon 5
“如果有人说，信心的开始，甚至那想要相信的愿望……不是通过恩赐，即通过圣灵的启示……而是由于我们的本性，他就被证明是使徒教义的敌人。”
—— 第二次奥兰治会议，条款 5
Centuries later, during the Reformation, this same truth was articulated in the confessional standards of the faithful. The historic faith emphasizes that God’s grace is “monergistic” (God working alone) in regeneration, which then produces faith.
几个世纪后，在宗教改革期间，这一真理在信徒的认信标准中得到了阐述。历史性信仰强调，上帝的恩赐在重生中是“独作”的（上帝单独工作），进而产生了信心。
The Canons of Dort describe this divine work beautifully:
多特法典优美地描述了这一神圣的工作：
"Faith is therefore the gift of God, not on that account, because it is offered by God to man, to be accepted or rejected at his pleasure... but because it is in reality conferred, breathed, and infused into him."
— Canons of Dort, Third and Fourth Head, Article 14
“因此，信心是上帝的恩赐；这并不是说上帝只是将它提供给人，让人凭己意去接受或拒绝……而是因为它实际上被授予、吹入并注入到人里面的。”
—— 多特法典，第三、四项，第 14 条
3. The Consequences of Self-Generated Faith
3. 自我产生信心的后果
If we reject these biblical and historical testimonies and insist that faith originates in the human will, we are faced with several grave theological problems.
如果我们拒绝这些圣经和历史的见证，坚持认为信心源于人的意志，我们将面临几个严重的神学问题。
A. Salvation becomes a Ground for Boasting
A. 救恩变成了夸口的根据
If two people hear the gospel, and one believes while the other does not, why the difference? If faith is from within ourselves, the believer has something to boast about: “I was smarter, more spiritually sensitive, or more humble than my neighbor.” This directly contradicts the Apostle Paul’s rhetorical question: “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
如果两个人听到福音，一个人相信而另一个人不信，为什么会有这种差异？如果信心来自我们自身，那么信徒就有理由夸口：“我比我的邻舍更聪明、对灵性更敏锐、或者更谦卑。”这直接反驳了使徒保罗的修辞性提问：“你有什么不是领受的呢？”（哥林多前书 4:7）。
B. The Certainty of Salvation is Undermined
B. 救恩的确据被削弱
If the source of my faith is my own will, then my salvation is only as stable as my will. But our wills are notoriously fickle. If I “generated” my faith, I could just as easily “un-generate” it. True assurance comes only when we realize that the “author and finisher of our faith” is Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:2), not our own decision.
如果我信心的来源是我自己的意志，那么我的救恩就和我的意志一样不稳定。但我们的意志是出了名的反复无常。如果是我“产生”了我的信心，我也同样可以轻易地“取消”它。真正的确据只有当我们意识到，那“为我们信心创始成终的”是耶稣基督（希伯来书 12:2），而不是我们自己的决定时才会来到。
C. Grace is no longer Grace
C. 恩典不再是恩典
If faith is a condition that we fulfill to trigger God’s response, then grace is no longer a free gift but a reward for the “work” of believing. This turns the gospel into a new form of law-keeping, where the “law” is the requirement to produce faith.
如果信心是一个由我们来满足的条件，用以触发上帝的反应，那么恩典就不再是白白的恩赐，而是对相信这一“行为”的奖励。这把福音变成了一种新形式的守律法，其中“律法”就是被要求产生信心的义务。
Conclusion: All Glory to God
结论：荣耀全归上帝
To say that faith is the source of our salvation is a category error. Faith is the instrument by which we receive Christ, but the source of both the salvation and the faith to receive it is God Himself. When we acknowledge that even our “Yes” to God is a result of His prior “Yes” to us, we can truly say with the reformers: Sola Gratia—by Grace Alone.
说信心是我们救恩的来源是一种范畴错误。信心是我们接受基督的器皿，但救恩以及接受救恩的信心之源头，都是上帝自己。当我们承认，甚至我们对上帝所说的“是”，也是祂预先对我们说“是”的结果时，我们才能真正与改革者们一同宣告：Sola Gratia——唯独恩典。
Bibliography
参考文献
- The Holy Bible, New American Standard Bible (NASB) / Chinese Union Version (CUV).
- 圣经，新美国标准圣经 (NASB) / 简体圣经和合本 (CUV)。
- Canons of Dort (1619). The historic confession of the Synod of Dort.
- 多特法典 (1619)。多特会议的历史性认信。
- Second Council of Orange (529 AD). Canons on Nature and Grace.
- 第二次奥兰治会议 (529 AD)。关于本性与恩典的条款。
- Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion.
- 加尔文, 约翰。《基督教要义》。
- Sproul, R.C.. Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification.
- 史普罗, R.C.。《唯独信心：福音派的称义教义》。