It does not appear that God grants faith to every person. This is because many people do not believe in Jesus or trust in what He did on the cross. Nevertheless, a verse in the Bible says God has given “to each a measure of faith.” But what does the context tell us that ‘each’ means? Let’s take a look.
Romans 12:1–3, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”
So, Paul is speaking to the brethren and instructs them to live a holy life (v. 1). He tells them not to be conformed to the world (v. 2). He then says, don’t think too highly of yourself and that “God has allotted to each a measure of faith” (v. 3). context seems to be speaking to believers, not unbelievers. The faith that God has granted to us is in Jesus. Consider the following two verses.
- Philippians 1:29, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.”
- John 6:29, “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.'”
So we see that God grants us faith, and that faith is in Jesus. It appears that Paul is only saying that God has given a measure of faith to those who are believers – which is consistent with Phil. 1:29 and John 6:29.
So, does God grant faith to everyone? No, He doesn’t. All people can have a form of faith generated out of themselves. They can believe in the faithfulness of their spouse, or that the Jet they are flying in will not crash, or that the doctor doing their surgery is competent. But the faith that God gives us will be a saving faith. After all, Jesus said, “…no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him from the Father” (John 6:65).
