Faith ~ a Gift or a Response?

I have been thinking quite a bit as of late regarding the nature of that thing that we call "faith." It is widely used to describe a person's 'beliefs' about all things spiritual or supernatural. Those things which we believe that surpass the realm of the natural which science can measure and probe, are relegated to the category of 'faith.'

Within the evangelical Christian community (if I may be so bold as to assume that this group actually is a 'community') there is a debate that continues to broil over this issue of faith. The fault line of this disagreement is often located in Ephesians 2:8-9 where the Apostle Paul wrote "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast."

The question that is raised is in regards to the 'gift' that is mentioned. Is grace the gift? Is faith the gift? Or are both grace and faith the gift? The issue that is debated is based upon the understanding that faith is the gift that Paul references "...so that no one can boast" of their faith. This leads many then to say that a person is given faith by God and consequently it is not something that can be lost or walked away from.

As I have been studying faith, as revealed in the letter James wrote, faith appears quite strongly to be a response from a person to the saving grace of God revealed in Jesus. Rather than being a gift that is given from God to a person, faith appears to be the response of the person to God. And consequently, it is something that we are to continue to respond in (persevere) as we choose to following Jesus throughout our life.

Where does this leave us then in regards to loosing or walking away from this faith? It appears to me that since faith is a way of responding to God, then it would be possible for a person to stop responding in this way. Does that mean that they have "lost their salvation?" Thankfully I'm not the one that has to decide that for myself or anyone else. However, the call is to follow God in confidence, having faith that he really does know what he is talking about. That is a response of a living faith as revealed in the Scriptures. And that leads me into a relationship with the God who holds my future.