Saving Faith
By: Patrick M. Garry
Publisher: Kenric Books
Publication Date: 2013
ISBN: 978-0983370314
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: July 2013
Publisher: Kenric Books
Publication Date: 2013
ISBN: 978-0983370314
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: July 2013
“She has a name,” Clare Hammond practically shouted out, “she’s a human being.” Jack and Ev got a glimpse of Clare and Irene Valensa as they fought for the life of Faith Powers and Good Shepherd Hospital. If the hospital closed, comatose Faith’s life support would be halted. When Jack was at the orphanage he’d been stuck in an oxygen tent so he could relate. Dr. Leudtke had misdiagnosed him and no family wanted a sick kid. No one cared about him and no one really cared about Faith, an unidentified woman who was found unconscious in an alley. The whole fiasco sparked an interest in Ev and he wanted to know the real scoop. Why were these women so anxious to save Faith?
Irene, Faith’s nurse, was looked upon as “the leader of a group of people interested in saving the lives of patients like Faith,” but a small current turned into a riptide after a drive-by shooting took the life of Emily Zailles. Emily was on the other side of the fence and getting her out of the way ... well, it just might help Good Shepherd, but now the cops were investigating Irene. The story was looking more interesting to Lyra, who was one of CNN’s star journalists, but no way Ev wanted her help. A body on the pavement and one that might be snuffed out by an uncaring society pushed an unlikely duo together. Jack and Ev only had so much time to figure out just who Faith really was in order to save her, but could they? And why was Clare showing up at Jack’s apartment all hours of the night?
This is a mesmerizing story of faith, love, and hope in people who only have a modicum of any of those three desirable elements in their own lives. The “faith” is embodied in an unidentified comatose woman dubbed “Faith,” a woman whose very existence moves those around her to examine the meaning of their lives. The tale definitely has a good hook, one that kept me interested as I too wondered what Faith’s future would hold. The characters quickly became enmeshed in each others' lives after a chance meeting and a quick glimpse into a courtroom. The premise that Jack, someone so young, but so wise beyond his years, would be an associate of Ev and Lyra’s was somewhat unbelievable, yet worked. The twists at the end whirl as they bring a sudden and unexpected conclusion to this uniquely mysterious tale.
Quill says: If you want to reexamine the meaning of life, simply taking at its mysteries through Jack Fenian’s eyes is definitely an eye-opener!
SAVING FAITH COMES FROM HEARING GOD'S WORD
ReplyDeleteDo men receive faith, that saves, because God arbitrarily bestows them with faith? Does God predetermined who will be saved and them cause them to have faith so they can be saved? No and No.
Faith comes from hearing God's word preached.
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.(NKJV)
Romans 10:14 How they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?(NKJV)
Faith comes when men believe the gospel. Faith is not forced on men by God.
MISUNDERSTOOD PROOF-TEXT EPHESIANS 2:8
Ephesians 2:8 is used to prove that faith is a gift from God, however, that is not what is says.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God,(NKJV)
Salvation is the gift from God. Faith is not the gift.
Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Why would Jesus condemn men who do not believe if God is the one who arbitrarily bestows faith on men so they can be saved?
To have faith that Jesus is the Son of God is a choice. To trust in God is a choice. To believe that God resurrected Jesus from the grave is a choice. To believe that Jesus is both Lord and Christ is a choice. God does not force men to have faith. Saving faith is the not a gift from God. Salvation is the gift from God.
WHAT MUST MEN DO TO BE SAVED?
1. Hear the gospel. Romans 10:17
2. Believe. John 3:16
3. Confess. Romans 10:9
4. Repent. Acts 3:19
5. Be baptized in water. Acts 2:38
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