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John Wesley	George Whitefield
Background Christianity Protestantism Pietism Anglicanism Arminianism Wesleyanism Calvinism	Doctrinal distinctives Articles of Religion Prevenient Grace Governmental Atonement Imparted righteousness Christian perfection
People Richard Allen Francis Asbury Thomas Coke Albert C. Outler James Varick Charles Wesley Bishops Theologians	Largest groups World Methodist Council United Methodist Church AME Church AME Zion Church Church of the Nazarene British Methodist Church CME Church Uniting Church in Australia
Related movements Moravian Church Holiness movement Salvation Army Personalism Pentecostalism	Christianity Portal This box: view • talk • edit

Prevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Augustinian theology^[1] and embraced primarily by Arminian Christians who are influenced by the theology of John Wesley and who are part of the Methodist movement. Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical Early life He was born at the Bell Inn Southgate Street Gloucester, England. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Wesleyanism or Wesleyan Theology is the system of Christian theology of Methodism taught by John Wesley. Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the The Articles of Religion are an official doctrinal statement of American Methodism. Prevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Augustinian theology and embraced primarily by Arminian Christians who are influenced by the The governmental view of the Atonement (also known as the moral government theory) is a doctrine in Christian theology concerning the meaning and effect Imparted righteousness, in Methodist Theology, is that gracious gift of God given at the moment of the new birth which enables a Christian Christian Perfection is a Christian doctrine which maintains that after conversion but before death a Christian's soul may be cleansed from the stain of Original sin Richard Allen ( February 14 1760 - March 26 1831) was an African American pastor and the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Francis Asbury ( August 20 1745 &ndash March 31 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the Thomas Coke ( September 9, 1747 &ndash May 2, 1814) was the first Methodist Bishop and is known as the Father of Methodist Missions Albert Cook Outler ( November 17, 1908 &ndash September 1, 1989) was a 20th century American James Varick was the first Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Biography Charles Wesley was the son of Susanna Wesley and Samuel Wesley. The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination and the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the " AME Church " is a Christian denomination founded by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, or AME Zion Church, was officially formed in 1821 but operated for a number years before then The Church of the Nazarene, often referred to as the Nazarene Church is an International evangelical Christian denomination that began in The Methodist Church of Great Britain or British Methodist Church is the largest Wesleyan / Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations The Christian Methodist Epsicopal Church is a historically black denomination within the broader context of Methodism. The Uniting Church in Australia ( UCA) was formed on June 22 1977 when many congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, This page is about the Moravian Church globally For information about the church in a particular geographic area use the links at Organisation below The Holiness movement in Christianity is composed of people who believe and propagate the belief that the carnal nature of humanity can be cleansed through Faith The Salvation Army is a Christian charity and church that is internally organised like a military service. Personalism is the school of thought that consists of three main principles and which can broadly be qualified as species of Humanism: Only persons are real (in Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism Christian Theology is discourse concerning Christian faith Christian theologians use biblical Exegesis, rational analysis and argument Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations Wesley typically referred to it in 18th century language as preventing grace. In modern English, the phrase preceding grace would have a similar meaning.

Prevenient grace is divine grace which precedes human decision. In Christianity, divine Grace refers to the sovereign favour of God for humankind — especially in regard to Salvation — irrespective of actions It exists prior to and without reference to anything humans may have done. As humans are corrupted by the effects of sin, prevenient grace allows persons to engage their God-given free will to choose the salvation offered by God in Jesus Christ or to reject that salvific offer. Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation The question of free will

Contents 1 Definition 2 In Wesley 3 In Scripture 4 In Methodist hymnody 5 In other sources 6 Objections to the doctrine 7 References 8 Bibliography

Definition

The United Methodist Book of Discipline (2004) defines prevenient grace as, ". The Book of Discipline constitutes the law and doctrine of the United Methodist Church. . . the divine love that surrounds all humanity and precedes any and all of our conscious impulses. This grace prompts our first wish to please God, our first glimmer of understanding concerning God's will, and our 'first slight transient conviction' of having sinned against God. God's grace also awakens in us an earnest longing for deliverance from sin and death and moves us toward repentance and faith. "^[2]

Article VIII of the Articles of Religion which John Wesley adapted for use by American Methodists states that, "The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and works, to faith, and calling upon God; wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing [preceding] us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will" (emphasis added). The Articles of Religion are an official doctrinal statement of American Methodism. The article is official doctrine not only for The United Methodist Church but for many other Wesleyan denominations as well, such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the British Methodist Church, and those denominations associated with the Holiness movement. The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination and the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the " AME Church " is a Christian denomination founded by Bishop Richard Allen in Philadelphia The Methodist Church of Great Britain or British Methodist Church is the largest Wesleyan / Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations The Holiness movement in Christianity is composed of people who believe and propagate the belief that the carnal nature of humanity can be cleansed through Faith

Thomas Oden of Drew University defines prevenient grace as, ". Thomas Clark Oden (born October 21, 1931) is an American United Methodist religious author associated with Drew Drew University is a private university located in Madison, New Jersey. . . the grace that begins to enable one to choose further to cooperate with saving grace. By offering the will the restored capacity to respond to grace, the person then may freely and increasingly become an active, willing participant in receiving the conditions for justification. "^[3]

Infant baptism is seen in Methodism as a celebration of prevenient grace. Infant baptism is the Christian religious practice of baptizing infants or young children Although infant baptism is important for the life journey of the faithful disciple, it is not essential.

In Wesley

In John Wesley's sermon "On Working Out Our Own Salvation" (sermon #85), Wesley stated that prevenient grace elicits, ". . . the first wish to please God, the first dawn of light concerning His will, and the first slight transient conviction of having sinned against Him. "

Wesley insisted on prevenient grace as a solution to two great problems in Christianity: the reality of original sin and the Protestant doctrine of salvation by grace alone. Original sin is according to a doctrine in Catholic theology, humanity's state of Sin resulting from the Fall of Man. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Doctrine (Latin doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or "a body of teachings quot or "instructions" taught principles or positions as the In Christian theology, justification is God 's act of declaring or making a sinner righteous before God Developing the idea based upon the witness of Scripture, Wesley felt that prevenient grace enabled the doctrines of original sin and salvation by grace to co-exist while still maintaining God's sovereignty and holy character as well as human freedom. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin

In Scripture

Scriptures used to support the doctrine include (NT quotes from Wesley's translation, unless noted):

Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV): "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. The Book of Jeremiah, or Jeremiah ( יִרְמְיָהוּ Yirməyāhū in Hebrew) is part of the Hebrew Bible, Judaism The English Standard Version (ESV is a revision of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version. . . "

Jeremiah 31:3 (KJV): ". . . I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Loving-kindness (or "lovingkindness" is a term coined by Myles Coverdale for his Coverdale Bible of 1535[http//www "

Ezekiel 34:11, 16 (ESV): "For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. The Book of Ezekiel is a book of the Hebrew Bible (of the Books of the Bible) named after the prophet Ezekiel. The English Standard Version (ESV is a revision of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version. . . I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak. . . "

Luke 19:10: "For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the "

John 6:44: "No man can come unto me, unless the Father who hath sent me, draw him. The Gospel of John (literally According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην Kata Iōannēn) is the fourth Gospel in the canon . . "

Romans 2:4: ". The Epistle of St Paul the Apostle to the Romans is one of the letters of the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. . . the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. . . "

Philippians 2:12-13: ". The Epistle to the Philippians (or simply Philippians) is a Book included in the New Testament of the Bible. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God that worketh in you according to his good pleasure, both to will and to do. "

1 John 4:19: "We love him, because he first loved us. The First Epistle of John is a book of the New Testament, and is the fourth catholic or "general" Epistles. "

In Methodist hymnody

Most Methodist hymnals have a section with hymns concerning prevenient grace, most recently The United Methodist Hymnal (1989). One of the best known hymns written about the doctrine is Charles Wesley's "Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast", which includes the lines, "Ye need not one be left behind, for God hath bid all humankind. Biography Charles Wesley was the son of Susanna Wesley and Samuel Wesley. . . the invitation is to all. . . " (emphasis added).

Charles Wesley's "Sinners, Turn: Why Will You Die" continues the theme, "Sinners, turn: why will you die? God, the Spirit, asks you why; he, who all your lives hath strove, wooed you to embrace his love" (emphasis added). His hymn "Depth of Mercy" offers a prayer to God, "Now incline me to repent, let me now my sins lament, now my foul revolt deplore, weep, believe, and sin no more" (emphasis added).

The 19th century hymn "I Sought the Lord", with a text by an anonymous writer, reads in part, "I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew he moved my soul to seek him, seeking me" (emphasis added).

In other sources

• "'You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,' said the Lion. " - from The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis
• "Every time we begin to pray to Jesus it is the Holy Spirit who draws us on the way of prayer by his prevenient grace. Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963 " #2670 Catechism of the Catholic Church
• "That grace is preceded by no merits. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, or CCC, is an official exposition of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the twenty-two A reward is due to good works, if they are performed; but grace, which is not due, precedes, that they may be done [St. Prosper]. " Can. 18. #191 Council of Orange II A. D. 529 Councils of Orange

Objections to the doctrine

Calvinists have their own doctrine of prevenient grace, which they identify with the act of regeneration and which is immediately and necessarily followed by faith. The Councils of Orange (or the Synods of Orange) comprised two Synods held at Orange France. Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the Regeneration in Christian theology is a doctrine related to Spiritual rebirth or being " born again. ^[4] Because of the necessity of salvation following this dispensation of prevenient grace, it is called irresistible grace. Irresistible Grace (or efficacious grace) is a Doctrine in Christian theology particularly associated with Calvinism, which teaches that the Wesleyan prevenient grace also contrasts with the Calvinist understanding of common grace by which God shows general mercy to everyone (Matt. 5:43-48), restrains sin, and gives humankind a knowledge of God and of their sinfulness and need of rescue from sin. Common Grace is a theological concept in Protestant Christianity, primarily in Reformed and Calvinistic circles referring to the grace Common grace thus leaves people without excuse.

Calvinists further maintain that when the Bible speaks of humanity's condition of total depravity, of spiritual death, it speaks of it as an actuality, not a hypothetical condition that prevenient grace resolves for everyone, as they believe the Wesleyan doctrine teaches. Total depravity (also called total inability and total corruption) is a theological Doctrine that derives from the Augustinian concepts Calvinists see all people as either dead in their sins or alive in Christ (Eph. 2:1-5), and they see the Wesleyan doctrine of prevenient grace as creating a third state, neither dead nor alive. ^[5]

Calvinists (and others) derisively refer to the Wesleyan concept of prevenient grace as "universal enablement. " They characterize the Wesleyan view as teaching that God has restored to every individual the ability to seek after God and choose salvation and as not being justified by the Bible. ^[6][7] They argue that because this grace is supposedly given to all alike, the determining factor in salvation becomes the will of man. Calvinists believe that Wesleyans teach that God seeks all people equally, and if it weren't for the fact that some were willing to respond to his promptings and persuasions, no one would be saved. They see this dependence on the will and choice of the individual as a good work required for salvation and thus an implicit rejection of salvation by grace alone. Sola gratia is one of the Five solas propounded to summarise the Reformers' basic beliefs during the Protestant Reformation; it is a Latin term Conversely, in Calvinism it is singularly God's own will and pleasure that brings salvation (see monergism) lest salvation be, at least in part, "of ourselves" in contrast to Ephesians 2:8-9. Monergism is the name for the belief held by some in Christian theology that through the preaching of the word the Holy Spirit alone can act to effectually bring about Described by William Barclay as the "Queen of the Epistles" the Epistle to the Ephesians is one of the books of the Bible in the New

Wesleyans counter these objections by claiming that God has initiated salvation through prevenient grace, and while human beings still maintain God-given free will to respond to that initiative, salvation is still initiated (and ultimately activated), by God, through justifying grace. In Christian theology, justification is God 's act of declaring or making a sinner righteous before God

References

1. ^ Henry Bettenson, The Later Christian Fathers (London: Oxford University Press, 1970), pp. 204-205.
2. ^ The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church - 2004 (Nashville: United Methodist Publishing House, 2004), Section 1: Our Doctrinal Heritage: Distinctive Wesleyan Emphases.
3. ^ John Wesley's Scriptural Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), p. 243.
4. ^ J. I. Packer. James Innell Packer (born July 22, 1926 in Gloucester, England) is a British-born Canadian Christian theologian "Regeneration", Concise Theology. Tyndale. ISBN 9780842339605. Retrieved on 2008-04-22. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.  “Regeneration is monergistic: that is, entirely the work of God the Holy Spirit. It raises the elect among the spiritually dead to new life in Christ (Eph. 2:1-10). Regeneration is a transition from spiritual death to spiritual life, and conscious, intentional, active faith in Christ is its immediate fruit, not its immediate cause. Regeneration is the work of what Augustine called 'prevenient' grace, the grace that precedes our outgoings of heart toward God. ” 
5. ^ Compare "Why Does One Person Choose God and Not Another?", a debate between an Arminian and John W. Hendryx, webmaster of the Calvinist site Monergism. The webmaster (feminine webmistress) also called the Web architect, the Web developer, the site author, or the website Monergism is the name for the belief held by some in Christian theology that through the preaching of the word the Holy Spirit alone can act to effectually bring about org
6. ^ Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1985), p. Millard J Erickson (b1932 is a Christian theologian, professor of theology and author 925: "It is here that many Arminians, recognizing human inability as taught in the Scripture, introduce the concept of prevenient grace, which is believed to have a universal effect nullifying the noetic results of sin, thus making belief possible. The problem is that there is no clear and adequate basis in Scripture for this concept of universal enablement. "
7. ^ (1995) "Does Scripture Teach Prevenient Grace in the Wesleyan Scheme?", The Grace of God, The Bondage of the Will 2. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, p. 382. ISBN 0-8010-2003-4.  “Prevenient grace is attractive because it solves so many problems [for the Wesleyan], but it should be rejected because it cannot be exegetically vindicated. ” 

Bibliography

• Sermon #44: "Original Sin" by John Wesley
• Sermon #85: "On Working out Our Own Salvation" by John Wesley
• Sermon #105: "On Conscience" by John Wesley
• Sermon #128: "Free Grace" by John Wesley
• Wesley on Salvation: A Study in the Standard Sermons (1989) by Kenneth J. John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical John Wesley (ˈwɛslɪ ( – March 2, 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who was the founder of the (Evangelical Collins, chapter 1: "Prevenient Grace and Human Sin" (ISBN 0-310-75421-6)
• "Total Corruption and the Wesleyan Tradition: Prevenient Grace" by Donal Dorr, Irish Theological Quarterly 31 (1964), 303-321.
• A Wesleyan-Holiness Theology (1994) by J. Kenneth Grider, chapter 14: "The First Work of Grace" (ISBN 0-8341-1512-3)
• John Wesley's Message for Today (1983) by Steve Harper, chapter 3: "Power to Begin: Prevenient Grace" (ISBN 0-310-45711-4)
• Practical Divinity: Theology in the Wesleyan Tradition (1982) by Thomas A. Langford, chapter 2: "Wesley's Theology of Grace", (ISBN 0-687-07382-0)
• Responsible Grace: John Wesley's Practical Theology (1994) by Randy Maddox, chapters 3-7 (ISBN 0-687-00334-2)
• Relational Holiness: Responding to the Call of Love (2005) by Thomas Jay Oord and Michael Lodahl (Beacon Hill Press) (ISBN 0-8341-2182-4)
• John Wesley's Scriptural Christianity: A Plain Exposition of His Teaching on Christian Doctrine (1994) by Thomas Oden, chapter 8: "On Grace and Predestination", pp. Thomas Clark Oden (born October 21, 1931) is an American United Methodist religious author associated with Drew 243-252 (ISBN 0-310-75321-X)
• The United Methodist Hymnal (1989) "Prevenient Grace" section, hymns 337-360 (ISBN 0-687-43134-4)

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