How can we obtain the basis of love which unites our will with God’s will? How can we be made to possess that which we are not possessed of, by being made to love that…
Prevenient Grace
Charles Gutenson, “John Wesley’s Order of Salvation: Seven Minute Seminary”
From the video’s YouTube page: “Dr. Charles Gutenson here outlines John Wesley’s order of salvation—that work of God which begins with prevenient grace and ends with glorifying grace.” A brief bio from Seedbed on Dr.…
Why I Care about Calvinism
[This post was taken from here at the Impefect Reflections blog, where comments can be posted.] A week or two ago, I mentioned a post I was working on to my friend James, about a…
‘The Case for Inclusivism’: An Arminian Response
I recently read a 2012 blog post written by Kevin Jackson over at Wesleyan Arminian on The Case for Inclusivism. This blog particularly interests me as a classical Arminian, as I am an Exclusivist, yet Kevin also believes, “All Arminians ought to reject…
Tim Keller: Private Calvinist, Public Arminian
[Editor’s note: SEA does not necessarily agree with any comments by the author of this post to the effect that Tim Keller, John Piper, or any particular Calvinists are intentionally misleading or disingenuous in their…
Craig L. Adams, “Calvin on John 3:16”
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” — John 3:16 (NRSV). JOHN CALVIN COMMENTS: “’That whosoever believeth on…
Isaiah 5:4 and Sufficient Grace
I was recently asked to comment on Isaiah 5:4 and how I thought it supported resistible grace. (link) Here’s the passage in context: 1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my…
Addressing Two Really Bad Calvinist Objections
There are two objections from the Calvinist side against Arminians and Molinists which are really so terrible, I’m struggling to make a blog post of decent length about them. They’re such simple mistakes that they…
Craig L. Adams, “Calvinism and John 6:44”
An email and my response: Hello Mr. Adams, I read with interest your comments on Calvin’s comments on John 3:16 on your web site. I was wondering what your thoughts are on Jesus’ words as…
Does Ezekiel 36:26 Support Calvinism?
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” – Ezekiel 36:26 Calvinists interpret…
Seven Minute Seminary Video: Chuck Gutenson, “What Is Prevenient Grace?”
Dr. Chuck Gutenson teaches on prevenient grace and its place in the Order of Salvation as understood by John Wesley. Youtube: https://youtu.be/nG-AUaFgFbM?si=I2YzFn5miUJmBN38
Dave Treat, “4 Ways Prevenient Grace Relates to the Missio Dei”
The Church periodically re-discovers dormant truths. Not the elaborate constructions of creative theologians, but the simple, profound keys that unlock difficult passages or concepts. The moment of discovery is usually marked by an exclamation (“Duh!”)…
Practicing Freedom: A Lenten Reflection
this post was written by SEA member, Rev Matt O’Reilly Everyone needs to be set free. The idea that we come into the world with a will entirely at liberty to choose one path or…
Early Church Father Jerome on Free Will
From the Letters of St. Jerome, CXXXIII: It is in vain that you misrepresent me and try to convince the ignorant that I condemn free-will. Let him who condemns it be himself condemned. We have been created endowed…
Do Arminians Believe In A Works Based Doctrine?
Calvinists often accuse Arminians of not believing that we are saved by grace because we believe man has the ability to choose between serving Him and serving one’s own sinful desires. Although it’s true that…
Quotation of Kenneth Keathley on Whether the Person Who Believes Is More Virtuous than the One Who Doesn’t If God Enables Both to Believe
From Kenneth Keathley, Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach (SSM, B&H, 2010), p. 60: If all hearers are equally enabled by grace to receive the Gospel, and one person accepts the Message while another person…
Why Does One Person Believe in Jesus and Not Another?
This is a question I sometimes get from Calvinists. They ask, “Why does one person believe in Jesus and not the other?” The short answer to the question is: One person chose to believe and…
Why I Am An Arminian
Part IV: Theology
I do not know whether or not you have noticed, but as I’ve been going, I am moving from my least relevant reasons to my most relevant reasons as to why I am an Arminian…
A. W. Tozer on Prevenient Grace
Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace, which briefly stated means this, that before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man. Before a sinful man can think a right…
Three Facets of Prevenient Grace
This post was provided by SEA member Roy Ingle Was reading a bit today from a Wesleyan scholar and he noted three ways we see prevenient grace in the world today. They are: Anthropology –…
Recent Posts
Roy Ingle, “Calvinism and the Atonement”
Why Does God Deny the Opportunity of Choice for or Against Him to Young Children Who Die and the Mentally Impaired?
Mark K. Olson, “Wesley’s ‘Warmed Heart’ at Aldersgate – What Really Happened?”
Adam Roe, “The Crucial Thread of Prevenient Grace: A Wesleyan Perspective on Divine Drawing”
