It’s the Friday Files, SEA’s regular dig though our archives, ’cause not everybody realizes just what’s in there! SEA members’ names are in blue, and just to remind you—the views expressed in any articles and links aren’t always those of SEA.
This Friday we’re doing prevenient grace.
Prevenient |pri’vi.ni.ənt| adjective. Preceding in time or order; antecedent: John Wesley referred to God’s work in the unconverted as prevenient grace. From Latin praevenient, “coming before.”
- Kevin Jackson, “Prevenient Grace Explained.” It’s the grace God grants to begin the process of drawing all people to himself.
- Andrew Dragos, “What Is Prevenient Grace?” An introduction to the idea. (Plus a video.)
- William Birch, “Is Prevenient Grace Biblical?” The word “prevenient” might not be in the scriptures, but the fact is grace has to precede regeneration.
- Eric Landstrom, “Proof-texting Presuppositions with John 6:44, 65.” God draws us to himself, and necessarily gives us grace before we can respond. There’s no predestination, individual election, eternal security, nor regeneration preceding faith, found in the text… unless you eisegete it.
- Dan Chapa, “Chrysostom on the ‘Drawing’ and ‘Giving’ in John 6.” St. John Chrysostom on determinism and free will.
- A.W. Tozer, “Quotable Quotes: Tozer on Prevenient Grace.” “there must be some preparation of God in the heart or there would be no believing at all. On the other hand, there isn’t enough preparation to save the man, so he has to hear something.”
- Dan Chapa, “Resistible vs. Irresistible Grace: The Key Issue.” Calvinists agree with us that God’s grace is prevenient; the key issue is whether we can resist it. Calvinists say no. The scriptures say yes.
- William Birch, “Amazing or Irresistible Grace?” Through grace the gospel is available to all; not a predetermined, fixed few.
- Ben Witherington III, “The Reformed View of Regeneration vs. the Wesleyan Theology of Prevenient Grace.” We can’t have an adequate loving relationship with God when we’re forcibly compelled to follow him.
- William Birch, “Arminianism: A Theology of Grace.” Jacob Arminius on how the Holy Spirit precedes the internal work of salvation.
- Mark A. Ellis, “Arminius’s Doctrine of Grace.” How Arminius defined grace, and acknowledged its absolute necessity.
- Roger E. Olson, “Prevenient Grace: Why It Matters.” The alternative is semi-Pelagianism, which of course leads to full Pelagianism.
- William Birch, “Arminian Grace: How Sweet the Sound.” An example of how Calvinists confound prevenient grace with Pelagianism.
- Irwin W. Reist, “John Wesley’s View of Man: A Study in Free Grace Versus Free Will.” Wesley recognized Christ’s atonement allows God to grant prevenient grace to all—which goes before any response we make to God’s call.
- Ben Henshaw, “Does John 6:44 Teach Irresistible Grace?” Nope. God draws us to himself through a divine impulse, not through a violent dragging. Not that R.C. Sproul ever bothered to check his claims against a lexicon.
- J.C. Thibodaux, “Prevenient Grace and Libertarian Free Will.” If our will is irresistibly enslaved, exactly how do we willingly obey Jesus’s command to repent and believe the gospel?
- William Birch, “Arminian Grace: How Sweet the Sound.” An example of how Calvinists confound prevenient grace with Pelagianism.
- Daniel Whitby, “Refuting Arguments for Irresistible Grace.”
- “Grace.” What’s grace, and what’s it do?
- “Arguments Against Irresistible Grace.” Evidence, from the scriptures, as to why God’s grace can’t logically or morally be irresistible.
- “Answering the Arguments.” How Calvinists have nonetheless defended their view of irresistible grace.
- William Birch, “God’s Proactive, Enabling, Sufficient, Prevenient Grace.” God antecedently wills that all should be saved, but not without our own free acceptance of salvation.
Want even more to read? Check out everything else we’ve tagged “Prevenient Grace.”
