On his website, Arminian Perspectives, Ben Henshaw has a questions page at which he answers questions about Arminianism and Calvinism that visitors to his site pose in the comment section of the page. Here is a question from a man named Kevin followed by Ben’s answer and an addition from an article by SEA President, Brian Abasciano:
Question: Do you believe that prevenient grace is distributed equally to all? It would seem that it might be given differently. For example, the role of prayer in the salvation of the lost seems to make no sense in a Calvinistic view, but in regard to prevenient grace, prayer could move God to give additional grace to an individual, yet preserve the necessity of them making the choice of faith.
Answer:
You wrote,
Do you believe that prevenient grace is distributed equally to all?
Not necessarily, but God holds us responsible for the way we respond to whatever degree of grace we are given. When it comes to putting faith in Christ, that grace to believe is accompanied with the gospel message. In other words, those who are presented with the gospel are given the grace to believe and surrender to Christ. I agree with your comments on prayer.
Editorial Addition from the Article “The FACTS of Salvation: A Summary of Arminian Theology/the Biblical Doctrines of Grace”:
Arminians differ among themselves about some of the details of how God’s prevenient grace works, probably because Scripture itself does not give a detailed description. Some Arminians believe that God continually enables all people to believe at all times as a benefit of the atonement. Others believe that God only bestows the ability to believe in Christ to people at select times according to his good pleasure and wisdom. Still others believe that prevenient grace generally accompanies any of God’s specific movements toward people, rendering them able to respond positively to such movements as God would have them. But all Arminians agree that people are incapable of believing in Jesus apart from the intervention of God’s grace and that God does bestow his grace that draws toward salvation on all morally responsible people. With respect to the gospel, seventeenth century Arminian Bishop, Laurence Womack, well said, “on all those to whom the word of faith is preached, the Holy Spirit bestows, or is ready to bestow, so much grace as is sufficient, in fitting degrees, to bring on their conversion.”
