Many Calvinists have made the mistake of stating that Arminianism teaches that human beings can will themselves to salvation. Some Calvinists have even taught that Arminians believe that Jesus died to secure salvation for all who would will themselves into the kingdom of God. In other words, man works with God for his salvation. Monergism is the Calvinistic concept that salvation is completely the work of God apart from men whereas synergism is the concept that man works with God for his salvation.
Yet do Arminians embrace such a system? There can be no denying that Arminians do not embrace the Calvinistic doctrine of monergism. We believe that, taken to its logical conclusion, monergism leads to double predestination and makes God the author of sin. Some Calvinists, sadly, would not reject such a notion. However, it is must be noted that Arminius strongly believed that salvation was a work of God, by His grace, for His glory, and by His Spirit through the preaching of His Word. In this (the gospel), Arminius was thoroughly Reformed in that he held that salvation was the work of God and not of men.
Yet how can Arminians embrace the Reformation doctrine of total depravity and yet still maintain that salvation is by grace through faith to all who would believe? The Arminian answer is prevenient grace. While this has been historically a Wesleyan term, I prefer the term “pre-conversion enabling grace.”
Kevin Jackson over at the Society of Evangelical Arminians lists several points about prevenient grace that I believe are noteworthy to repeat here:
- Prevenient Grace Draws (John 6:44; 12:32)
- Prevenient Grace Is Universal (John 1:9; 12:32; 16:7-8; Romans 1:18-19; Titus 2:11)
- Prevenient Grace Convicts the Non-Believer (Acts 16:14, 29-30)
- Prevenient Grace Works In Combination With The Hearing of the Word (Acts 2:37; Romans 10:17)
- Prevenient Grace Is Given Generously (Acts 17:26-27; Romans 2:4; 8:32)
- Prevenient Grace Can Be Rejected (Matthew 23:37; John 5:34, 39-40; Acts 7:51; Hebrews 4:2; 10:29)
- Prevenient Grace Results in Saving Grace When Accepted (Ephesians 2:8-9; 5:14)
Why is prevenient grace necessary within Arminianism? Because Arminians believe that humanity is born dead in their sins (Ephesians 2:1-3). We believe that our depravity, has made us unable apart from God’s grace and Spirit to hear the gospel and be saved (Romans 3:10-18). We are blinded by the god of this age from the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) and we need Divine help in order to hear the gospel and be saved from our sins. The Holy Spirit has come to do that work of convicting and opening our eyes to see our need for salvation, our need to repent, and our need to be born again (John 3:3-7; 16:8-11). There is no salvation apart from the work of the Spirit (John 6:44; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 12:1-3, 13; Galatians 4:4-6). The Holy Spirit is essential for regeneration (Titus 3:5-7).
One note about prevenient grace is that Calvinists often tend to argue that the term in not found in the Bible. Of course, neither is the term “Bible” or “Trinity” or “Penal Substitutionary Atonement,” but these are terms that Christians use despite the fact that they are not in the Bible itself. The concepts, however, are. And this is true of prevenient grace. In many ways, the same passages that Calvinist apply to irresistible grace are the same passages that Arminians appeal to for prevenient grace with some exceptions. While the term is not found in the Bible, we Arminians accept the biblical concept that we see in relation to the work of the Holy Spirit in relation to salvation.
And it is by God’s grace alone that we are able to hear the gospel and be saved. Man does not cooperate with God and His grace to be saved but rather man must surrender to God’s grace to be saved. There is no denying that a decision to be a disciple of Jesus is a very real decision, but the Spirit of God works upon our hearts to reveal to us God’s salvation in His Son (John 1:12-13) and the Spirit of God takes the Word preached and allows us to have faith to believe (Romans 10:14-17). The work of conviction, faith, repentance, and sanctification are all works of God and not of men. Yes, God uses people to preach the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20), but only God builds His Church (Acts 2:47; 1 Corinthians 3:5-9; Ephesians 2:8-10).
So what makes prevenient grace then different from the Calvinist concept of irresistible grace? Two points from the above list of what is biblical prevenient grace will suffice. First, Calvinism would reject the notion that God’s grace is universal. Calvinism teaches that grace is given only for the elect. There is common grace (such as the rain falling on the just and unjust, Matthew 5:45), but saving grace is given only to the elect. Secondly, Calvinists would reject the notion that such grace can be rejected. Since God has decreed who will be saved, then He draws them by His own sovereign power unto Himself for His own glory, and He saves them by His grace through His Son who died for the elect. The elect, by nature then, will not reject the gospel but only those who have been elected for hell [Editor’s note: or at least have not been chosen for Heaven) will (Romans 9:18).
Arminians reject such a teaching. No doubt we accept the biblical teaching that salvation is for the elect, but we reject the unconditional nature of the Calvinistic understanding of election. We, in turn, believe that salvation is based on individuals responding by grace to the gospel (Acts 2:37-39, 41). We believe the Bible teaches a universal call to salvation (John 3:16; 4:13-14; 6:40; Acts 10:43; Romans 10:13; 1 Timothy 2:1-6; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2). And yet we believe that such an appeal to sinners can only be responded to by those in whom the Spirit is working (2 Corinthians 6:1).
Who then will be in hell? Only those who have rejected the gospel (John 3:18-21; Romans 1:18-32). There is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), which makes the preaching of the gospel so important and necessary. Prevenient grace enables us to know that we will have success when we preach God’s Word since the grace of God works through the Word to bring about regeneration (1 Peter 1:18-25). God foreknows all who will believe in His Son and He chooses to accept them in His Son (Romans 8:29-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 1 Peter 1:2) by His grace. Thank God for this pre-conversion, enabling grace (Titus 2:11-12).
[Link to original post and comments at Roy Ingle’s website]
