Prevenient grace (or preceding grace or enabling grace) is a Christian theological concept that refers to the

grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninc ...

of God in a person's life which precedes and prepares to conversion. It was termed and developed by

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...

(354 – 430). It was affirmed by the Second Council of Orange (529) and appeared in

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

theology. Prevenient grace is embraced primarily by Wesleyan-Arminian Christians. They believe that grace enables, but does not ensure, personal acceptance of the gift of

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

Definition

The concept of "prevenient grace" was termed and developed by

(354 – 430), based on St.

Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promot ...

(c. 339 – c. 397) writings. Prevenient grace refers to the grace of God in a person's life that precedes conversion. The original expression ( la, gratia praeveniens) meas literally "grace that comes before". The word "prevenient" comes from an archaic English usage meaning "anticipating", "coming before", or "preceding". In current English, the phrase "preceding grace" would have a similar meaning with the doctrine also being called conviction. There are some variations of understanding of the prevenient grace, in terms of intend of God: * In Wesleyan-Arminian theology, it is an enabling grace which helps to believe. * In Roman Catholicism theology, it is an assisting grace which helps to believe. * In Reformed theology, it is comparable simultaneously to two concepts:

common grace Common grace is a theological concept in Protestant Christianity, developed primarily in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Reformed/Calvinistic thought, referring to the grace of God that is either common to all humankind, or common to everyone w ...

which doesn't improve man's depraved unregenerate nature and has no salvific purpose and the

effectual calling Effectual calling (or effective calling) in Calvinist Christian soteriology is a stage in the '' ordo salutis'' in which God calls a person to himself. It is connected with, but different from ''external calling'', in which a person hears the gospe ...

by which God calls to irresistibly believe. Prevenient grace has to be differentiated from any subsequent grace of God. The nature of subsequent grace differs depending on the view on the

deterministic Determinism is a philosophical view, where all events are determined completely by previously existing causes. Deterministic theories throughout the history of philosophy have developed from diverse and sometimes overlapping motives and cons ...

or non-deterministic nature of the providence of God : For example,

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, theologian, and evangelist who was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the independent Meth ...

, named 2 forms of subsequent grace : " justifying grace" (also called saving grace) and "

sanctifying Sanctification (or in its verb form, sanctify) literally means "to set apart for special use or purpose", that is, to make holy or sacred (compare la, sanctus). Therefore, sanctification refers to the state or process of being set apart, i.e. " ...

grace". Both of those subsequent forms of grace are resistible. On the contrary Calvinists have considered the justifying grace as an

irresistible grace Irresistible grace (also called effectual grace, effectual calling, or efficacious grace) is a doctrine in Christian theology particularly associated with Calvinism, which teaches that the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those ...

History

Origins

The notion of "prevenient grace" ( la, Gratia praeveniens) was developed by Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430), along with the notions of "operative grace" and the "cooperative grace". In reaction to Pelagianism, Augustine's stated that prevenient grace is necessary to prepare the human will for

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

Pelagius Pelagius (; c. 354–418) was a British theologian known for promoting a system of doctrines (termed Pelagianism by his opponents) which emphasized human choice in salvation and denied original sin. Pelagius and his followers abhorred the moral ...

had appealed to St.

(c. 339 – c. 397), to which Augustine replied a series of quotations from Ambrose which indicated the need for prevenient grace. Moreover, Augustine named the

free will Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to ac ...

devoid of the help of prevenient grace, "captive free will" ( la, liberum arbitrium captivatum). And, by the action of the grace, it becomes a "freed will" or literally a "freed free will" ( la, liberum arbitrium liberatum).

Developments

In 529, at the Second Council of Orange, the question at hand was whether the doctrines of Augustine on God's providence were to be affirmed, or if Semi-Pelagianism could be affirmed. Semi-Pelagianism was a moderate form of Pelagianism which teaches that the first step of salvation is by human will and not the

of God. The determination of the Council could be considered "semi-Augustinian". It defined that faith, though a free act of man, resulted, even in its beginnings, from the grace of God, enlightening the

human mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

and enabling belief. This describes the operation of prevenient grace allowing the unregenerate to repent in faith. On the other hand, the Council of Orange condemned the Augustinian teaching of

predestination Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby ...

to damnation. The canons of the Council directly quoted Augustine's work related on the concept of prevenient grace (Canons 1, 2, 5, 6, 7) Boniface II (died in 532) writing to Caesarius of Arles, confirmed the notion of prevenient grace : " confirm by the authority of the

Apostolic See An apostolic see is an episcopal see whose foundation is attributed to one or more of the apostles of Jesus or to one of their close associates. In Catholicism the phrase, preceded by the definite article and usually capitalized, refers to the ...

your confession, in which in the Opposite way you explain that right faith in Christ and the beginning of all good will, according to Catholic truth, is inspired in the minds of individuals by the preceding grace of God."

In Wesleyan-Arminian theology

Classical Arminianism

Prevenient grace is a concept rooted in Arminian theology. Jacobus Arminius affirmed total depravity but believed that prevenient grace enables people to respond to God's offer of

"Concerning grace and free will, this is what I teach according to the Scriptures and orthodox consent: Free will is unable to begin or to perfect any true and spiritual good, without grace. …This grace 'prævenit''goes before, accompanies, and follows; it excites, assists, operates that we will, and co operates lest we will in vain."

Theologian Robert E. Picirilli writes, quoting Arminius, that: "What Arminius meant by "prevenient grace" was that grace that precedes actual regeneration and which, except when finally resisted, inevitably leads to regeneration. He was quick to observe that this "assistance of the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

" is of such sufficiency "as to keep at the greatest possible distance from Pelagianism."

Wesleyanism

in his

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. ...

#85, "On Working Out Our Own Salvation", 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 belief of

original sin Original sin is the Christian doctrine that holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3 ...

and the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

doctrine of salvation by grace alone. Thomas Oden defines prevenient grace as "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." Wesleyans generally distinguish two forms of call related to prevenient grace : 1. A universal call which is the secret influence of the Holy Spirit upon the conscience. 2. A direct call through the revealed word as found in the Holy Scriptures. John Wesley adapted the Articles of Religion, which for use by American Methodists. With very similar language between it and Article VII of the ''Manual'', Article VIII states, "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 recedingus'', that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will" (emphasis added), language that was taken directly from Article X of the

Thirty-Nine Articles The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (commonly abbreviated as the Thirty-nine Articles or the XXXIX Articles) are the historically defining statements of doctrines and practices of the Church of England with respect to the controversies of the ...

of Religion adopted by the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

in 1563." The Article VIII is official doctrine for many Wesleyan or

Holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. The movement is historically distinguished by its emp ...

denominations such as the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelica ...

, the

Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa within Johnson County, Kansas. With its members ...

, or the Pillar of Fire Church.

Infant baptism Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. Infant baptism is also called christening by some faith traditions. Most Christians belong to denominations that practice infant baptism. Branches of Christianity that ...

is seen in Methodism as a celebration of prevenient grace. Although infant baptism is important for the life journey of the faithful disciple, it is not essential. 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… the invitation is to all''" (emphasis added).

Objections

Some 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. They argue that because this grace is supposedly given to all alike, the determining factor in salvation becomes the will of man. 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'', meaning by grace alone, is one of the five ''solae'' and consists in the belief that salvation comes by divine grace or "unmerited favor" only, not as something earned or deserved by the sinner. It is a Christian theologica ...

. Wesleyan-Arminians object that, according to their view, both the initiation and the activation of salvation is by grace alone; first through prevenient grace, then through justifying grace. Secondarily, concerning the determining factor in salvation, they remark that Calvinism teaches the compatibility of divine determinism and

moral responsibility In philosophy, moral responsibility is the status of morally deserving praise, blame, reward, or punishment for an act or omission in accordance with one's moral obligations. Deciding what (if anything) counts as "morally obligatory" is a pr ...

. In this Calvinist perspective, man is responsible for his choice when he acts voluntarily, even if his will is determined by God. Thus, as man comes to faith voluntarily, it follows that man is morally responsible for his faith. Then, it seems that if Calvinists want to remain consistent with their own thesis, they cannot affirm that the moral responsibility of the choice of faith makes this choice a good work.

In Roman Catholic theology

The ''

Catechism of the Catholic Church The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ( la, Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae; commonly called the ''Catechism'' or the ''CCC'') is a catechism promulgated for the Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II in 1992. It aims to summarize, in book ...

'' explains, "No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit. 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." The Second Council of Orange of 529 stated that faith, though a free act, resulted even in its beginnings from the grace of God, enlightening the human mind and enabling belief. In Canon 18 it is said "That grace is preceded by no merits. A reward is due to good works, if they are performed; but grace, which is not due, precedes, that they may be done t. Prosper" In canon 23 it is said that God prepares our wills that they may desire the good. Canon 25 states, "In every good work, it is not we who begin… but He (God) first inspires us with faith and love of Him, through no preceding merit on our part." Prevenient grace was discussed in the fifth chapter of the sixth session of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...

(1545–63) which used the phrase: "''a Dei per dominum Christum Iesum praeveniente gratia''" (rendered "a predisposing grace of God through Jesus Christ"). Those who turned from God by sins are disposed by God's grace to turn back and become justified by freely assenting to that grace.

In Reformed theology

Calvinists Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John ...

have their own doctrine of prevenient grace, which they identify with the

and which is immediately and necessarily followed by faith. Because of the necessity of salvation following this dispensation of prevenient grace, the justifin grace is called

. Wesleyan prevenient grace also contrasts with the Calvinist understanding of

by which God shows general mercy to everyone, restrains sin, and gives humankind a knowledge of God and of their sinfulness and need of rescue from sin.

Objections

Common grace is thus said to leave people without excuse. Arminians object that Calvinist common grace leaves people absolutely incapable of coming to God (a point on which Calvinists agree) and thus do not believe it leaves them without excuse.

Notes and references

Citations

Sources

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External links

{{Portal bar, Christianity, Methodism Methodism Salvation in Protestantism Evangelical theology Grace in Christianity Christian terminology Arminianism Christian soteriology