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If it helps, you can call the one view Arminianism because one of its early and
foremost advocates was Jacob Arminius. You can call the other view, the one I’m
going to argue for, Calvinism because one of its foremost advocates was John Calvin.
But the names Arminianism and Calvinism are not important in comparison to what’s
really at stake: Is one of them more biblical than the other?
“There are two very different views of how God’s grace
functions in bringing people from spiritual deadness
into life.”
Now, both of these views agree that until the grace of God is active and powerful in
the human heart, there is only deadness and rebellion and unbelief, with no possibility
of man bringing about the changes in his own heart that are necessary for salvation.
We need to get that clear because sometimes Calvinists don’t describe Arminianism
correctly there.
Historic Arminianism agrees with Calvinism that fallen man, apart from special grace,
cannot give himself life or produce his own faith. The difference lies in what this
divine grace does in the human heart, and how it relates to the will of man.
Prevenient grace, which is what we’re being asked about, is a phrase used by
Arminians usually to describe the work of God’s grace prior to faith. Hence the
word prevenient (which means coming before). Without this, faith would not be
possible. That’s what an Arminian would say.
Prevenient Grace
Let me read some words from a prominent Arminian theologian, Roger Olson, from
his book Against Calvinism, to make sure that I express the view fairly. I want you to
hear the very words of Dr. Olson as a historic, faithful, insightful Arminian. Here’s
what he says:
If anyone comes to Christ with repentance and faith, it is only because they are
enabled by God’s “prevenient grace” to do so. (66)
Arminianism has always insisted that the initiative in salvation is God’s; it is called
“prevenient grace,” and it is enabling but resistible. (169)
[Wesley] affirmed original sin, including total depravity in the sense of spiritual
helplessness. But he also affirmed God’s universal gift of prevenient or enabling grace
that restores freedom of the will. (129)
Classical Arminian theology . . . attributes the sinners’ ability to respond to the gospel
with repentance and faith to prevenient grace. (67)
Now, let me insert a comment here. Just to be clear, he says the ability to respond is
given with prevenient grace. But it’s an ability to believe or not to believe. And he’ll
make that really plain in just a minute. Continuing the quote now,
So prevenient grace brings one out of bondage to the point where you can receive or
reject the work of God in your heart.
And then here’s the second verb: “and raised us up with him.” So he made us alive
together with Christ and he raised us up. So he brings us up alive out of the grave of
our fallenness, and he raises us up with Christ. Paul continues, “and seated us with
him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show
the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”
(Ephesians 2:4–7).
I don’t think that text can be fairly interpreted to mean that there is a split in
regeneration or a split in making alive. It is not as if he does part of it, and then he
waits to see what we will do with the rest of it, if we will finish the making alive and
bringing ourselves into union with Christ. I don’t think that will work.
Rather, I believe that God’s saving grace not merely restores a kind of free will that
can accept or reject Christ, but rather opens our blind eyes and grants us to see the
compelling truth and beauty and worth of Jesus in such a way that we find him
irresistible. Then we gladly and willingly embrace him as our Savior and Lord and
Treasure. He brings us all the way to the point of conversion so that we give him all
the glory for our receiving of Jesus.