Does the Bible teach Prevenient Grace? - R. C. Sproul
As the name suggests, prevenient grace is grace that �comes before� something. It is normally defined as a work that God does for everybody. He gives all people enough grace to respond to Jesus. That is, it is enough grace to make it possible for people to choose Christ. Those who cooperate with and assent to this grace are �elect.� Those who refuse to cooperate with this grace are lost. The strength of this view is that it recognizes that fallen man�s spiritual condition is severe enough that it requires God�s grace to save him. The weakness of the position may be seen in two ways. If this prevenient grace is merely external to man, then it fails in the same manner that the medicine and the life preserver analogies fail. What good is prevenient grace if offered outwardly to spiritually dead creatures?
On the other hand, if prevenient grace refers to something that God does within the heart of fallen man, then we must ask why it is not always effectual. Why is it that some fallen creatures choose to cooperate with prevenient grace and others choose not to? Doesn�t everyone get the same amount?
Think of it this way, in personal terms. If you are a Christian you are surely aware of other people who are not Christians. Why is it that you have chosen Christ and they have not? Why did you say yes to prevenient grace while they said no? Was it because you were more righteous than they were? If so, then indeed you have something in which to boast. Was that greater righteousness something you achieved on your own or was it the gift of God? If it was something you achieved, then at the bottom line your salvation depends on your own righteousness. If the righteousness was a gift, then why didn�t God give the same gift to everybody?
Perhaps it wasn�t because you were more righteous. Perhaps it was because you are more intelligent. Why are you more intelligent? Because you study more (which really means you are more righteous)? Or are you more intelligent because God gave you a gift of intelligence he withheld from others?
To be sure, most Christians who hold to the prevenient grace view would shrink from such answers. They see the implied arrogance in them. Rather they are more likely to say, �No, I chose Christ because I recognized my desperate need for him.� That certainly sounds more humble. But I must press the question. Why did you recognize your desperate need for Christ while your neighbor didn�t? Was it because you were more righteous than your neighbor, or more intelligent?
The question for advocates of prevenient grace is why some people cooperate with it and others don�t. How we answer that will reveal how gracious we believe our salvation really is. The $64,000 question is, �Does the Bible teach such a doctrine of prevenient grace? If so, where?�
We conclude that our salvation is of the Lord. He is the One who regenerates us. Those whom he regenerates come to Christ. Without regeneration no one will ever come to Christ. With regeneration no one will ever reject him. God�s saving grace effects what he intends to effect by it.
This guy is your hero? This article goes astray in so many places, the majority of them by assumptions. And when you start naming different kinds of grace, you can be sure it is a trap.
Grace is God's unmerited favor to mankind, without Grace none would be saved, Grace is the catalyst which reveals who should be saved.
Grace is the catalyst which reveals who should be saved.
James replies:
In other words, God gives a prevenient grace to all, and then by their free will with help from God's prevenient Grace, the person chooses if they will accept Jesus or not.
I don't believe in Prevenient Grace, but it sounds like you do.
The first sentence of the article is:
As the name suggests, prevenient grace is grace that �comes before� something
And you put it first because it "reveals who should be saved."
That does not even sound like grace. And it puts us right back to
"Why did you accept Christ and your neighbor did not?"
I see nowhere in Scripture the idea that grace is a catalyst that reveals who should be saved.
Again, more false arguments or accusations in order to make your point. If we choose Christ and another doesn't, then by your deduction it must be true that we are more righteous or more intellegent than those who don't, right? Wrong.
James wrote - "On the other hand, if prevenient grace refers to something that God does within the heart of fallen man, then we must ask why it is not always effectual. Why is it that some fallen creatures choose to cooperate with prevenient grace and others choose not to? Doesn�t everyone get the same amount?"
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? -Matthew 16:24-26
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! -Mark 10:21-23
God's grace is sufficient for all. Those who say yes to Christ are willing to give up all in order to follow Him [as did the disciples when Jesus said, "Follow me"]. They are willing to deny self in order to follow Christ. Those who are not willing to follow Christ are more interested in self. They are not willing to give up their lives to follow Christ. I know a young man who is more interested in his party life than in Christ and Salvation. And while he actually realizes he is a sinner, that many of the things he does is wrong, he doesn't want to give up his current party life. He loves it. He doesn't want to "lose his life".
When Jesus says, "Follow me", He is giving people a choice to either die to self and follow Him, or reject His offer and live for self.
James posted: I don't believe in Prevenient Grace, but it sounds like you do.
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Sorry Bro, yes you do, that is unless you disagree with Scripture, oh, on second thought, maybe you don't... lol. Matt 5:44-46 "But I tell you : Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?"
James, I am curious how you interpret or misinterpret this scripture.
You don't see Grace as a catalyst? You don't see God loving everyone? And those you love him back have a relationship with Him out of which comes new life? And those who don't respond to His love he allows to go their own way.
The Arminian concept of Prevenient Grace was formed to deal with the FACT that the Bible says we are fallen creatures, and that as fallen creatures we are UNABLE to come to God on our own.
We MANY verses of Scripture that say this.
So the idea was put forth that God gives a type of PRE-grace so that people are ABLE to repent and trust in Jesus, or not, if they so choose.
The problem is, this idea is NOWHERE in Scripture and contradicted by several verses of Scripture.
I don't believe in prevenient grace, for those reasons.
Twosparrows said:
Sorry Bro, yes you do, that is unless you disagree with Scripture, oh, on second thought, maybe you don't... lol. Matt 5:44-46 "But I tell you : Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?"
James, I am curious how you interpret or misinterpret this scripture.
James replies:
This saying by Jesus is obviously NOT teaching prevenient grace.
This is Jesus talking about common grace. God DOES make the sun to rise the and the rain to fall so that food can grow. The majority of people on Earth, sin against God everyday, and at the same time enjoy music, and friends, and food and drink, etc.
We Christians are supposed to show a similar behavior towards those who treat US wrongly.
This is Jesus teaching us how we Christians are supposed to behave. We are God's children, and we have the high calling to attempt to live like it!
You are saying that because God shows all mankind good things like sun and rain, and music, and friendship, etc, that this should prompt people to repent and accept Jesus.
You are presupposing free will, and I see a will that is enlsaved over and over in Scripture.
But, I agree with you that God's common grace, and His goodness, and the fact of creation itself SHOULD CAUSE people to run to find God, and do whatever is necessary to be right with Him.
But it obviously doesn't.
WHY?
Well, the Bible says that because of The Fall, all mankind is BORN spiritually dead. So, no amount of God's blessings on a persons life will ever cause that person to repent and trust in Jesus.
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 8:43-45 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
Joh 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
Joh 12:37-41 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
James wrote - "71, Could you please answer the Question. IF YOU decided to follow Jesus, WHY did you neighbor NOT choose to follow Jesus? Why does one person decide and another decides against repenting and trusting in Jesus? I believe that you will be forced to admit that it is either that you were smarter, OR a better person. So, could you please answer the question."
James, I gave you a couple verses in my last reply that answers your question. When Jesus said "follow Me", some chose to follow Him and some didn't. Some were willing to deny self, giving up all for Christ, and some weren't. That's a Scriptural fact as shown in the verses I provided. Nothing has changed since then. We either give our lives to Christ and follow Him, or we reject His offer to follow Him and don't. This is why one can be saved and another not. It a choice that is individually made. It has nothing to do with being "smarter" or a "better person" than your neighbor because you chose to follow Christ and they didn't. It has to do with the willingness to give up your life and trust the Lord with it. Some like their lives as is and don't want to give up any part of it. Sin is fun. They want to have fun.
