The Nature of Prevenient Grace

In our first installment of the nature of grace series, we looked at Common grace. This is the grace that every human being who ever lived or ever will live receives. It is the grace of God that allows the sinner to live and enjoy the blessings of God’s creation. Last week, we looked at God’s Special grace. This is the grace that is bestowed upon those whom God chose before the foundation of the world to be saved.

Today we close out our discussion of the nature of God’s grace by looking at Prevenient grace. This type of grace is a soteriological concept (concept of salvation) that has to do with the grace that works in God’s chosen, to illumine their darkened minds, soften their contrary wills, and turn their affections towards Christ and his offer of salvation.

I believe that this type of grace is irresistible. In other words, it is a grace that cannot be rejected. When God has chosen to save someone, His grace for the purpose of salvation cannot be thwarted. This does not however mean that God’s chosen individuals cannot resist the spirit for a time, but ultimately the resistance will not prevail. This takes place through the effectual calling of God. God’s effective calling is an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith.

We must always remember though that people will not be saved by this call apart from their own willing response to the gospel call. Yes, God is sovereign in salvation and those upon whom He bestows this Prevenient grace will come to Him but non-the-less they are responsible for believing or rejecting His call to salvation. 

Scriptural support for his doctrine can be found in John 6:37 when Jesus proclaims, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” Or in Ephesians 2:4-5, “ But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”

The debate over God’s sovereignty in salvation and man’s responsibility has raged for hundreds of years. The desire to eliminate the antinomy is always present, however it is not necessary because both realities are true and found in Scripture.