Prevenient Grace

Hammster

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Reformed Theology sees prevenient grace as regeneration, as it concerns Soteriology.

Non Reformed Theology sees it more as freeing the will to be able to believe, but not necessarily regeneration. As I understand it, it's agreed that we are dead in sin, but God does something to us to enable us to believe, though the choice to believe is still ours to make.

I am more than willing to accept a better definition if someone would like to provide it. This is just my understanding as I've pieced it together through the years.

The question is, is this a biblical concept, and if so, what scripture would be used to support it?
 

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The question is, is this a biblical concept, and if so, what scripture would be used to support it?

from Is Prevenient Grace in the Bible?

Arminians bypass the Scriptures that speak of God's Sovereign control over whom He will save, and whom He will not. Instead, to fill the gap, they postulate the doctrine of "prevenient grace", which I hope to show is without biblical warrant.

The word "prevenient" (or "preventing") means "coming before, preceding, or antecedent." According to Wesleyan/Arminianism, God's prevenient grace counteracts our total deadness in sin, but doesn't totally regenerate us either. According to Arminians, God awakens us even in our unregenerate state, so that all sinners have a real "chance" to turn to God for salvation. But Arminian prevenient grace does not guarantee salvation. According to Arminians, God gives prevenient grace to everybody, hoping that some will respond and be saved, but knowing that most will choose to return to spiritual death.

The Arminian doctrine of prevenient grace fits into their overall scheme of theology and enables them to maintain the doctrine of original sin and yet reject God's Sovereignty in salvation, therefore rejecting unconditional election as well.

But the biggest problem with Arminian "prevenient grace" is that there is no clear Biblical support for it. Not once does Scripture speak of prevenient grace that "enables" salvation without also assuring salvation. The doctrine seems nice to Arminians, but can be found nowhere in the Bible.
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A_Thinker

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Reformed Theology sees prevenient grace as regeneration, as it concerns Soteriology.

Non Reformed Theology sees it more as freeing the will to be able to believe, but not necessarily regeneration. As I understand it, it's agreed that we are dead in sin, but God does something to us to enable us to believe, though the choice to believe is still ours to make.

I am more than willing to accept a better definition if someone would like to provide it. This is just my understanding as I've pieced it together through the years.

The question is, is this a biblical concept, and if so, what scripture would be used to support it?

John 1

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

John 3

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
 
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Hammster

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John 1

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

John 3

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Those verses are in my bible, too.

Is there a reason you posted them?
 
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The question is, is this a biblical concept, and if so, what scripture would be used to support it?

a review by someone who actually read W. Brian Shelton's Prevenient Grace: God's Provision for Fallen Humanity:
This book was exegetically weak at best. We simply should not care what Arminius and Wesley said if it cannot be established in scripture, but this book cares far more for their opinions rather than the accuracy of their exegesis of Scripture.
Prevenient Grace book.jpg
 
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Petros2015

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The doctrine seems nice to Arminians, but can be found nowhere in the Bible.

I'm not sure about that, I see in the parable of Matthew 22:1-14 "many called but few are chosen". So a call goes out for wedding guests. Many flat out refuse, then others are invited. There's a call that goes out, an invitation. Without that invitation, nothing proceeds. Would that not be prevenient grace? To the ones who accept it, it is.

And yet someone accepts the invitation, shows up, and still gets thrown out (not having bothered to put on wedding garments). So if you are going to accept the invitation, you must also accept the responsibility it entails (and this is apparently "optional" or certainly "resistable"). Receiving the invitation does not ensure you will be well received at the wedding.
 
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A_Thinker

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Those verses are in my bible, too.

Is there a reason you posted them?

Sure ...

John 1

God enlightens EVERY MAN ... through the coming of the LIGHT into the world ...

John 3

Some come to the LIGHT, ... some don't ...
 
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I'm not sure about that, I see in the parable of Matthew 22:1-14 "many called but few are chosen". So a call goes out for wedding guests. Many flat out refuse, then others are invited. There's a call that goes out, an invitation. Without that invitation, nothing proceeds. Would that not be prevenient grace? To the ones who accept it, it is.

And yet someone accepts the invitation, shows up, and still gets thrown out (not having bothered to put on wedding garments). So if you are going to accept the invitation, you must also accept the responsibility it entails (and this is apparently "optional" or certainly "resistable"). Receiving the invitation does not ensure you will be well received at the wedding.

from Is Prevenient Grace in the Bible?

In Matthew 11:21-27, we can see that God sometimes withholds things from people, even when He knows that those very things would have brought people to repentance. These actions of God do not sound at all like the actions of Someone who wishes to enable the salvation of everybody.

In Mark 4:11-12, we can see that Jesus intentionally spoke in parables, instead of plain language, so that many people would *not* understand, repent, and be forgiven. This is clearly the opposite of Arminian prevenient grace.

Multiple other passages could easily be brought to the table. But the two Scriptures above are quite effective, in that they offer evidence that directly opposes the idea of Arminian "prevenient grace".

Arminians sometimes admit that there is not a passage anywhere in the Bible explicitly teaching prevenient grace. However, there is a small handful of passages which Arminians use, trying to support the idea of prevenient grace. For a sound critique of Arminian arguments for prevenient grace, I recommend Thomas Schreiner's 18-page article entitled, "Does Scripture Teach Prevenient Grace in the Wesleyan Sense?"
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Hammster

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I'm not sure about that, I see in the parable of Matthew 22:1-14 "many called but few are chosen". So a call goes out for wedding guests. Many flat out refuse, then others are invited. There's a call that goes out, an invitation. Without that invitation, nothing proceeds. Would that not be prevenient grace? To the ones who accept it, it is.

And yet someone accepts the invitation, shows up, and still gets thrown out (not having bothered to put on wedding garments). So if you are going to accept the invitation, you must also accept the responsibility it entails (and this is apparently "optional" or certainly "resistable"). Receiving the invitation does not ensure you will be well received at the wedding.
So what does this call do? Are all who hear it still dead in sin, or does this call change them in some way?
 
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Hammster

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Sure ...

John 1

God enlightens EVERY MAN ... through the coming of the LIGHT into the world ...

John 3

Some come to the LIGHT, ... some don't ...
Does this enlightening change a person in any way? Or are they still dead in sin?
 
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A_Thinker

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In Matthew 11:21-27, we can see that God sometimes withholds things from people, even when He knows that those very things would have brought people to repentance. These actions of God do not sound at all like the actions of Someone who wishes to enable the salvation of everybody.

In Mark 4:11-12, we can see that Jesus intentionally spoke in parables, instead of plain language, so that many people would *not* understand, repent, and be forgiven. This is clearly the opposite of Arminian prevenient grace.

You make it seem like these episodes demonstrate the entirety of God's enlightenment of men ...

At times, Jesus spoke plainly. At other times, ... in parables ...

It is still his plan. Just because I do not teach my child to drive today ... doesn't mean that I never will ...
 
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A_Thinker

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Does this enlightening change a person in any way? Or are they still dead in sin?

JESUS said that ... "those whose deeds are true ... come to the LIGHT."

John 3:21 "But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."
 
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Reformed Theology sees prevenient grace as regeneration, as it concerns Soteriology.

Non Reformed Theology sees it more as freeing the will to be able to believe, but not necessarily regeneration. As I understand it, it's agreed that we are dead in sin, but God does something to us to enable us to believe, though the choice to believe is still ours to make.

I am more than willing to accept a better definition if someone would like to provide it. This is just my understanding as I've pieced it together through the years.

The question is, is this a biblical concept, and if so, what scripture would be used to support it?

No. Preceding grace is not biblical whatsoever
 
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Hammster

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JESUS said that ... "those whose deeds are true ... come to the LIGHT."

John 3:21 "But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."
I got that. But does this change a person in any way? Or are they still dead in sin?
 
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People are not just suddenly seized and sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption as a guarantee.
Jesus described a process to get to this final state Paul tells us about in Ephesians 1.
Many accuse Calvinism of forcing against the will of a person their faith. It is not that way, it is the washing of regeneration that occurs and the renewing of the Holy Spirit that saves us. In this process we become new creations in Christ, the old man is gone away and the new man created in righteousness and holiness has come, all things are become new. So God is not forcing the old man to believe in Christ, He is creating a new man so that the relationship with Him is brand new.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

People are born again so the Holy Spirit can teach them and lead-drag them to Christ and after they learn then they confess Him. And all who are taught, each one will come to Christ.

Prevenient grace is really just grace working effectually towards us who are elect to be saved.
Prevenient grace is not for those of the world but is God's love toward US that we might live through Him.

1 John 4:9
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Ephesians 1:8
which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
Ephesians 1:19
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
Ephesians 2:7
that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 2:7-8
7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter 8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),
 
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A_Thinker

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I got that. But does this change a person in any way? Or are they still dead in sin?

JESUS says ... that they are changed ... such that they COME to the LIGHT.

They didn't come before ... they are coming now. Though He does not explain what change has occurred, there has to be one ...
 
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