In the Wesleyan-Arminian understanding, prevenient grace refers to a universal grace given by God, based on Christ’s atoning work, to counteract the effects of humanity’s fallen condition. It is said to precede any act of saving faith and begins to affect individuals from an early age, subtly countering the effects of original sin as they become morally aware. By partially healing the effects of sin, prevenient grace lifts enough of the sinful inclination to allow individuals to freely choose to accept or reject the gospel. This grace does not fully regenerate but grants a “neutral” state where a real choice can be made. As a resistible grace, it can still be rejected, meaning individuals retain their free will in matters of faith. This view of prevenient grace is foundational for Arminians, who believe it both upholds human freedom and reflects God’s universal desire for salvation, ensuring everyone a fair opportunity to respond to the gospel.
As defined by theologians such as Roger Olson and Thomas Oden, prevenient grace aims to give all people an equal opportunity to respond to the gospel. In this view:Prevenient grace is sometimes described as an “equalizing” grace. Wesleyan-Arminian theologians emphasize that, without it, no one could freely choose to believe in Christ. But with prevenient grace, individuals are granted the freedom to either accept or reject God’s offer of salvation. The doctrine hinges on two important ideas:
- Universal Scope: Prevenient grace is given to all people, not only to a select few, aligning with the Arminian belief in God’s desire for everyone’s salvation.
- Resistibility: This grace does not guarantee salvation but merely enables it. A person may resist or accept this grace according to their free will.
The Arminian view is rooted in an understanding of divine love and fairness, positing that a truly loving God must provide everyone with a fair opportunity to respond to the gospel. Prevenient grace thus allows for a balanced framework: God’s grace is universally extended, yet human freedom remains intact. Arminians often appeal to passages such as John 12:32, where Jesus states, “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself,” interpreting this to mean that God’s grace makes salvation accessible to all.
Reformed Critique of Prevenient Grace
While acknowledging the Arminian intent to harmonize divine love and human choice, we must raise significant objections to prevenient grace. These critiques explore prevenient grace’s theological, logical, and scriptural weaknesses, presenting a case for a grace that is not merely enabling but effectual and regenerative.
- Lack of Scriptural Support
The doctrine of prevenient grace lacks direct biblical support. Although Arminians often cite verses like John 12:32 (“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself”) and Titus 2:11 (“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people”) to argue for a grace that universally enables all people, these passages do not describe a grace that leaves individuals in a partially regenerate state or grants them a neutral ability to choose for or against salvation. These verses are statements about the scope of the gospel’s proclamation rather than a grace that neutralizes human depravity for each person. For instance, when Jesus speaks of “drawing all people,” the context shows that He is speaking before Greeks, so scholars interpret this this to mean people from every nation and background, not every individual without exception. Additionally, Titus 2:11 is understood as describing the universal proclamation of salvation’s availability, not a personal enabling for belief.
Reformed theologians, such as Thomas Schreiner, argue that Arminian interpretations stretch these texts to imply a doctrine of prevenient grace that is not explicit in Scripture. The Bible does not describe a grace that universally counteracts depravity to create a neutral choice in each person. Instead, Scripture emphasizes a radical difference between two states: being “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) or being “made alive in Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). This dichotomy suggests a clear transition from death to life, not an in-between state where one is partially healed yet not fully regenerated.
The absence of an intermediate “neutral” state, therefore, weakens the case for prevenient grace. The Bible does not depict a spiritual condition where people are neither spiritually dead nor fully alive in Christ, as prevenient grace would require. Reformed theology asserts that without regeneration, individuals remain in spiritual death, unable to come to God. The concept of prevenient grace, which implies a temporary, enabling grace that stops short of transformation, introduces a spiritual state unsupported by Scripture, where one is neither fully dead in sin nor truly alive in Christ.
- Insufficient Address of Human Depravity
The Reformed tradition argues that prevenient grace does not adequately address the depth of human depravity as revealed in the Bible. In Ephesians 2:1-5, Paul describes humanity as “dead in trespasses and sins,” suggesting a state of complete spiritual inability. The Reformed perspective holds that partial healing of this depravity is insufficient; without total regeneration by the Spirit, a person remains in bondage to sin and unable to genuinely choose God (Romans 8:7-8). Prevenient grace, in attempting to place humans on a “neutral” skyhook, underestimates the totality of human fallenness and the need for an effectual, regenerating grace that changes the heart from rebellion to faith. we must specifically critique this aspect by questioning the plausibility of a grace that only partially heals total depravity. Scripture only presents regeneration as a radical, complete transformation of the heart rather than a partial influence that simply enables a free choice.
- Human Will as the Decisive Factor
In Arminian theology, prevenient grace makes human free will the decisive factor in salvation. By placing the ultimate decision in human hands, it implies that some people are more inclined to accept God than others, leading to questions about what differentiates those who believe from those who do not. The Bible emphasizes that salvation is a work of God from beginning to end, as Paul asserts in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” If faith itself is a gift, then human will cannot be the ultimate factor in salvation. This critique suggests that prevenient grace places undue emphasis on human ability rather than on God’s sovereign choice. Making human will the deciding factor introduces an implicit merit, undermining the grace-centered nature of salvation. If some respond positively to prevenient grace while others do not, it raises the question of whether those who respond have some inherent virtue, wisdom or good will lacking in others.
- Question of Divine Fairness and Efficacy
A key Arminian argument is that universal prevenient grace reflects God’s fairness. However, biblical fairness does not require universal opportunity but rather God’s sovereign justice and mercy. That God provideseven one way of salvation for us is one more way that any of us justly deserve. In Romans 9:15-16, God declares, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” God’s fairness does not demand equal opportunity but instead the Bible shows that God’s grace is freely given to those He chooses to save. We must question the theological coherence of a grace that universally enables but does not save, as it suggests a God who is constrained by human will rather than sovereign over salvation. Prevenient grace essentially presents a God whose purpose in salvation remains unrealized, as His universal will to save is repeatedly thwarted by human resistance, contrary to passages like Isaiah 46:10 which affirm God’s sovereign ability to accomplish His will.
Moreover, if prevenient grace merely makes salvation possible without securing it, it makes God’s grace ineffectual—offered universally but failing to achieve its purpose in most cases. The Bible showcases a grace that is effectual, meaning it accomplishes God’s saving will by transforming the hearts of the elect, who are then irresistibly drawn to faith in Christ (John 6:37, 63, 65, John 10:27-28).
- The Necessity of Regeneration
The Bible teaches that regeneration must precede faith, based on texts like John 3:3, John 6:63, 65 and Ezekiel 36:26, where the new birth and a new heart are shown to be prerequisites for entering God’s kingdom. Rather than granting a “neutral” position, God’s grace in regeneration completely renews the heart, enabling and securing a genuine response of faith. This regeneration is a creative act of God, not a mere influence or enabling factor, as seen in passages such as 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” Thus, saving grace does not simply invite but actually recreates and secures believers for salvation. This regeneration must be complete, not partial, as the Arminian doctrine of prevenient grace suggests. Prevenient grace fails to offer a full transformation, which undermines the security and assurance found in effectual regeneration—a regeneration that cannot fail in its purpose. Prevenient grace leaves individuals in a vulnerable, intermediate state, where salvation remains uncertain. Without a complete transformation, prevenient grace fails to meet the depth of human need and ultimately leaves the weight of salvation’s outcome on human will—a will which, according to Scripture, is naturally inclined toward sin (Romans 8:7).
6. Assurance of Salvation through Effectual Regeneration
For believers, assurance of salvation is foundational, providing a secure hope in the promises of God. This assurance is deeply rooted in the doctrine of effectual grace, where salvation depends not on human ability but on God’s sovereign will and power. In John 10:28-29, Jesus speaks of giving His sheep eternal life, adding that “no one will snatch them out of my hand.” This promise of eternal security is a result of the transforming grace that not only draws the believer but secures them in faith and ultimately brings them to glory. Once regenerated, the believer is permanently transformed and kept by God’s power, as seen in passages like 1 Peter 1:5, where believers are said to be “guarded by God’s power through faith.”
In contrast, prevenient grace offers no such assurance. Since it relies on human cooperation to bring about salvation, the individual remains in a state of uncertainty, constantly at risk of falling away should their faith waver. This leaves the believer without the security promised in passages like Romans 8:38-39, where Paul declares that nothing “in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Prevenient grace cannot guarantee this security because it does not produce a complete transformation that aligns the believer’s will with God’s purposes; rather, it temporarily enables without securing.
Conclusion: A Sovereign and Effectual Grace
While prevenient grace aims to protect human freedom, it fails to account for the full scope of God’s power and purpose in salvation. Prevenient grace portrays God as hoping for, rather than effectually accomplishing, salvation. By contrast, Scripture depicts God’s grace not as a hopeful invitation but as a sovereign act that unfailingly accomplishes His purposes. The Bible presents a view of grace that is powerful, sovereign, and decisive—bringing spiritual life where there was death and ensuring that those whom God calls will indeed come to Him (John 6:37; 1 Corinthians 1:23-24). In this understanding, grace does not merely make salvation possible; it fully achieves God’s purpose to save His people.
----
Related Resources
Does the Bible Teach "Prevenient Grace" in the Wesleyan/Arminian Sense? Dr. Thomas R. Schreiner
A Short Response to the Arminian Doctrine of Prevenient Grace by John Hendryx
The Arminian Concept of God’s Will and Prevenient Grace by Sam Storms
An Excerpt on Universal Prevenient Grace from R. C. Sproul's Chosen By God
Arminianism Exposed: The Doctrine of Arminian Prevenient Grace by Rev. Mark Herzer
Is Prevenient Grace in the Bible? by Joseph M. Gleason
Responding to "You always resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51) @Monergism