Prevenient Grace

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was not a Calvinist.  Unlike the Calvinist of his day who believed in predestination, Wesley maintained that everyone could be saved because of the prevenient grace of God.  The term prevenient grace was not a new idea with Wesley, but instead can be traced back into the early days of the church.  Instead of declaring with the Calvinist that only some were saved, when Wesley preached prevenient grace he preached that all persons could be saved by faith in Christ.  Everyone did not have to choose for Christ, but everyone could choose Christ because the grace of God made such a choice possible for everyone.   

One of the often quoted verses of Scripture declares, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."  (Ephesians 2:8)  We are not saved because of our faith.  Faith cannot guarantee salvation.  The Scripture makes it clear that grace precedes faith and that it is the grace of God which is operative before our faith that makes our salvation a possible option.  Make no mistake.  We are not saved and delivered from our sin because of our faith in Christ, but because of the grace of God.  Without prevenient grace personal faith would have no power.    

Methodism has always been about grace.  It has always been about what God has done for all of us through Christ.  Methodism has never held forth that salvation is for some but not for others.  It is a way that takes us to the foot of the cross where we see Christ dying for each and everyone of us.  At the cross we are all the same.  We are all in need of the grace of God, but thanks be to God the cross declares that grace is available to all of us.