Monday, July 16, 2007

Prevenient Grace

I'm finally getting around to reading Arminian Theology by Roger Olson. I will be dropping quotes here from it every now and then.

I found one statement very interesting; he claims that most evangelical preaching, even by supposed Calvinists, is actually semi-pelagian. Interesting claim, but he backs it up with quotes from sermons that I'm sure we've all heard: "You take the first step and God will meet you." and other ones like that. As if we can do anything without God's prevenient (Latin, coming before) grace. Here's a great quote from the book:

...prevenient grace does not interfere with the freedom of the will. It does not bend the will or render the will's response certain. It only enables the will to make the free choice to either cooperate with or resist grace. Cooperation does not contribute to salvation, as if God does part and humans do part; rather cooperation with grace in Arminian theology is simply nonresistance to grace. It is merely deciding to allow grace to do its work by laying down all attempts at self-justification and self-purification, and admitting that only Christ can save...Arminianism holds that salvation is all of grace—every movement of the soul toward God is initated by divine grace... Arminian Theology, page 36.

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