God’s prevenient grace is with us from birth, preparing us for new life in Christ. “Prevenient” means “comes before.” Wesley did not believe that humanity was totally “depraved” but rather God places a little spark of divine grace within us which enables us to recognize and accept God’s justifying grace. Preparing grace is “free in all for all,” as Wesley used to say.
Today some call God’s justifying grace “conversion” or being “born again.” When we experience God’s justifying grace, we come into that new life in Christ. Wesley believed that people have freedom of choice. We are free to accept or reject God’s justifying grace.
After we have accepted God’s grace, we are to move on in God’s sustaining grace toward perfection.Wesley believed the people could “fall from grace” or “backslide.” We cannot just sit on our laurels, so to speak, and claim God’s salvation and then do nothing. We are to participate in the what Wesley called “the means of grace” and to continue to grow in Christian life.
Join us on October 7th for the Grace Cafe as we all journey to experience God’s Grace
Ahhhhh. I love reading this again. I was Methodist for 23 years, and I loved hearing Wesley’s explanation of the three kinds of grace.
I remember when both of my girls were baptized in the Methodist Church; the minister talked about God’s prevenient grace — the grace that “goes before,” and I love that thought.
Thanks for the memory — I’m no longer Methodist, for reasons that have nothing to do with the Methodist Church (more related to kids’ youth group needs), but my heart is still “strangely warmed” when I see the cross & flame.