Prevenient Grace

by Davis W. Huckabee

We begin this series of studies on strong doctrine with the grace of God because chronologically the grace of God antedates all of God’s dealings with man, and is actually the ground of His dealings with man in mercy. A Scriptural statement of this is found in 2 Timothy 1:9, KJV: "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our own works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."

Paul spoke of salvation and calling as past facts in his own experience, but he recognized that the ground of this salvation, being of God’s grace, was "before times eternal." Thus is introduced to us the subject of prevenient grace, yet most people of our day have no idea what is meant by this term, though this term was relatively common among both Baptists and Protestants of a hundred years ago. This writer is constrained to admit that he had no inkling of the meaning of this term until he looked it up in a dictionary, but having done so, he found that the Scriptures teach concerning the prevenient grace of God, though the word "prevenient" does not appear in the Bible.

Though the word "Prevenient" does not appear in the Bible in regard to the grace of God, it represents a Biblical idea, provided it be properly understood. Those who hold to an Arminian view of grace have sometimes equated prevenient grace with common or universal grace. They have been compelled to this position in order to get around the difficulty of their system in regard to man’s Biblically declared inability. Millard J. Erickson says:

In the eighteenth century, John Wesley popularized Arminianism. In fact, for many years he edited a magazine called The Arminian. While holding to the freedom of the will, Wesley went beyond Arminius by emphasizing the idea of prevenient or universal grace. This grace, which God grants to all men, is the basis of any human good which is found in the world. This prevenient grace also makes it possible for any person to accept the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. —Christian Theology, p. 914. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1991

But this is to relegate grace almost to the point of being non-grace, for one of the chief characteristics of grace is its being given selectively, not universally, and while we readily recognize that God is "...kind unto the unthankful and to the evil" (Luke 6:35), and therefore is gracious to them, giving them what they do not deserve, yet it is both an unscriptural idea, and a dangerous teaching to believe in such a universal grace as Arminianism teaches. Dr. Erickson well says concerning this theory:

It is here that many Arminians, recognizing human inability as taught in the Scripture, introduce the concept of prevenient grace, which is believed to have a universal effect nullifying the noetic results of sin, thus making belief possible. The problem is that there is no clear and adequate basis in Scripture for this concept of a universal enablement. The theory, appealing though it is in many ways, simply is not taught explicitly in the Bible. —Christian Theology, p. 925. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1991.

The prevenient grace that we here wish to deal with is that special favor which God has had for His elect from eternity past, and which has motivated Him to do all that He has done for the eternal good of those whom He has given to Christ in the covenant of grace.

Grace has been often defined as "God’s unmerited favor to man," and this is a reasonably correct definition, although the meaning is a little fuller than this, for God’s grace is not only unmerited, it is also unmeritable; yea, it is the very opposite of what man merits, for sinful man actually merits only eternal punishment. Because grace underlies all of God’s dealings with man in mercy, this first study will anticipate much of what is set forth more fully in the subsequent chapters, and will be, to a certain extent, a compendium of rest of this book.

The subject of grace is not a palatable one to the natural man, for in an age in which man’s supposed free will has been exalted above almost all things, it is natural that every doctrine which would contradict this is either cast out wholly, or at least is compromised so as to make it harmonize with man’s supposed free will. Now this writer would not be misunderstood: he certainly believes that man is a responsible creature, and that any person who is finally condemned to hell, will be condemned for his own sin, and not simply because of some absolutum decretum; but to call this state of responsibility "free will" is an unfortunate choice of words, to say the least. At the same time, it is not true that "God cannot override man’s free will," as is commonly parroted about. Man’s will is in bondage to sin, and unless God overrides that hell-bound will, there would never be any person saved. See further the Chapter Seven which deals with Free Will. The Scripture declares that "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). And again, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).

There is not a day passes but that God coerces the will of man, for not one of us always has things exactly like we want them. Take the example of the Axis leaders in World War II: they willed with all the will power they had to bring the rest of the world into subjection to themselves, but they were unable to do so. Why? Because, thankfully, God exercised His sovereignty over them; He restrained their wills. The Scripture testifies the same thing, for of the Assyrian it is said, "Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few" (Isa. 10:7). God may use a wicked man to fulfill His purposes, but when that man has fulfilled the purposes of God, then God is able to restrain him. See the sequel in Isaiah,

But not only is God able to restrain the will of man, He is also able, and often does, change the will of man. The mightiest monarch upon the face of the earth can have his will changed effortlessly by the Lord: "The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will" (Prov. 21:1). This is what God does in salvation; He works in man "to will and to do of His good pleasure." A. W. Pink has well said:

The salvation of any sinner is a matter of Divine power. By nature the sinner is at enmity with God, and naught but Divine power operating within him, can overcome this enmity; hence it is written, "No man can come unto Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him" (John 6:44). It is the Divine power overcoming the sinner’s innate enmity which makes him willing to come to Christ that he might have life. But this "enmity" is not overcome in all—why? Is it because the enmity is too strong to be overcome? Are there some hearts so steeled against Him that Christ is unable to gain entrance? To answer in the affirmative is to deny His omnipotence. In the final analysis it is not a question of the sinner’s willingness or unwillingness, for by nature all are unwilling. Willingness to come to Christ is the finished product of divine power operating in the human heart and will in overcoming man’s inherent and chronic "enmity," as it is written, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power" (Ps. 110:3). To say that Christ is unable to win to Himself those who are unwilling is to deny that all power in heaven and earth is His. To say that Christ cannot put forth His power without destroying man’s responsibility is a begging of the question here raised, for He has put forth His power and made willing those who have come to Him, and if He did this without destroying their responsibility, why "cannot" He do so with others. —The Sovereignty of God, pp. 78-79. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1965.

But as we have already said, because of man’s pride, and his mistaken belief in his own "free-will," the subject of any kind of grace is repugnant to him, and more especially the subject of prevenient grace. Carnal man would like to think that grace originates with him, or, at least is a direct result of some human excellence, either real or foreseen. But the very word "grace" excludes any form or degree of human excellence, for "If by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace; otherwise work is no more work" (Rom. 11:6). Divine grace and human works are mutually exclusive. If grace is "unmerited favor," as all admit, then man is shown to be a depraved creature, wholly unworthy of the least of God’s blessings, yet who is richly blessed by the Lord through grace.

I. PREVENIENT GRACE DEFINED.

The word "prevenient" comes from the word "prevent," which, as it appears in the English Bible, is generally misunderstood, for we generally think of it in the sense of "to stop," or "to hinder," but this is a meaning which has developed in the centuries since the translation of the King James Version of the Bible. The word "prevent" appears twice in the King James Version of the New Testament, neither of which has the common meaning of "to stop" or "to hinder."

"And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him saying ..." (Matthew 17:25). The Greek word here used (prophthano) means "to anticipate." "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep" (1 Thess. 4:15). Here the Greek word (phthano) means "to precede," "to go before." Thus, the word "prevent" as used in the Bible means "to act in anticipation of, or to precede." Our present day usage of the word in the sense of "to stop" or "to hinder" is of much later development. Reference to any standard dictionary will show that our present usage of this word is not the primary meaning, but that the primary meaning is "to anticipate or precede."

Thus, prevenient grace (or preventing grace, as it is also called) is that grace which goes before, and is antecedent to human action. For this reason, it might be, with equal propriety, called antecedent grace. Every believer can look back and see this antecedent grace working in and for him even from his earliest dates. Dr. A. H. Strong says:

The old theologians talked of "prevenient grace"—grace that lays hold of us before we know it, and prepares us for the emergencies of the future. Each one of us can now perceive that things before our conversion had a meaning which did not occur to us at the time. —Chapel Talks, p. 148. Griffith and Rowland Press, Philadelphia, 1913.

But this prevenient grace not only works for us prior to our realization, but, as our text declares, it is even antecedent to human existence; it dates from eternity, and extends through time. J. B. Moody expresses this thought this way:

Grace reigned not only in the past eternity in contriving the plan, but also in time in executing it, and will continue to reign till consummated. It is from everlasting to everlasting. Hence grace reigned in our redemption, regeneration, justification, sanctification, and will reign in our preservation, resurrection and ultimate glorification. If reigning grace reigns, then it is purposing, and that makes it easily prevenient. —The Exceeding Riches of the Manifold Grace of God, p. 166. Hall-moody Institute, Martin, Tennessee, no date.

This doctrine is very humiliating, and so consequently very hateful to the carnal nature of man, and this explains why many genuine believers will not accept, even for a moment, the thought that grace is all of God and none of man; yet the apostle clearly shows that salvation is according to God’s own purpose, and that grace was given to believers "before times eternal." (2 Tim. 1:9, R.V.). And it will become even more manifest as we consider other passages of Scripture that this antecedent grace does not apply just to some minor and obscure aspect of God’s dealings with man, but that God works antecedently in all aspects of His marvelous grace.

Indeed, the very fact that there was a covenant of grace in timeless eternity past is another evidence of prevenient grace, for if God made provision for the redemption of man before there ever was a man, then He was working antecedently in grace. Reference to those "whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 17:8), implies the opposite truth, namely, that there are some whose names are so recorded before time. See also the other references to this same eternal enrollment of the saints in Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 69:28; Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Hebrews 12:23, and Revelation 3:5, et al. The statement in Revelation 17:8, together with that concerning "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev, 13:6), both give evidence of this prevenient grace. To the same purpose are many other Scripture statements which show God working in grace antecedent to any human existence, which we will examine in more detail later in this chapter. Indeed, every reference to the eternal purposes and decrees of God is a proof of the prevenient grace of God, inasmuch as these are directed manward for his welfare. The first chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians refers to the Lord’s antecedent workings "before the foundation of the world," and this is detailed at some length.

When we fully understand what is meant by prevenient grace, though it will be humiliating to the carnal nature of man, yet how glorious will it appear to our spiritual man, and with what assurance will it imbue our souls to know that He that hath "done whatsoever he hath pleased" (Ps. 115:3; 135:6), hath seen fit to make us partakers of His grace.

In our original text, Paul declares that our salvation and calling is "according to His own purpose and grace," and that not in time, but "before times eternal;" thus, grace "went before" even the existence of the world, and so before our existence, and therefore it was prevenient grace. But let us go further and consider—

II. PREVENIENT GRACE DETAILED.

It is humanly impossible to now know and understand all that grace does anterior to human action, and it is impossible in the short scope of this chapter to even state all that prevenient grace has done, but a few of the more outstanding acts of it may be considered for our instruction and edification.

First, grace went before to choose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, as we learn from Ephesians 1:4: "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." The Scriptures also certify that God’s choice was not on the basis of any merit, either real or foreseen: "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth" (Rom. 9:11). This passage has been the object of much twisting and wresting in order to extort another than its natural meaning from it, but there is no passage so clear and simple but that it can be wrested to mean something else if someone is determined not to believe the most natural meaning. He speaks here of the purpose of God, as in Ephesians 1; the election here is individual, as in Ephesians 1, although this individual election eventuates in the national election through Jacob, but this does not affect the fact that primarily here it is the election of an individual that is under consideration. The election here is on the basis of God’s purpose, as in Ephesians 1, and not because of any merit. It was to combat the idea that some foreseen merit or faith was the cause of this election that this passage was written. If election is because of even a foreseen meritorious state or condition, then salvation is of human works, and none of grace.

Our Lord Himself clearly taught prevenient grace in election when He said: "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:16). Man does not elect himself, for that election took place in timeless eternity past before man existed. Someone with more imagination than knowledge of the Scriptures has characterized election as an auto-election: i.e., "God votes for you, the devil votes against you, and you cast the deciding vote." However, someone else has very pithily answered this foolishness by saying that when election took place, man was too young to vote, the devil was not a registered voter, and so the election was wholly of God.

Again, we may go further and see how that grace went before to predestinate us to conformity to the image of God’s Son: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). This is another verse which has suffered much violence at the hands of unbelieving saints, for it is generally quoted rightly, then given an interpretation which violently clashes with it. It is generally interpreted as if it read, "For what he did foreknow;" i.e., because God foreknew that certain would believe on Him in time, He therefore predestinated them, etc. This is to do the utmost violence to the meaning of this verse, for faith is a "what," not a "whom," but this foreknowledge is of persons, not of acts or conditions.

The right interpretation of this verse will be largely affected by the meaning of the word "foreknow." It is the rendering of a compound Greek word made up of pro, meaning "before," and gnosis, "to know." But that this does not refer to a bare prescience or cognizance of the existence or actions of a person is obvious from a number of things. First, God’s foreknowledge is not a passive prescience, but it an active, decreeing force, for the same word is translated "foreordain" in 1 Peter 1:20. Again, in Acts 2:23, it was God’s determinate counsel and foreknowledge that delivered Christ to be crucified. Not only so, but His foreknowledge was preceded by His purpose to do so, and so it is secondary to God’s decrees.

Next, the word "know" is used in other ways than merely to be cognizant of the existence of something. The negative usage of it is significant in Matthew 7:23: "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Clearly, our Lord does not here mean "I never knew of your existence," nor does He mean that He had no knowledge of their actions, for He charges them with evil works. What then? Clearly the meaning is "I never knew you as my own—I never knew you in my elective purposes." Again, we have another illustrative usage of "know" in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13: "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake." Here again "know" cannot mean to have a bare cognizance of something, but rather it means "to approve," or, as the parallel clause suggests "to esteem, to love." In Romans 7:15, the Greek word for know has the meaning of, and is translated "allow" or to approve, which doubtless enters into the meaning of "foreknow." The reader may profitably consider the usage of "know" in the following passages: Matthew 1:25, where the sense is, "to be joined together;" Luke 16:4, where it is translated "resolved;" Revelation 2:24, where the sense is "to experience." These all throw light on the Biblical usage of "know" as it appears in the compound word "foreknow."

Dr. B. H. Carroll holds that "foreknow" is almost equivalent to election, and this view has somewhat to commend it, for whereas here foreknowledge precedes predestination, in Ephesians 1:4-5 election precedes predestination. However, that foreknowledge and election are not exactly equivalent is clear from 1 Peter 1:2 where we are said to be "elect according to the foreknowledge of God." Foreknowledge is God’s determining upon certain people in his elective purposes.

According to the interpretation of some of Romans 8:29 that God foresaw the faith of some, Peter should have said in 1 Peter 1:2 that we are "believers according to the foreknowledge of God the Father," but this he does not say, for this was not what was meant. Instead, he shows that election produces faith, and not faith the election. The R. V. gives much the better rendering of the Greek prepositions, and shows that we are "elect...unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." Faith is not a product of humanity, but rather is a gift of God, and so it could have no effect upon God to move Him to elect any individual; but this shall be considered at greater length later in this chapter.

Some, in order to get rid of the problem that they feel about predestination, object that it has nothing to do with salvation, but that it is predestination to conformity to the image of Christ in the resurrection. But there is more than a mere physical conformity meant here; it encompasses the moral and spiritual likeness to Christ as well, for unless one has been conformed to the image of Christ in regeneration, he shall not be conformed to the image of Christ in the resurrection. Thus, Predestination has to do with the whole salvation of man, body, soul and spirit.

Thirdly, God’s grace goes before to regenerate, or make alive the soul that is dead in trespasses and sins: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins...Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved;) ...For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:1,5,10). Can a dead man do anything? Of course not! Only a fool would suggest it, and doubtless this is the reason why the figure of death is used of the lost person—to show his total inability to bring himself to a state of life. But many apparently believe that a man can regenerate himself, for they say that he is made alive in Christ Jesus as soon as he believes; but the question is, can a man spiritually dead perform such a spiritual act as believing the gospel? He cannot: he must first be spiritually quickened or made alive, and this is exactly what the above Scriptures declare. But if this be so, then there is absolutely nothing in the natural man to cause him to be saved; if he is ever saved, he must be saved wholly by the grace of God, for no works or abilities of his own are sufficient. And is this not the meaning of verse 5 above, when the apostle, after saying that God enlivens man even while he is still dead in sin, denominates this a matter of grace? If man is saved by faith, and if faith is some inherent ability in natural man, then God does not save man, man saves himself, and to him is the glory due. On the other hand, if man is dead in sin and utterly incapacitated from doing any good thing spiritually, and if faith is itself the gift of God, then salvation is indeed of grace, it is of God, and to Him is all the glory due. And this is exactly what the case is, humiliating though it may be to the proud carnal nature of man.

We observe, then, in the fourth place, that grace goes before to give faith, thus making salvation to be wholly of God’s grace. There are numerous texts to this effect, yet they are, for the most part, pointedly ignored, or else explained away. The proud heart of man simply will not concede that God is sovereign in salvation; even genuine believers often say, "I believe in the sovereignty of God, BUT..." And by the use of this adversative they deny their own statement, for the very word "but" is a word that expresses opposition or antithesis. For a number of years this writer spoke this hypocritical language until the Spirit of God convicted him of, and converted him from, his error. The sovereignty of God is one doctrine which, if we must qualify it, we do not really believe it; at the same time, if we can qualify or limit the sovereignty of God, then it isn’t really sovereignty.

"...And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48). Taken in its barest literality, this verse means that a man believes because he has been ordained to eternal life, and not that he is ordained because he believes. Many and various interpretations, some of which are very foolish and far-fetched, have been set forth in order to get around the most natural meaning of these words. The question is, must we seek for another meaning than that which is most obvious? If this passage stands alone in teaching this, and if it contradicts without the possibility of harmonizing it, other clear statements of the Word, we might be justified in seeking another than the literal meaning. On the other hand, if we find other equally explicit passages teaching the same thing, and that these can all be harmonized with other doctrines, then we are not only not justified in seeking another interpretation, but we also manifest the rankest unbelief of God’s Word, and show that we are more interested in establishing our own pet theory. Too often, because we are unwilling to accept God’s pronouncement upon something, we resort to human reasoning in order to get around the obvious meaning. Dr. N. L. Rice has well said that:

The Church has been corrupted and cursed in almost every age by undue confidence of men in their reasoning powers. They have undertaken to pronounce upon the reasonableness or unreasonableness of doctrines infinitely above their reason, which are necessarily matters of pure revelation. In their presumption they have sought to comprehend "the deep things of God," and have interpreted Scriptures, not according to their obvious meaning, but according to the decisions of their finite reason. —God Sovereign and Man Free, p. 3. Presbyterian Board of Publication, Philadelphia, 1850.

Do we find the Scriptures teaching that every man has the inherent ability to believe God’s truth, or is faith the gift of God? The following passages leave no doubt in this matter: "...(Apollos) who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace" (Acts 18:27). If it is through grace, then it cannot be a natural ability. "...according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3). "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?" (1 Cor. 3:5). Perhaps some would reply that inasmuch as these passages refer to God dealing to every man the measure of faith, it must be a natural ability that God gives to all men, if they will but exercise it. But the context of each limits this "every man" to a definite category—God’s saints—"to every man that is among you" (Rom. 12:3). The "every man" does not and cannot refer to the unbelieving world. Not only so, but what is dealt to each one of these is actual faith, not merely the ability to believe, if he will.

"For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (Phil. 1:29). That this refers to a daily living faith in the saints does not alter the fact that faith is God’s gift to His people. "Lydia...whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul" (Acts 16:14). Here, the emphasis is more on the way of instilling faith in man, for Romans 10:10 says, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness," so it is obvious that God performed this "open heart surgery" on Lydia so that she might believe the gospel. This purpose of the opening of her heart is shown by the word "that," which is a Greek clause of purpose, and shows that she could not have attended to the preaching of Paul without her heart being opened by the Lord.

"And God...put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts faith" (Acts 15:9). Here it is God who does the purifying of the heart, and He does it by working faith in man; the act is clearly God’s, not man’s. "Lord, increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). This prayer would be out of place if faith were a human ability, but if God is the author and source of all faith, then this prayer is perfectly in order. "But there are some of you that believe not...Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of by my Father" (John 6:64-65). The word "therefore" connects the unbelief of these with the fact that it had not been given unto them of the Father to come unto Christ—another evidence that faith is God’s gift to men. The same thing is true of John 10:26: "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you." These texts are hard of understanding, yet we are not at liberty to cast them out simply because our finite minds cannot understand them. Taken at face value, these mean that if one is of the elect, God will give faith to trust in Christ for salvation. "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace" (Rom. 4:16). If faith is by grace, then, it must be from God, and not from man.

The reader cannot accuse the writer of giving a slanted interpretation to these passages, for they are set forth simply and at face value, yet each of them harmonizes completely with Acts 13:48. In fact, the opposite is true: one must "interpret" these verses in order to come to any other conclusion.

The only natural explanation of these numerous passages, and of a number of others of like teaching that could have been educed, is that faith is God’s gift to man, that it is the result of foreordination to eternal life, and that it is another evidence of the prevenient grace of God. This has been a historic Baptist belief for many centuries, in spite of the fact that this is often denied in these degenerate times by many Baptists. In 1508 the Bohemian Waldenses presented a confession of faith to Ladislaus, King of Bohemia, explaining the reasons for their separation from the Church of Rome. They say of the Scriptures:

They teach also, that no man can have this Faith by any power, will and pleasure of his own: it is indeed the gift of God, who when, and where it pleaseth him, worketh it in man by his Spirit, to the end he may receive whatsoever shall be rightly administered to him by the outward Word, and the Sacraments instituted by Christ, in order to Salvation. Of this saith John the Baptist, Lord, no man can have anything, unless it be given him from above. And, saith Christ himself, no man can come unto me, unless the Father, who sent me, draw him. —Article VI., quoted in Sir Samuel Morland’s Churches of the Valley of Piedmont, p. 48. Facsimile reprint of the 1658 edition by Franklin Printing Company, Ft. Smith, Arkansas, 1955.

The London Confession of Faith, drawn up by the Particular Baptists in London in 1644, says, in Article XXII: "That Faith is the gift of God wrought in the hearts of the elect by the Spirit of God, whereby they come to see, know, and believe the truth of the Scriptures." Article XXIV goes on to say:

That faith is ordinarily begot by the preaching of the Gospel, or Word of Christ, without respect to any power or capacity in the creature, but it is wholly passive, being dead in sins and trespasses, doth believe, and is converted by no less power, than that which raised Christ from the dead. —quoted from W.J. McGlothlin, Baptist Confessions of Faith, pp. 180-181. American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1911.

The Baptists of Somerset County, England drew up a confession of faith in 1656, in which they say in Article XX:

That this spirit of Christ, being administered by the word of faith, worketh in us faith in Christ (John 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:22; Acts 16:14; Gal. 5:22), by virtue of which we come to receive our sonship (John 1:12; Gal. 3:26), and is further administered unto us through faith in the promises of God (Eph. 1:13; Acts 2:38, 39; 1:4), waiting on him in those ways and means that he hath appointed in his word (John 14:15,16,17; Luke 11:9,13), this faith being the ground of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). —W.J. McGlothlin, Baptist Confessions of Faith, p. 207. American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1911.

The 1677 edition of the London Confession of Faith is equally as specific in this matter as is the 1644 edition. And even the English General (Arminian) Baptists acknowledge this truth, for in their Standard Confession of 1660 they say in Article VIII:

That God hath even before the foundation of the world chosen (or elected) to eternal life, such as believe, and so are in Christ (John 3:16. Eph. l:4; 2 Thess. 2:13), yet confident we are, that the purpose of God according to election, was not in the least arising from foreseen faith in, or works of righteousness done by the creature, but only from the mercy, goodness, and compassion dwelling in God, and so it is of him that calleth (Rom. 9:11). —W.J. McGlothlin, Baptist Confessions of Faith, p. 114 American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1911.

In like manner, the general Baptists" "Orthodox Creed," drawn up in 1678 says in article XXIII:

Faith is an act of the understanding, giving a firm assent to the things contained in the holy scriptures. But justifying faith is a grace, or habit, wrought in the soul, by the Holy Ghost, through preaching the word of God, whereby we are enabled to believe, not only that the Messias is offered to us, but also to take and receive him, as a Lord and Saviour, and wholly and only to rest upon Christ, for grace and eternal salvation. —W.J. McGlothlin., Baptist Confessions of Faith, p. 141. American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1911.

When we come upon American soil, we find the same unanimity of creed in respect to faith, for the New Hampshire Confession, which was originally drawn up in 1830, had an article on repentance and faith added in 1873, which reads as follows:

We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Saviour. —Article VIII, W.J. McGlothlin, Baptist Confessions of Faith, p. 304. American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1911.

Even the Freewill Baptists, when their General Conference published their Treatise of Faith in 1834, agreed in essence with all these other statements on faith. They say in Chapter VIII:

True faith is an assent of the mind to the great and fundamental truths of revelation; an act of the understanding in giving credit to the gospel, through the influence of the Holy Spirit; and a firm, confidence and trust in the living God. The fruit of faith is obedience to the gospel. The power to believe is the gift of God. —W.J. McGlothlin, Baptist Confessions of Faith, p. 319. American Baptist Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1911.

One of the more recently formulated Baptist Confessions, and one most commonly used among independent Baptists, is the Orthodox Baptist Confession of Faith, which was drawn up in 1934. It says in Article 8: "We believe that repentance and faith are solemn and inseparable prerequisites of salvation; that they are inseparable graces wrought in the heart by the quickening Holy Spirit."

We have gone to considerable length in citing all of these confessions that we might show that when we say that faith itself is part of the prevenient grace of God, we are not introducing some new theology; we might have presented yet other references to the same effect, but neither time nor space permit this. Thus, it is not we who hold to this who have departed from the historic Baptist position, but it is those who think that man has the natural ability to "believe any time he wants" who have departed from the faith.

But to go on, grace goes before, in the fifth place, to keep the saints saved, and it is a reflection upon the grace of God to teach that man must perfect the work of God in salvation by his own works. If God cannot keep saved the soul that He has set apart as His own, then man certainly cannot keep it saved. The Scriptures give abundant proof of the keeping power of the Lord: "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12). "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28). This last verse contains a double negative, something that is incorrect in English, but which is perfectly in order in the Greek, where it is used to give emphasis. A literal rendering would be: "...they shall never, ever perish." "To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:4-5).

Salvation is by grace in all of its aspects, and as it was begun in grace, so it will be consummated in grace, for all of God’s redemptive dealings with man are of grace. He could not deal in any other way with man without utterly consuming him in His wrath. See this subject discussed more fully in the chapter on the Preservation and Perseverance of the Saints.

Finally, grace goes before in the preparations for glory, as it is written: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:9-10). "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). Even the millennial glory to which the sheep nations will fall heir is a subject of this same prevenient grace: "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34).

If this is true of the millennial blessedness, how much more so will eternity manifest this antecedent grace of God? Doubtless it will take all of eternity to reveal how often and in how many ways grace has gone before in preparing glory for the saints of the most High. "That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7). There remains for our consideration only—

III. THE DELIGHT OF PREVENIENT GRACE.

We have already remarked how very humiliating, and therefore repulsive, to the carnal nature of man grace is, and this is doubtless why it is so very hard even for God’s saints to accept grace in its fullest significance. This writer confesses that his carnal nature is still revolted by this doctrine, but the inward, spiritual man of the heart rejoices in it. Nothing manifests the sovereignty of God like the doctrine of prevenient grace, and this explains the hatred of the proud natural man for it. Dr. J. R. Graves well says:

All men are by nature Arminians; and the absolute sovereignty of God is a doctrine hateful to the natural and depraved heart. False teachers have taken advantage of this natural feeling, and have for ages inflamed the prejudices of Christian men and women against any exercise of sovereignty on the part of God in this Covenant, either as to his "determinate counsels," his electing love, or his distinguishing grace. —The Seven Dispensations, pp. 95-96. Baptist Sunday School Committee, Texarkana, 1928.

We delight in God’s prevenient grace because it is the sole differentiating factor in our lives; the only thing that kept this writer from being an atheist, a drunkard, a murderer, an adulterer, and every other kind of sinful being, was the prevenient grace of God that distinguished him from these. "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7).

Again, we delight in this doctrine because it puts the glory for man’s salvation where it ought to be—in the Lord—and not in the wicked flesh of man. Boasting is excluded by grace; grace leaves no room for boasting except in the Lord. James, after referring to the boastings of man as to what he could do and would do, says, "But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil" (Jam. 4:16). Because grace has wrought all spiritual good in us, we ought not to boast in it as if we had done it, but to recognize God’s complete accomplishment of it, and glorify Him for it.

There is one exclusive human side, viz., SIN; there is one exclusive Divine side, viz., Salvation; and there is one side both human and divine, viz., Service. Grace made us alive while dead; reconciled us while in enmity; translated us out of darkness into light. Sin worked against grace, and grace worked against sin; sin reigned unto death, grace reigned unto life, and where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. But grace not only reigned in rescuing us from sin and death, but also reigns through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank God for reigning grace, and for a throne of grace to which we can boldly come and obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. —J. B. Moody, The Exceeding Riches of the Manifold Grace of God, p. 169. Hall-Moody Institute, Martin, Tennessee, no date.

We delight in this doctrine because, from the divine side of the matter, it puts the issue beyond all doubt. Those who teach that a saved soul may fall from grace and be finally lost, believe that if a man holds out faithful until death, then the issue becomes certain. Believers in the eternal security of the saved are want to say that the issue passes beyond doubt when the convicted soul genuinely repents and receives Christ as Saviour, and, viewed from the human side, this is true. Yet, so far as individual assurance is concerned, there must follow certain fruits of repentance and faith as Peter declares: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall" (2 Pet. 1:10; Cf. vv. 5-9). This making of ones calling and election sure is not by repenting and believing, as is sometimes said, but is the bearing of those fruits which will show that one’s repentance and faith are genuine.

But from the divine side of this matter, the issue has never been in doubt; those whom the Father has given to the Son in the covenant of grace will not fail to come to Him. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me: and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). This is what is meant by irresistible grace. Not that the grace of God is never resisted, for it is in the very nature of wicked and depraved man to resist anything and everything that is of God, but this grace is never successfully resisted by the elect. This is sometimes referred to as "effectual calling" as distinguished from the general call by the gospel. Dr. John Gill says of this effectual calling:

It is an act of efficacious and irresistible grace. The external call may be, and often is, resisted and rejected; but when God calls internally by his Spirit and grace, it is always effectual, and can never be resisted, so as to be ineffectual; for when God works, none can let or hinder; men dead in trespasses and sins, rise out of their graves of sin, and live, at his all-commanding voice; even as Lazarus came forth out of his grave at the call of Christ; nor could that call be resisted; and even the same power that was exerted in raising Christ himself from the dead, is displayed in the effectual vocation of a sinner (Eph. 1:18,19,20). —Body of Divinity, Book VI, chap. XII, p. 544. Turner Lassetter, Atlanta, Georgia, 1950.

Those who are the most opposed to the doctrines of prevenient grace, effectual calling and related themes, evidently overlook the whole delightful essence or these things. If it is true that "All things work together for good" for those who are the called of God, then the greater and fuller control that God has over man, then the more blessed that man will be. If we may judge by actions, some believers seem to fear to grant that God is sovereign in grace for fear that He will abuse that sovereignty over them.

We delight in God’s prevenient grace because it insures that every thing will work out for man’s fullest, ultimate good. Prevenient grace works no restraints, nor poses any limitations on any part of man except his proud carnal nature, and for man’s spiritual welfare he needs all the restraints upon his carnal nature that he can get.

Prevenient grace is a delightful doctrine, not to the flesh, nor to the carnal pride of man, but to the spiritual nature of the redeemed man, and it is for this reason that it is so very hard to accept it. Only through the prayerful and submissive study of the Word does any man ever come to accept this belief, but this is true of all the "strong meat" doctrines of the Bible. In reality, we have to be converted to every doctrine of the Bible. This is true because "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:8-9).

Man can reason out a thing, and it may seem very plausible to the mind, but that does not therefore make it true. Reason is not to be the criteria of truth; rather truth is to be the criteria of reason. "The weapons of our warfare are not of this world, but are mighty before God for overthrowing fortresses. For we overthrow reasonings and everything raised aloft against the knowledge of God; and we lead every thought captive and bring it into obedience to Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4-5), Weymouth Translation. Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1938.

It is not enough that the doctrine of prevenient grace or any other doctrine can be overthrown by human reasoning, nor that another meaning may be put upon the Scriptures adduced; this writer has been guilty of doing these things in time past, but such human reasonings must be cast down; our thoughts must be brought into harmony with the Scriptures, and not the Scriptures interpreted to agree with our thoughts. We believe that we must take Scripture in its most obvious and natural meaning, as we have endeavored to do with these dealing with this doctrine; if the most natural and obvious meaning of a Scripture grates against our natural pride and fleshly reasoning, that is but another evidence that we are getting close to the truth, for the flesh will always be out of harmony with spiritual things.

Prevenient grace is part of the theological system which is called Calvinism, but none of which originated with John Calvin. He contributed only the name. These truths were held by the English Lollards a hundred years before the birth of John Calvin, and by the Waldenses before them. Before Calvin came on the scene, these truths were known as Augustinianism, and before the time of Augustine, they were known as Paulianism, and they have been historic Baptist beliefs from the beginning. Some characterize these doctrines of grace as "Hardshellism," but in doing so they manifest their ignorance of history as well as of Scripture, and reveal a better aptitude for slandering than for understanding the truth. Historically, Hardshellism was anti-missionism and anti-effort, and its connection with the doctrines of predestination and election was only incidental, for almost all Baptists at that time subscribed to these doctrines.

May God give us spiritual eyesight to see His prevenient grace in all aspects of our lives, for then we will have thankful hearts to praise Him for His marvelous grace to such unworthy creatures.