May the Grace be with You
The Prevenient Distinctive of Wesleyanism
Most Wesleyan-Holiness folk claim that the idea of Entire Sanctification is the defining and distinctive doctrine for Wesleyanism. While it is important, and part of most essentials, other larger groups also share it. The largest example in the idea of theosis in the Eastern Orthodox churches. While theosis is not exactly the same as the expressions of entire sanctification, it is close enough to make it ubiquitous in many Christians. I believe we have a much more distinctive doctrine within Wesleyanism; a doctrine which is almost unique and which influences so many of our other doctrines and choices.
I don’t take full credit for this and wish I could remember where I saw the blurb. But our true distinctive is prevenient grace. What is prevenient grace? It is the gift of the Spirit through the work of Christ that allows human beings to respond to God. Prevenient grace is the grace that goes before us and allows us to do good, even before we come to know God. This enables us to recognize God, resolve the ability for humanity to be good even within a doctrine of depravity, and prevent us from descending into chaos. Prevenient grace may enable, but it also prevents. As Diane LeClerc shows, prevenient grade may even prevent the damnation of those who never hear of Jesus. “For Wesleyans, prevenient grace is a profound expression of God’s infinite love for the world. This love excludes no one. Because of a strong belief in prevenient grace, Wesleyans maintain the possibility of eternal life for those who have not heard of Jesus. In the same way, those who have not appropriated the gospel personally because of their ‘infirmities’ are also saved by God’s prevenient grace. This would include infants and children still incapable of making a personal decision for Christ, as well as mentally or emotionally diminished or damaged individuals.” (Leclerc 2917)
Prevenient grace is important, especially when it may make us uncomfortable. But this very Wesleyan idea opens an understanding of God working in our world which is relational and present. The possibilities do not remove the aspect of sharing the Kindom of God, rather it changes the way we may feel responsible for others. The responsible grace of God is available to all. Prevenient grace provides the means and relationship to respond. Wesley believed that prevenient grace is the gift of God given to all in which we can recognize God, do good, and it leads us to salvation. Wesley believed that humanity cannot do any good outside of the power of God and he understood that our cooperation with the preventing grace of God enables us to accomplish good. Even the ability to cooperate is part of the gift and the resources to accomplish good, respond to the salvific offer, and any other response to God is given by God as a loving parent. (Wynkoop 2637) Randy Maddox expands upon this by showing how Wesley’s idea included the Roman Catholic tradition and Wesley’s own Anglican tradition when composing his understanding of prevenience. Yet even with these influences, Wesley grounds his understanding in love, which sets him apart from earlier expressions of prevenient grace as articulated. (Maddox p 84)
Fleming Rutledge, the imminent Episcopal priest and theologian recognizes the importance of a prevenient understanding of grace and God’s love. She gets this from her interactions with Methodists.
There is no way of taking the Bible seriously unless we are willing to entertain its presuppositions about sin, especially Sin in the singular. This is a catch-22 of sorts, because it is not possible to have a grasp of one’s own involvement in sin without a prior or simultaneous awareness of God’s prevenient love (Latin pre-venere, “going-before”). We need to recover that word “prevenient” because no other word or phrase captures so well the essential fact about grace: it prevenes (goes before), or precedes, recognition of sin, precedes confession of sin, precedes repentance for sin, and precedes forsaking of sin. Readers of this book are already held by God’s gracious intention toward them, whether they know themselves as sinners or not. (Rutledge p 168)
While it may be a very imperfect example, I can’t help thinking of the Force in the Star Wars universe. One difference is that prevenient grace is a work of the very personal Spirit of God while the Force is impersonal. However, the idea of an all-encompassing force moving throughout the universe is similar. The Force is always there, and each person has various sensitivities and abilities to tap into or use the Force in Star Wars. That is not unlike the idea that each person experiences and has different levels of response to the work of prevenient grace in our lives. Our experience tells us that some are more sensitive to prevenient grace and can discern the flourishing of God more readily than others are.
The saints may not be Jedi, but they have the marks of people who can sense and respond more deeply to the grace of God. The lack of light sabres only increases the ability to share in their wisdom and grace. Extending this impersonal analogy allows us to see the very act of discipleship as becoming more aware of the prevenient grace of God such that we become more like Jesus. For Wesleyans, the nature of prevenient grace allows for the doctrine of entire sanctification to be one of now and future growth as we become more and more attuned to the desires of a God who invites us to take part in loving grace. When we recognize the universal nature of prevenient grace, we can more naturally include, rather than exclude, in the ongoing work of new creation.
Prevenient grace allows the Wesleyan to recognize the good in the world as we know it to be works of God despite selfishness. This grace allows us to be optimistic about the good of new creation. It empowers us to live and work as new creation people, inviting others into that new creation. Ultimately, prevenient grace allows our response and the response of those we invite into the Kindom of God. May I say and invite you to say “may the Grace be with you.”
Leclerc, Diane. Discovering Christian Holiness: The Heart of Wesleyan-Holiness Theology. Kansas City, Mo: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 2010.
Maddox, Randy L. Responsible Grace : John Wesley’s Practical Theology. Nashville, Tenn.: Kingswood Books, 1994.
Rutledge, Fleming. The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ. Eerdmans, 2015.
Wynkoop, Mildred Bangs. A Theology of Love: The Dynamic of Wesleyanism, Second Edition. Nazarene Publishing House, 2015.