Bored Protestant

Prevenient grace is an important and essential doctrine for all Arminians but what is the relation of it and the will when it comes to prevenient grace? I will say that prevenient grace is irresistible in one sense and resistible in another sense. And it's not uncommon for Arminian theologians to say prevenient grace is irresistible and I will give two examples of that. But first I need to define what prevenient grace is since it's meaning is essential to understand why I say it's irresistible.     I think William Burt Pope, one of the best Methodist theologians, gives a great definition of prevenient grace. "It is the sole, efficient cause of all spiritual good in man: of the beginning, continuance, and consummation of religion in the human soul. The manifestation of Divine influence which precedes the full regenerate life receives no special name in Scripture; but it is so described as to warrant the designation usually given it of Prevenient Grace."(1) Pope giv...

Verses 3-6   " Blessed be God, who hath blessed us " —God’s blessing us is his bestowing spiritual and heavenly blessings upon us. Our blessing God is the paying him our solemn and grateful acknowledgments, both on account of his own essential blessedness, and of the blessings which he bestows on us; " with all spiritual blessings" —The spiritual blessings here spoken of are such as are necessary to the perfection and happiness of our spirits; namely, the light of the gospel, the influences of the Spirit of God, the pardon of sin, adoption into God's family, the sanctification of our nature, and eternal life. These blessings are here opposed to the earthly blessings which were promised to the natural descendants of Abraham, the ancient church of God, which consisted in the possession of Canaan, in victory over their enemies, fruitful seasons, &c., as described Deut xxviii. To these, and such like blessings, Abraham's seed, by faith, were enti...

Verses 9-13 Observe, reader, Isaac is not brought forward in this chapter as a type, or example, of persons personally elected by God from eternity, but as a type of those, how few or how many soever they may be, that shall be counted God's children, and judged meet to inherit his kingdom. And not only this, &c. And that God's blessing does not belong to all the descendants of Abraham, appears not only by this instance, but by that of Esau and Jacob, the latter of whom was chosen to inherit the blessing of being the progenitor of the Messiah, and other blessings connected therewith, before either of them had done good or evil—The apostle mentions this to show, that neither did their ancestors receive their advantages through any merit of their own; that the purpose of God according to election might stand whose purpose was to elect to superior blessings, particularly to church privileges; not of works—Not for any preceding merit in him he chose; but of him that ...

"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. - Romans 8:29    Romans 8:29 a very important passage of scripture when it concerns predestination and its meaning is vital. So what does Arminius have to say on this particular verse he first starts by laying out two views that explain what foreknowledge means in this verse. So the first view Arminius explains is "whom He foreknew," i.e. whom He previously loved, and affectionately regarded as His own" and the second view is "others say that foreknowledge, or prescience of faith in Christ, is here signified." Arminius knows people like William Perkins would accept the former but reject the latter interpretation of foreknowledge in Romans 8. But Arminius has a goal and that is "it shall be demonstrated that God can "previously love and affectionately regard as His own" no sinner unless H...