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Prevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Arminian theology,〔Henry Bettenson, ''The Later Christian Fathers'' (London: Oxford University Press, 1970), pp. 204-205.〕 though it appeared earlier in Catholic theology.〔Council of Trent, session 6, chapter 5 http://www.thecounciloftrent.com〕 It is divine grace that precedes human decision. It exists prior to and without reference to anything humans may have done. As humans are corrupted by the effects of sin, prevenient grace allows persons to engage their God-given free will to choose the salvation offered by God in Jesus Christ or to reject that salvific offer. Prevenient grace is embraced primarily by Arminian Christians who are influenced by the theology of Jacob Arminius or John Wesley. Wesleyan Arminians believe that it enables, but does not ensure, personal acceptance of the gift of salvation. Wesley typically referred to it in 18th-century language as ''prevenient grace''. In modern English, the phrase ''preceding grace'' would have a similar meaning. == Definition == Arminian Free Will Baptist theologian Robert E. Picirilli says that the word "prevenient" in prevenient grace comes from an archaic English usage meaning "anticipating," "going before," or "preceding." Picirilli says that a good synonym for "prevenient grace" is "enabling grace," as it ''enables'' sinful mankind to believe. The ''United Methodist Book of Discipline'' (2004) defines prevenient grace as "...the divine love that surrounds all humanity and precedes any and all of our conscious impulses. This grace prompts our first wish to please God, our first glimmer of understanding concerning God's will, and our 'first slight transient conviction' of having sinned against God. God's grace also awakens in us an earnest longing for deliverance from sin and death and moves us toward repentance and faith."〔''The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church - 2004'' (Nashville: United Methodist Publishing House, 2004), Section 1: Our Doctrinal Heritage: Distinctive Wesleyan Emphases.〕 The Church of the Nazarene has made prevenient grace one of its sixteen "Articles of Faith" found in the Nazarene ''Manual''.〔(Nazarene Manual 2005-2009 )〕 The ''Manual'' declares on behalf of the Church of the Nazarene: We believe that the human race’s creation in Godlikeness included ability to choose between right and wrong, and that thus human beings were made morally responsible; that through the fall of Adam they became depraved so that they cannot now turn and prepare themselves by their own natural strength and works to faith and calling upon God. But we also believe that the grace of God through Jesus Christ is freely bestowed upon all people, enabling all who will to turn from sin to righteousness, believe on Jesus Christ for pardon and cleansing from sin, and follow good works pleasing and acceptable in His sight.〔 Predecessor to the Nazarene Articles of Faith are the Articles of Religion, which John Wesley adapted for use by American Methodists. With very similar language between it and Article VII of the ''Manual'', Article VIII states, "The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and works, to faith, and calling upon God; wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, ''without the grace of God by Christ preventing () us'', that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will" (emphasis added), language that was taken directly from Article X of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion adopted by the Church of England in 1563."〔()〕 Article VIII is official doctrine not only for The United Methodist Church, and its counterpart for the Church of the Nazarene, but for many other Wesleyan denominations as well, such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the British Methodist Church, and other denominations associated with the Holiness movement. Thomas Oden of Drew University defines prevenient grace as, "...the grace that begins to enable one to choose further to cooperate with saving grace. By offering the will the restored capacity to respond to grace, the person then may freely and increasingly become an active, willing participant in receiving the conditions for justification."〔''John Wesley's Scriptural Christianity'' (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), p. 243.〕 Infant baptism is seen in Methodism as a celebration of prevenient grace. Although infant baptism is important for the life journey of the faithful disciple, it is not essential. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「prevenient grace」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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