The First Dawn of Light Concerning His WIll

Wonderful Prevenient Grace - Arminian Theology explains that it is the kind of Grace that goes before mankind, it does not follow after him.

A friend shared a story of how things seem to fall in place after a huge move across the hemisphere, with no jobs secured before  they departed. Things keep falling into place for them.  It made me think of Prevenient Grace, and I shared that with him. (Not to suggest that all things become rosy all the time, because we all know this is not true, nor is it the point.).

However, Grace is moving and working out front, not reacting from behind. Grace is out working in front of humanity to being them to the Light of Jesus's Will, presence, truth, and love. I loved this idea ever sense I first encountered the theological concept of  Prevenient Grace. It is beautiful, and seems to resonate with the beating heart of the scriptures very well, indeed, in my estimation. 

Let me put it this way; Grace, is "Proactive" in every way, not "Reactionary".  

We often view Grace as that "stuff", that "thing",  God sends along AFTER all the messes, tragedies, brokenness, and failures we have created in life. It's a mess cleaner upper.

God's Grace is certainly all of that, but maybe much more as well. Prevenient Grace  suggests that God goes ahead of us, giving us markers, light, indicators, promptings, possibilities.

Very much in tune with the ministry of the Spirit in John 16:8,  "And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment."


What if Grace is "Pre" and "Post".  Both before us and after us.

Now the clincher. What if the penchant  of Grace is before, is much more before than after?
What if Grace were a noun and a verb?

What if,

Grace is God- and is God at work,

Grace is Jesus- and is Jesus at work,

Grace is the Holy Spirit - and is the Holy Spirit at work.

What if Grace is not a "THING" at all.

?

What if Grace is found looking more ahead, than behind?

"In John Wesley's sermon "On Working Out Our Own Salvation" (sermon #85), Wesley stated that prevenient grace elicits, "...the first wish to please God, the first dawn of light concerning His will, and the first slight transient conviction of having sinned against Him" (Wikipedia)