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 enabling us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will.

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God's prevenient grace, literally “the grace that goes before”, is freely bestowed upon all Humanity through the work of the Holy Spirit, enabling people to know God, trust Him, and turn from a life of rebellion and sin to a life of obedience and righteousness through Jesus Christ. Even after conversion, an individual remains free and is therefore fully responsible before God for the life they choose to live, whether they walk in the Spirit or fulfill the desires of the flesh. Thus, the Holy Scripture asserts the reality of apostasy, which results from rejecting Jesus Christ, the only hope for salvation. 

There is a footnote to this article in the Discipline. It reads, “This article clearly rejects Pelagianism and explains how God enables Humanity to choose Him.” The reason for this is that within the Western Christian theological tradition, the debate between Augustine and Pelagius laid the groundwork for the historic teaching of the church on this subject. 

Augustine taught that the transgression of Adam placed all Humanity under a universal condemnation because of his status as the Covenant Head of Humanity and caused all people thereafter to be born depraved of our original righteousness. Conversely, Pelagius taught that while we need to be forgiven for our individual sins, there is no universal condemnation due to Adam. Furthermore, he taught that Adam’s sin did not have any effect on human nature, but rather that we learn to commit sin from the examples we see in the world around us. According to Pelagius, Jesus’ life and death are sufficient as an example for us to follow so that we may learn how to choose to live righteous lives through the exercise of our free will. 

Thus, this Article was drafted to both distance the Methodists’ teaching from Pelagius and the Calvinists. From the Calvinists, in that it asserts each individual’s freedom to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and choose to repent and have faith, in contrast to the Calvinist doctrines of unconditional election and irresistible grace. From the Pelagians, in that it asserts that this freedom is not derived from the individual themselves, but rather from the ability the Holy Spirit gives according to the grace of God.

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Reflect on the following Biblical texts. What are your thoughts on the way they reveal this doctrine to us? Discuss your answers with your pastor/group leader.

Deuteronomy 29:29-30:20 (cf. Psalm 1:1-6) 

Proverbs 1:1-3:35 

Isaiah 1:1-20 

Jeremiah 17:1-14 

Ezekiel 18:1-32 / Ezekiel 33:11-20 

Matthew 5:1-7:29 / Matthew 15:1-20 / Matthew 16:13-28 / Matthew 23:1-39 

Luke 8:1-21 (cf. Matthew 13:1-23) 

John 3:1-36 / John 6:22-71 

Hebrews 3:1-19 

2 Peter 2:1-22 (cf. 2 John 1:4-11 / Jude 1:17-23)

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Use the following questions to summarize what you have learned about this Article of Faith. Discuss your answers with your pastor/group leader. 

What about Sin makes it impossible for Humanity to know and trust God, much less earn His approval through their works? 

What is needed for Humanity to exercise faith and call upon the Name of the LORD? 

If human reason alone cannot convert the Sinner or make him Righteous, why does God ask us to reason with Him? 

How does this doctrine affect the practice of our faith? 

Notes: