Session 9 of 13 · Questions 46 to 53
Can anyone choose God?
Grace that comes first
Learn how God's grace comes before faith and enables us to respond to him.
The questions
- 46What is the natural state of humanity?Read
- 47Can we free ourselves from the misery of this condition?Read
- 48Who then can be saved?Read
- 49How does God save us?Read
- 50How does grace dawn in the helpless soul?Read
- 51How does preventing grace lighten the effects of original sin?Read
- 52How does preventing grace re-establish the freedom of the will?Read
- 53Does God determine all human actions?Read
Questions 46 to 53 introduce original sin, human freedom, and the Wesleyan way of salvation. Learn why Methodists teach that we cannot turn to God by our own strength, how preventing or prevenient grace awakens conscience, and how grace makes a response to God possible. Biblical passages and John Wesley's teaching explain both our dependence on grace and our responsibility to answer God. The session also considers the 2026 Articles of Faith on human nature: sin affects every part of us, yet every person remains precious to God. The final question compares Methodist and Reformed teaching about whether God determines all human actions.