On Grace: Modern, Updated Translation

On Grace (also titled “Efficacious Grace,” composed in the 1730s-1740s, published posthumously) is Jonathan Edwards’s penetrating theological examination of divine grace in salvation, defending the Reformed understanding of God’s sovereign, irresistible work in converting sinners against Arminian emphasis on human cooperation.We have updated this timeless classic into a modern, updated translation that is easy for anyone to read!Written during and after the Great Awakening, this treatise addresses fundamental questions about the nature of saving grace, human ability, and the relationship between divine sovereignty and human responsibility in conversion.Edwards systematically argues that saving grace operates efficaciously—that is, it unfailingly accomplishes God’s purpose of transforming the sinner’s heart without violating human will. He carefully distinguishes between common grace (God’s general operations restraining sin and enabling civil virtue) and saving grace (God’s special work regenerating the elect). His treatment demonstrates how grace transforms both understanding and affections, producing genuine spiritual perception and holy desires that were entirely absent in the unregenerate state.What distinguishes this work is Edwards’s philosophical sophistication in explaining how divine determination of human choices preserves rather than destroys genuine human agency. He argues that the will always chooses according to its strongest inclination, and that grace operates by changing those inclinations themselves, making holy choices both certain and genuinely free. This framework addresses the perennial tension between sovereignty and responsibility without resorting to either theological determinism that eliminates meaningful choice or Arminian synergism that compromises divine sovereignty.Edwards particularly emphasizes the absolute necessity of divine grace for salvation, demonstrating from Scripture and reason that natural human capacity, corrupted by original sin, cannot produce saving faith or genuine holiness. He shows how attempts to preserve human autonomy in salvation inevitably lead to either works-righteousness or despair, while Reformed understanding of efficacious grace alone provides assurance grounded in God’s unchanging purpose rather than fluctuating human performance.”On Grace” influenced American Reformed theology by providing rigorous philosophical and theological defense of Calvinist soteriology during a period when Arminian theology was gaining influence. Modern readers find in Edwards’s work sophisticated engagement with questions about divine action, human freedom, and the mechanics of spiritual transformation that continue to shape Reformed theological reflection.Author BiographyJonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was colonial America’s greatest theologian and philosopher, whose intellectual brilliance combined profound spiritual experience with rigorous philosophical analysis. Educated at Yale College, Edwards served as pastor in Northampton, Massachusetts, where his preaching helped spark the First Great Awakening. His extensive writings addressed revival phenomena, Reformed theology, and philosophical questions with unmatched depth and sophistication. Beyond works on grace, his theological contributions include “Religious Affections,” “Freedom of the Will,” and “The Nature of True Virtue,” establishing him as the most significant American thinker before the Revolutionary period whose influence continues across Reformed theological traditions.