“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith…it is the gift of God” (NIV). Grace, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is defined as "unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification" (Theopedia), but it is more commonly defined as God giving us what we do not deserve. God's grace was presented to us in the form of His only Son, Jesus, dying on the cross so that we could go to heaven. Now that we understand what grace is and in what form the gift of grace appeared, the remaining question is to whom the gift of grace is available. John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius had different views on who grace was granted, but only through careful study and examination of Scripture can the truth be found. Effective grace seems intimidating and confusing, but it’s really just a fancy way of saying “irresistible grace.” Irresistible grace was created at rest according to Arminius' view, known as prevenient grace, which will be better explained later. “Irresistible grace is the idea that when the spirit of God acts on the heart of a sinner, he cannot resist. » (Theopedia) Irresistible grace has the underlying thought that man cannot choose heaven for himself, God chose him and made salvation irresistible to him. This does not mean that God forces humans to believe in Him, it means that when He calls us, He is extremely persuasive and man cannot resist the truth. (Boice/Ryken, 135) The opposing belief, the theory of prevenient grace, believes that the fall of man has injured humanity and that now they must choose for themselves to accept the free gift of salvation, but Calvinists believe that the fall of man killed them. because of their sin. (Theopedia) Calvinists refer to the verse Ephesians 2:1 which states...... middle of paper ...... heart, they may need that last nudge or the different perspective that a Christian could give them to lead put them into the open arms of Christ. Works Cited Boice, James Montgomery and Philip Graham Ryken. The doctrines of grace: rediscovering the evangelical Gospel. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2002. Print. “Election: God’s choice of individuals.” Election. Théopedia, nd Web. April 10, 2014. Foreknowledge and grace. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2000. Print. April 9, 2014. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2004. Print. April 9, 2014. Bible NIV. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2007. Print. Schreiner, Thomas R. and Bruce A. Ware. Always sovereign; Contemporary Perspectives on Election, Foreknowledge, and Grace. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2000. Print. Smith, Adam. “Lost and found.” Lost found. Lost and Found, nd Web. April 10. 2014.