Which statement aligns with Puritan belief about grace?

Which statement aligns with Puritan belief about grace?

• A. Grace is available to all who work hard.
• B. Grace is earned through strict obedience only.
• C. Grace is a communal entitlement.
• D. Grace is given to a select few whom God had chosen from the beginning.

Answer: (D)

In Puritan thought, grace is a divine gift that cannot be earned by human effort. God’s sovereignty is central: He chooses some people for salvation from the beginning, and grace is bestowed on that elect group rather than offered universally. This idea of predestination—that God has already chosen who will be saved—explains why grace is described as given to a select few, not to everyone or to those who simply work hard. The other notions miss this emphasis on divine election. Grace isn’t something earned by strict obedience or by human works, even though obedience and a pious life are seen as proper responses to grace. It isn’t a communal entitlement available to all members of a community; rather, it rests on God’s unilateral choosing of individuals.

In Puritan thought, grace is a divine gift that cannot be earned by human effort. God’s sovereignty is central: He chooses some people for salvation from the beginning, and grace is bestowed on that elect group rather than offered universally. This idea of predestination—that God has already chosen who will be saved—explains why grace is described as given to a select few, not to everyone or to those who simply work hard.

The other notions miss this emphasis on divine election. Grace isn’t something earned by strict obedience or by human works, even though obedience and a pious life are seen as proper responses to grace. It isn’t a communal entitlement available to all members of a community; rather, it rests on God’s unilateral choosing of individuals.