Grace and Free Will According to Clement of Alexandria

Clement of Alexandria distinguishes two modes of divine activity in the history of salvation: God exhorts all human beings to reach perfection and to receive immortality, while strengthening those who, by their choice and effort, become worthy of divine help. By following the demands of divine education, humanity cooperates with God's will to create humankind "according to God's image and likeness." The project of human effort, however, may only be fulfilled by grace. This paper reconstructs Clement's model of cooperation between God and humanity towards salvation and the concept of grace and free will it implies.