Methodists interpret Romans 9:18-21 through the lens of John Wesley's theology of prevenient grace. God's sovereignty is affirmed, but understood in light of God's universal will that all people be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Prevenient grace (God's grace before conversion) is given to all people, enabling them to respond to God's call.

Wesley taught that Romans 9 does not teach predestination to damnation. Rather, God's choice of vessels for honor or dishonor depends on their response to God's grace. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility work together: God sovereignly provides grace to all, and humans freely choose to accept or reject it. This allows for both God's foreknowledge and genuine human freedom.