He calls because it's not His Will that any should persih but not everyone lives by His Will. They reject His call.

DCR,  When Jesus said "he will draw all men to himself " are you advocating universal salvation where in the final end all will be saved. To draw all men to himself is a picture of him imparting salvation. Can you explain without contradicting any of the rest of Scripture.

Your post completely contradicts Scripture.  You say that man from the beginning of time has actively sought God, but according to Rom 3:11 "there is none that seeketh God." God's Word is infallible and inerrant and man"s preconceived beliefs and opinions cannot change that!

The key to understanding that verse is in the statement "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth...".

Implying that at the time Jesus said that, He wasn't drawing all men to Himself, no matter which way the phrase "all men" is defined. The point is that this would happen only after He was lifted up from the earth.

What happened at Pentecost?

The foundations were being set for the Gospel to be preached to the world. God was no longer working through one nation and one people, but all peoples and all nations. Hence, "I will draw all men..." in that context means all kinds of men. This seemed to be a sticking point for many Jews at that time.

The NKJV, understanding this distinction, translates that verse as "32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”. Notice that 'people' is plural, "peoples".

In the same book of John, Jesus said...

John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

People tend to overlook the last part of that verse. "and I will raise him up at the last day." All who are drawn by God will be raised up at the last day.

Dave

A lot of similar arguments are used that follow the same line of reasoning. Many times these things only need to be taken to there logical, Biblical theological conclusions.

Who are those who would ask? Those who are drawn!

Who are those who will hear? Only His sheep hear!

Who are those who will chose Him? Those who are chosen by Him!

etc.

The Bible always points back to God moving first.

Dave

They are drawn to the message of the cross.

His sheep are those who are saved not the unsaved.

First the Jew then the Gentile.

Who are the chosen? Those that believe, as in faith comes by hearing the message of the cross.

FTL

You are correct, that is one of the ways God calls us to him. It could be through a death in the family. A illness, I guess people are perhaps are waiting for an audible voice God uses many avenues, Then we have a free will to answer that call or not.

QUICK, ROUGH NOTES:

If man can come to Christ apart from God, why pray for God to change hearts and save souls? And the corollary statement, if man is not responsible to seek out his salvation, why preach to them?

No one ever believed that they can come to Christ without God! We have to agree with John Calvin who planted something but has been twisted to mean a DIRECT OPERATION after God has provided a WAY to come to Him.

But, then Calvin said--and few have read--that God gave us Jesus Christ and the BIBLE as a supernatural gift and we send preachers to preach it to people who will NEVER become a Christian unless some human preaches the Gospel to them..  The power of Gos is THE GOSPEL and we did not INVENT the gospel.  However, the gospel is GOD'S supernatural operation and if we HEAR the Gospel, believe it and obey it then we are saved solely by God. We didn't NOT come to Him: He elected (invited) us and we responded.

No man SEEKS OUT his salvation although we all have a "need to know." God knew that there was NO MAN (Isa 59) so He sent His own ARM or RIGHT HAND to be the Intercessor.  God made His Word and words visible and audible in Jesus of Nazareth.  He was the same Spirit OF Christ who inspired the prophets.  Jesus selected, taught and gave power to APOSTLES who are guided into ALL TRUTH.  Peter said that Jesus left us an EXAMPLE.  The Apostles recognize ONLY the PROPHETS and the APOSTLES who preach the prophecies to make them more certain. If God had INTENDED to operate outside of Scripture then the Apostles assuredly all wasted their lives: and didn't Jesus Christ die in vain? Why would we mold God into the image of an idot?

Paul is the very best ENLIGHTENER of the Prophets and Peter said of Him:

2Pet. 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

People TWIST Paul about a direct TAPPING of indivisuals BECAUSE they never have a clue to the PROPHETS and pagan idolatry he is MAKING CERTAIN.

PETER BEGAN BY POINTING US TO WRITTEN SCRIPTURE:

1Pet. 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

PETER CONTINUED TO SAY THAT JESUS LEFT US A WRITTEN EXAMPLE

1Pet. 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps

THAT EXAMPLE IS:

5261.  hupogrammos, hoop-og-ram-mos´; from a compound of 5259 and 1125; an underwriting, i.e. copy for imitation (figuratively):  example.

1125  grapho, graf´-o; a primary verb; to “grave”, especially to write; figuratively, to describe: — describe, write(-ing, -ten).
124.  graphe, graf-ay´; a document, i.e. holy Writ (or its contents or a statement in it): — scripture.

THE letter (graphe) is the LAW OF MOSES and not anything written for our learning.
SPIRIT is whatever Jesus inspired and LEFT for us about THE GOSPEL which is the opposite of THE LAW.

PETER THEN ELEMINATES ANY OF US AS RECIPIENTS OF FACE-TO-FACE REVELATION

2Pet. 1:19  WE have also a more sure word of prophecy;
       whereunto YE do well that ye take heed,
       as unto a light that shineth in a dark place,
       until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

That little LIGHT is not going to shine INTO your mind because you do not have an antenna or a sponge on the side of your head. God gave you the supernatural gift of EYES and EARS and people INSIST that even after Dying for us, Christ must INJECT truth into our heads while we jump and jive to the singy-clappy children.  Ingratitude is a FATAL sin.

WHY SHOULD WE GIVE ATTENTION TO THE WRITTEN WORD:

2Pet. 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Jesus provided us with SCRIPTURE which is a WRITTEN RECORD OF EYE-WITNESS APOSTLES. That provides us all that pertains to life and Godliness.

THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO MARK FALSE TEACHERS

2Pet. 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 

Jesus as the SON spoke only what He heard from the FATHER.  If He didn't not do the whole job of supplying Word as Spirit (John 6:63) then don't people who get messages DENY the Lord that BOUGHT them.  Who as preachers BOUGHT us and have the right to speak FOR Jesus Chirst?

FOLLOW THE MANY: many are called but FEW are chosen: Jesus will be OUTSIDE the massed mutitudes.

2Pet. 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
2Pet. 2:3 And through COVETOUSNESS shall they with feigned words make MERCHANDISE of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

I WOULD SAY WOE, WOE TO ANYONE WHO THINKS THAT GOD "MOVES IN A MYSTERIOUS WAY" BEYOND THE SACRED PAGE AND TAKES PAY IS IN A LOT OF TROUBLE.

Ezek. 13:9 And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 

Vanitas (latin) false, fickles, Magice (incantations, sorcery), tumultus, strike, musical instruments, drive on, agitate, disturb.

Ezek. 13:17 Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,

THE WRITING PROPHETS ALL CONDEMN THE SELF-PROPHESIERS. Elisha called for a harpist when he intended to pronounce judgment against an evil king

Ezek. 13:19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?

WE TRAFFIC THEM AS MUSICAL WORSHIP TEAMS WHO WILL NEVER SPEAK THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN.

Unless we have Prophetic Scripture to GIVE HEED TO then the "prophesiers" were PRETEND prophets but were charismatic musicians especially women who know how to MAKE SOULS FLY.

"The Hithpa'el of nb', in the ancient texts, refers to ecstasy and delirium rather than to the emission of a 'prophecy'." (de Vaux, Roland, The Bible and the Ancient Near East, p. 243 Doubleday

    "Maniac inspirations, the violent possession which threw sibyls and priestesses into contortions--the foaming lip and streaming hair and glazed or glaring eyes-- have no place in the self-controlling dignity of Christian inspiration. Even Jewish prophets, in the paroxysm of emotion, might lie naked on the ground and rave (1 Sam. xix. 24); but the genuine inspiration in Christian ages never obliterates the self-consciousness or overpowers the reason. It abhors the hysteria and stimulation and frenzy which have sometimes disgraced revivalism and filled lunatic asylums." (Pulpit Commentary, 1 Cor., p. 460).