How Does God Draw The Sinner?

For sure the Bible teaches God draws the sinner (John 6:44), but is it forced like the Calvinists say, or is it more like how I am drawn to a delicious piece of pecan pie? The very next verse indicates the latter is true. God draws by teaching and our learning (verse 45), not through force – “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom 10:17).

This is also indicated by a verse like John 12:32 – “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” If draw means force here, then universal salvation is true because the verse days Jesus “will draw all men.” And notice how Jesus draws – by the motivation / thankfulness of us knowing what He did for us on the cross.

The same thing is seen in Rom 2:4 – “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.” There is a big difference between leading someone to do something and forcing them to it. II Pet 3:9 says “The Lord is … not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance,” but if God were forcing the issue, all would come to repentance since God desires such of all.

This is confirmed by passages like II Thess 2:14a – “Whereunto he called you by our gospel.” The gospel calls/asks us to serve God; it is not forced upon us. God draws/calls us through means of the gospel similar to how God gives us our daily bread (Matt 6:11) – via our jobs (means). Rom 1:16 (“The gospel of Christ … is the power of God unto salvation”) proves the same point. “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt 22:14), so obviously God’s calling to serve him does not make anybody serve Him.

That is why it is our duty to try to “persuade” men (II Cor 5:11) to trust and obey God (Heb 5:9). Since it is not forced, the Bible indicates some will not be “willing” to come (John 5:40).

Conclusion: Are we allowing our hearts to be drawn to serve God? Are we allowing God to use us (through His word) to draw sinners to Christ?