First, Romans 1 answers this question. God has left a witness of Himself through creation so that all mankind is without excuse. Every year is an example of resurrection as plant life goes from death back to life.
Second, God has given man a conscious, so he knows right from wrong; knowing his own failures. Mankind should know it's need for the Savior from those failures, but denies and suppresses those thoughts continually. (also Romans 1).
Third, God has opened the door to Salvation to anyone who would believe, but none, on their own did (Psalm 14 and 53).:
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
We are told to preach the gospel even though we know mankind is 'dead in tresspasses and Sin' (Ephesians, Colosians) Why? Because Christ is the good shepherd who leaves the 99 and goes after the one. It is God who takes away the heart of Stone and Replaces it with a heart of flesh to love him and regenerates the mind so it can comprehend Him and have faith. We have no idea who God may quickened and given 'ears to hear' and faith (Romans 12:3) to hear the blessed gospel message.
And of this He says in Romans 9:14:
"What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!
15 For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.'
16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy."
It is not dependent on anything you have done or will do, It is just because God Loved folks like us, because He Loved us, because He loved us before we were even born.
God chose to take spiritually dead people, like us, and have compassion on them. For the rest, He leaves the witness of creation and conscious and an open door (repentance and believe upon Christ for Salvation), but as Psalm 14 and 53 says None took it by themselves and are therefore by default, Responsible for their own Sins.
It is God who has compassion and mercy on those whom He wills to. Some deny it still trying to leave man in control and the instrument of Salvation, but God does not allow this. He has compassion and mercy on those He whom He wills to. Thus it is to 'God Alone' who gets the glory. He is the good shepherd who DID go get folks like us Astray, Dead, and out on a limb. He is the one who DID pay, with His own blood, for His Children (not just a plan). He is the one who has done it all for folks like us (whether Calvinists or not) just out of His Sovereign compassion and mercy. To God alone be the Glory, for the great things He has DONE!
I agree with your entire comment, but “God chose to take spiritually dead people, like us, and have compassion on them” can’t be reiterated enough. Most within American evangelical circles do not fully understand that the Bible clearly teaches we are spiritually dead. They haven’t been taught the full meaning and implication of being dead in trespasses and sins.
Once the depravity of man is rightly understood, the rest of the five points fall into place. If someone doesn’t understand depravity, they can’t really understand the absolute necessity for salvation to be an act of His grace from beginning to end.
I agree with your entire comment, but “God chose to take spiritually dead people, like us, and have compassion on them” can’t be reiterated enough. Most within American evangelical circles do not fully understand that the Bible clearly teaches we are spiritually dead. They haven’t been taught the full meaning and implication of being dead in trespasses and sins.
Once the depravity of man is rightly understood, the rest of the five points fall into place. If someone doesn’t understand depravity, they can’t really understand the absolute necessity for salvation to be an act of His grace from beginning to end.
I just wanted to thank you for the thorough response as well as for the relevant passages from God's Word. This is an interesting topic and it serves to reveal that some of the most intelligent (and well-read) people in the world congregate right here on Free Republic.
To God alone be the Glory, for the great things He has DONE!
Amen to the 32nd power (exponentially speaking).