This view of "free-will" versus election resolves the issue for me.
Who are the “Whosoever”?
They are those in time, i.e. from creation until the onset of eternity future, who were dead in trespasses and sin but whom God chose, before the foundation of the world, to be saved - as a consequence they have, or will, experience regeneration. Those chosen, the Bible often refers to as the elect. The Bible tells us that the elect are saved by grace, through faith (and that not of themselves but a gift from God, that none may boast) for good works that they might walk in them.
Being formerly spiritually dead they had no ability, by natural faith or otherwise, to believe. But they received, as a gift, saving faith when God regenerated them by what the Lord Jesus referred to as “re-birth”. That same power which God used to raise Christ Jesus from the dead was used by God to regenerate the elect from a state of being “dead in trespasses & sin” to a state of “being in Christ”.
When the Scripture refers to faith, saving faith, as a gift from God it must not be viewed as a gift which one can refuse, but similar to a gift such as athletic ability that one receives at natural birth through parentage.
Every mention in Scripture concerning “whosoever shall call …”, “whosoever will …”, “whosever believes …”, “come to me you who are …” etc. is underlined by the doctrine that God made that soul one of the elect; and that fact manifests itself at the appointed time as one of the “whosoever”. Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD...
Not one soul feels he has anything but "free-will" when he chooses to believe God in a saving way. Later upon reading with understanding, he will soon realize that it was God all along. That when he reached out to accept salvation God behind the scenes had caused his hand to move.
What in the world is the downside to believing this? Why do men balk at giving God all the glory for their salvation?
Maybe because the more glory there is for God, the less glory there is for men and institutions.
"The nature of the Divine goodness is not only to open to those who knock. but also to cause them to knock and ask." -- AUGUSTINE