Jesus Christ: You can’t impeach Him and He ain’t going to resign.
Amen. That “draw” in John 6:44 is the Greek “helkuo helko” which means “to drag.” The same word was used to describe dragging in a net brimming with fish in John 21.
But there are a couple of passages that eliminate “free will” from the salvation equation:
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
So we’re born again (absolutely) not of or originating in blood or inheritance, nor of or originating in our will, nor of or originating in the will of any other man, but of or originating in God’s will.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
So our faith is (absolutely) not of or originating within ourselves, it is the gift of God.
We’re saved by the grace of God, not by our works. Grace is undeserved merit. Choosing righteousness and salvation would be the ultimate “good work.”
If we come to repentance and faith, it’s because God changed our will from hating Him to loving Him. Like the Apostle Paul said here:
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Those “nones” are absolute negations.
There’s no doubt this is a hard doctrine, and I was raised Arminian like most of the US nowadays. But this is why we’ll be singing His praises for all eternity. He chose us, who deserved hell just like everybody else, to worship Him for all eternity.
Like Spurgeon said:
“I know nothing, nothing again, that is more humbling for us than this doctrine of election. I have sometimes fallen prostrate before it, when endeavouring to understand it. I have stretched my wings, and, eagle-like, I have soared towards the sun. Steady has been my eye, and true my wing, for a season; but, when I came near it, and the one thought possessed me,—”God hath from the beginning chosen you unto salvation,” I was lost in its lustre, I was staggered with the mighty thought; and from the dizzy elevation down came my soul, prostrate and broken, saying, “Lord, I am nothing, I am less than nothing. Why me? Why me?”
Jesus Christ: You can’t impeach Him and He ain’t going to resign.
Now that, my FRiend, is a sermon! Great citations and excellent hermeneutics. I would add, without trying to improve your post (it needs nothing), those wonderful remarks in Eph. 1:4 where Paul notes that, “...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” And, you are absolutely right, we will be so grateful when this is all over that He would choose nothings like us. All glory will go to Him, and we will praise His Name...