The Wrong Category

I want to tag this onto my thoughts in my last post:

"So what this question of whether “salvation is available” or not drives me to is “why ask the question in these plainly-casual terms?” That is: what is achieved by asking about salvation in the category of “availability” rather than in some other biblical category – such as the necessity of salvation, or the motive of salvation, or the source of salvation, or the consequences of salvation (and there are more categories, but you get the idea)?

Why frame “salvation” in terms of its “availability”? I suspect the goal is to cause the person who is listening to consider the convenience of salvation, therefore encouraging him to do what they call in retail, which is to make an “impulse buy”. That is: it looks good right now, and it’s easy to get one, so I’ll just put it in my cart.

It’s available: I’ll take one.

Let me say: that’s a horrible reason to choose Christ. It undermines His greatness and our lack which only he can fill up; it minimizes our offenses and His great mercy. It minimizes the cost of discipleship and the cost of the sacrifice made. Framing the Gospel in terms of “availability” is a minimization of all the necessary attributes of salvation, and makes opportunistic buyer out of people who are dying in their sins."

This comes from a guy - Frank Turk - I have a lot of respect for. Catch the entirety of his post here.

Scripture and the Sovereign God

Is salvation completely and fully the Lord’s work? We talked about words like "availability" & "provision" concerning the salvific effort this week in SS. Has God merely "made a way" for you to be saved? Has He done all He can do, and now awaits the sinner’s decision? Scripture is clear. If salvation were dependent on the sinner’s initiative, no one would ever be saved. “There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God” (Rom. 3:11). “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).

What do you think about the word here translated as "draw? Here is the Greek for the word:

1670 ἑλκύω [helkuo, helko /hel·koo·o/] v. Probably akin to 138; TDNT 2:503; TDNTA 227; GK 1816; Eight occurrences; AV translates as “draw” eight times. 1 to draw, drag off. 2 metaph., to draw by inward power, lead, impel.

Source: Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the test of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (G1670). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.