Reformed Theology: Salvation & God's Drawing

In the official CARM Facebook group, Steve Wilson had asked the following question:

I believe the question that needs to be [confronted] by Arminians is: If God offers salvation for all, and if it is open to everyone to choose to accept or reject, [then] what about those that the Father does not draw? How does this square with the idea that it is open for everyone? Why can't a man with freewill come to Christ unless he is drawn? Would God really rob someone of their free will to choose salvation by not drawing him to Christ?

And finally, does this support Arminianism or Calvinism?

Here is perhaps a finer point on that question: "What does it mean for God to 'offer' salvation to all if he does not also 'draw' all?" In other words:

1. "In what way does God 'offer' to all, such that he does not also 'draw' all?"

Where is the disconnect between God's offering and his drawing? Someone might reply with the notion of 'evangelism', but that is man offering salvation, not God—it is our task to take the gospel message throughout the world without discrimination. One person plants the seed, another person waters the seed. But God's 'offer' must be something more distinctive and efficacious, because God's will decides whether the seed grows (1 Cor. 3:6-7).

Which raises a related and equally important question:

2. "Is God's drawing efficacious?"

That is, in the context of God setting out to draw someone, does God accomplish what he purposed to do (Isa. 55:10-11)? Perhaps someone might reply that God's drawing never "forces" someone, but notice something important: through their very use of the word force they have already admitted that God's drawing is not efficacious, and we shall thank them for their answer—because forced describes a conscious resistance, i.e. the word itself suggests that God lacks complete control over the one being drawn, such that there remains some measure of resistance against God.

With respect to his question about whether these things "support Arminianism or Calvinism," I would offer the following response:

1. If all those given to the Son were first drawn by God;
2. if God's drawing is efficacious, such that all those given to the Son unfailingly come to him;
   
3. if ultimately some do not come and are not saved;
   
4. then this contradicts Arminianism, but is consistent with Calvinism.