There seems to be a disconnect in some people's theology when it comes to the whole idea of God's election and with that the responsibility to preach the word in a convincing manner.
By human logic, it seems that preaching to lost persons in a convicting and convincing manner is in error if God is doing "all the work of salvation" and "salvation is for the elect only." The reasoning says, "Why bother preaching at all, because God has it all worked out anyway." Yet, clearly, Calvinists preach! Some of the most influential preachers down through the ages have been those who held the doctrines of grace in a manner consistent with what is called Calvinism.
But, why? Why do these preachers preach like they do, if they "know" and "believe" that God is the author and finisher of our salvation?
Again, logically speaking, the reason most often given is that "God said so." And, indeed, He has. But along with that sentiment often comes the corollary in the minds of the Arminians that those preachers are "just going through the motions" because they "know" that God has already determined who will be saved.
And, yet the question remains in the mind of the Arminian, "Why? Why bother preaching so hard if preaching has nothing to do with God's election?" It just doesn't make sense to those who structure their entire theology on the basis of humans seeking God for salvation to see those who hold that God is the arbiter of salvation preaching the Word to lost persons.
So, the Arminian, faithful to the Scriptures seeks out a rational for preaching the Word, and easily finds it. The entirety of the OT is consumed with God's people striving to keep the Law. The NT shows a good many people doing likewise. It is easy to find biblical source material to bolster the position that WE need to come to God and that WE need to believe, and that WE need to live lives pleasing to God so as to be saved until WE are sanctified and glorified when finally, WE come into the presence of God and are vindicated for our great faith and practice. And WE can find all of that in the Scriptures and are satisfied with our position as being godly and righteous.
These faithful Arminian servants of God preach all the harder, work all the harder, and believe all the harder in order to save their own souls and reach lost souls with the good news of the gospel; but, they cannot fathom why a Calvinist would do the same, other than from that sense of duty explained above. Therein lies both the problem and the answer to that problem...
So, why does the Calvinist preach, teach, convince, convict, etc., like they do if God has already decreed the elect to salvation? Yes, in part, because God said so. That is true. Calvinists readily admit that they are commanded to preach, evangelize, and minister in the name of Jesus, and so they do. But there is another component that should be considered. The Calvinist also knows, based on God's promises in the Bible, that when they preach, teach, evangelize, and minister that God will grant a harvest, and so they are faithful to that Word.
But there is yet another component that is not often considered. God draws the sinner into salvation when the Holy Spirit can whisper with that still small voice, "Here this. This is truth!" And so, those who have truly become one with Christ through a spiritual re-birth have responded to God's effectual call, and the God who drew them, supplied the "co-incidence" (hyphenated for a reason), and confirmed in the heart of the sinner that they were hearing Truth, are justified in hearing God's truth proclaimed in all its glory!
For the sake of the kingdom, and as an abject worship of Almighty God, the Calvinist "goes" and "speaks persuasively" the "words of truth" of the gospel and the God who gives the Word, make the Word alive, and who seals the justified sinner is glorified!
How different this picture of God's actions in the heart and soul of a lost sinner than the picture that shows humans yet striving in an Old Testament fashion to live according to the tenets and laws of God! By grace we are saved, not of works, lest any man boast! So, while yes, one can find all the tenets of human will interacting with God in the Scriptures, that picture is incomplete and undeveloped in respect to God's New Covenant. It was always incomplete, which is why Paul and the writer of Hebrews both went to lengths to explain the faith of those who came before, elected into their positions by God, but who responded not by law, but by faith to God's election! The Law is our schoolmaster, showing us that we cannot come to God based on our efforts. The gospel shows us how, instead, God comes to us based on His efforts!
