Ok, my bad on "God causes or allows," I see we agree, I misunderstood!
I'm not a Calvinist but I agree on man being totally depraved, as Paul clearly stated.
So as Paul also said, "no man seeks after God." That's where God seeks man through the Gospel message, that is the "draw" to Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts the heart and soul of man in his sin when th Gospel is given by you, me, or whoever.
No man is left alone by God and though all men who are justified by God are justified on the basis of Christ's merits and his redemptive work, it is not by believing in his name and work that justification always takes place. How do I know this? It is because of the 4 thousand years of human history that chronicles multitudes being justified by their faith before Jesus appeared on the earth. If sinners are justified by God, the Judge of all the earth, on the basis of faith, then their faith cannot be in Jesus Christ, but it must be by what God said to them. It , then, must be faith in the word of God that cause men to act in a certain way that pleased God. That is the only conclusion that can be drawn.
This brings the idea of the conscience into the conversation. All men have a consciousness of good and evil. There was 2500 years of human history during which men lived and died before there was a single written word of God and then only to one nation. God has dealt in the past with men through their conscience.
Rom 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
The Bible is logical and reasonable.and sensible if we will be
lieve what is said.
Romans 3:24
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
That was then
This is now
Romans 5:9
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Nature, that which was mentioned in Ro 2:14 is given as the means of God speaking to the gentiles in the absence of the wruitten law of God.
Ps 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
Ro 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Here are OT people being described from the creation until the resurrection and these people are not totally depraved as the phrase is defined by Calvinists.
24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
It is important in the scriptures to note the then and now verses.
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
There has never been a time in history that sinners were not responsible to believe what God had revealed to them, but only what God revealed to them. That has changed over the years but when we get to the cross all sinners must believe the gospel of Jesus Christ because all those who believe are baptized into the church, the body of Christ and become a collective one with him.
Calvinism and Calvinist scholars are a tragedy and defining depravity as not being able to know and obey God is a lie.
