Again, that really isn’t the issue.
The real issue is if a person can of their own innate ability without any influence by God, believe.
I do not know a single Baptist who would say that person has such ability.
I would like to focus on what you define as the "real issue." I am going to assume for this post that you are speaking of whether God sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to the world so that all who believe in him might not perish but have eternal life and that God, by doing that, demonstrated how much he loved the world. I was very sincere when I said in one of my post that, after considering that, I concluded that act of God was some serious love. This is the subject of the op.
"can of their own innate ability, .....believe"
We humans are unique among God's earthly creatures. We are made in his image. We are trinitarian. We have intelligence, reason, and will. Cattle and horses don't have that. We can actually believe John 3:16 without being converted to Christ. I am guessing that you did believe that before you were converted. If you are truly converted it is a good bet that you DID believe that before you were converted. It takes intelligence to believe that. I am not going to bother telling my neighbors dog about Jn 3:16 because he cannot understand it.Telling him would be a waste of time. He cannot know and he cannot believe it. You, OTOH, must know it to believe it.
Now, that paragraph was about intelligence. All the evidence I have ever gathered while speaking to Calvinists assures me they have intelligence. This paragraph will be about reason. God who created all of us writes his Bible as if he thinks we have reasoning ability. The fact is he even called on people before they were converted to reason with him. Take a look.
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isa 1:18
God is asking unconverted men to reason with him.
When men who know there is a God because of their intelligence but come to a place in their life when they can also know he is their only help, this reasoning will drive them to him; Look here;
Ex 3:7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry
by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
You can know Jn 3:16 and believe there is a God who sent his son to save you, and you can reason that you are a sinner who needs to be saved just like he says, and still not be born again.
You must will to believe that God will save you when you believe from the heart. There are external circumstances and conditions that keep men from acting on his knowledge and reason. Jesus deals with it in this conversation with Nicodemus in Jn 3. He said men will not believe because they love darkness more than light. He did not say they did not believe because they did not have a will. He actually said they would not believe because they have a will. Jesus certainly implied repentance in these statements, which is an act of the will of man.The born again man is not associated with sin. He is associated with the sinless man, Jesus. I am going to quote this because you need to see it;
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: (This believer must have heard) but he that believeth not is condemned already (this unbeliever must have heard), because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (this is the
REASON given by God that the unbeliever is condemned and it does not agree with Calvinists)
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Doing and coming is an act of the will based on information you have received and is the fruit of one's reasoning.
I am not claiming any certain Calvinist is a lost man but I am saying Calvinism is another gospel and any saved people who embrace it is already saved and confused by it.
God has sent preachers and his Bible into the world to influence sinners.
1 Cor 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
Rom 10: 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
So, the answer is yes, men can believe God. They must believe God and be saved.
Rom 6:17
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.