Do you know what "semantics" means? It means that even if you change the way you say something it still has the same effect and thus affords the same argument that must be reconciled. You fail to do that.
One Calvinists argues that man doesn't have free will, you say its free but he is not good enough to believe the gospel message and repent. Tomato/tomatoe
So man does in fact seek God, right?
Wrong. God seeks men. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost.
Man does "do" good, right? So salvation is God's grace plus man's self-generated faith and good decision, right?
You equate faith with the scriptures condemnation of salvation by the works of the law. The Bible doesn't place faith in the catagory of works. You do that in order to label it as a work and thus dismiss it as being an actual requirement for salvation. Those who pursue salvation by works of the law will not get it, but those who pursue it by faith, will.
Ultimately, God is not sovereign in matters of salvation under your system. He can only hope that man is good enough to accept it. It is up to the goodness of man to activate salvation. Also, since God does not see to it that all men everywhere hear the gospel, He is unjust for condemning lost people who might have believed if they had the chance.
Wrong. God is sovereign even when men have a geniune choice. If that were not the case then God gave up his sovereignty when he gave Adam a free choice.
Romans 1 seems to indicate that mankind is without excuse for condemnation because they understand the divine nature and eternal attributes of God through his revelation in nature and must respond accordingly. Your system trys to say man cannot understand the things of God until they have been regenerated, but scripture is quite clear that man's understanding of Godly matters is what makes them without excuse. Your system give men the perfect excuse.
I am sorry Bill. But under your system, all of mankind would be hopelessly lost.
Nope. Only those who don't believe and follow. Your system is what takes away the hope for most of humanity.
God can do whatever he wills.
He just can't save anyone who does not make good choices, right?
Wrong. He can save whomever he wills to save. He desires to save all but He sovereignly wills to save those who believe. This is not a compromise of His Sovereignty no matter how much you want to make it seem as if it is.
As do I. You say man is the source of this goodness (faith). I say it is God.
No. Faith is from God. All good things come from God. We must be stewards of the faith God has given all of us by placing it in Christ. Everyone has the capasity to believe in something bigger than themselves, the question is how will we use the ability and gifts God has given.
You didn't answer the question. You talked around it.
Man is saved by grace through faith. Faith is not equavilant to the works of the law, so stop making them seem as if they are one in the same.
BTW, I notice you also avoided discussing Jesus' comparison of new spiritual birth to physical birth. Where does a person's will play into their conception or delivery?
Anyone can take an analogy too far. Jesus wasn't using this analogy to show that man's will doesn't play any part. He was showing that the Spirit is the one who gives birth and He give birth to whomever he wills, not just children of Abraham as Nickodemus thought, but both Jews and Gentiles or "whosoever believes."
... why does God call unsaved men to do these things?
Because He is just as well as loving.
What is just or loving about calling a man to believe who doesn't have that moral capasity within his inborn nature?