God's Truth
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Stop right there. That's the qualifier. You have been going on about the fact that "whosoever" means "all" when "all" by itself doesn't make sense - it needs to be defined (all what?).
So I agree with you - Jesus said that only those believing ("all those believing" is what I understand the Greek says with fairly literal rendering). But if you are going to address the issue, you have to be consistent and not universalistic.
The second issue is...
And, very simply, that's where you need to focus your efforts. No one (that I know of) says anything besides that ALL those believing will receive eternal life from Him.
Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
John 10:25-29
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:32-40
Jesus wasn't going to turn anyone away, right? And here were these Jews asking Him - straight out - for this living water and the bread of life. They even called Him Lord. And what did Jesus tell them? You don't believe me (v36).
And in the passage before it from John 10, what does Jesus say? He gives life to those who are His sheep. He doesn't say that those who desire life become His sheep. He doesn't even say that those who believe Him become His sheep. He says "You don't believe because you aren't my sheep. My sheep believe and I give them eternal life."
So if you are going to address the Calvinistic view of salvation, you need to address it honestly - not by simply saying "whosoever means all" - because that just obfuscates, misdirects (Calvinists believe that too) and doesn't deal with where Calvinists are coming from. They are not trying to say that people want to believe but God says "no" - rather that true saving faith only comes from God. You need to deal with that directly or else you are just creating a smokescreen. Calvinism deals with how God works in salvation. Arminianism comes at it from man's point of view. Man doesn't recognize God's work a lot of the time and so where a man may legitimately think he believes of his own accord, he doesn't recognize the great work of God behind it all.
Does a man want to resist such a marvelous gift of God? Can a man resist it?
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Romans 9:15-21
Whose work is in view? Ours or God's?
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:1-10
Does a wicked man just decide (of his own volition) to change? Does he decide to change from following his own lusts to following Christ? That is not the work of man to bring that about.
Yet we aren't robots. We aren't puppets. We are, however, slaves to whomever (or whatever) we serve. There has to be a deep work to change our allegiance from ourselves to Christ. That is in no way of ourselves or of our own will.
But our wills are not forced - not coerced - as some make Calvinism to say. As far as the above goes, I agree with the classic Protestant Reformed view. But more importantly, this is what scripture says. Forget Dordt and Westminster - these are some of the passages that show the gift of salvation and the depths of man's natural fallen condition that make crossing from death to life (in the sense Jesus defines it - remembering that those that came to Him for bread didn't believe Him) in any sense something he can will or do for himself.
Whoever becomes whoever of the saved. That is a twisting of the scriptures.
