Yes, I know. I responded to that.
It is not necessary to preach or teach the doctrine of election when you witness to the lost, or even when you preach or teach the Bible.
Sometimes one can preach or teach the Bible and never bring up the topic of election. Then at other times he will.
And, concerning witnessing, you don't know who the elect are. God didn't tell you. That is why you say 'whosoever'.
Quantrill
I'd like to propose a possible compromise on this current debate, if you are open to it, with some questions:
1. Is bf52 saying that an evangelist ought to tell people that if God doesn't elect them they can't be saved? I don't get that he is saying that.
2. Did Jesus talk of election in John 6 to an audience of religious leaders who were unbelievers at the time? Certainly, the term "elect" was not used, but the concept is there, IMO.
3. Is it possible that everywhere the NT scripture mentions the elect, that there were unbelievers present in the audience? Certainly the apostles considered that not everyone in church was saved, since Jesus said "not everyone who calls Me "Lord" shall enter the kingdom of heaven."
4. Could mentioning that God elects people cause listeners to wonder if they are part of that elect group, and then be motivated to seek for the answer?
2 Pet. 1:10 "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall" - "brethren" is speaking of those of "like precious faith" (:1) in Christ. But if not everyone who claims to be a Christian
is one, then, like John in 1 John, he calls everyone who claims Christ a "brother." Therefore, this advice "to make your calling and election sure" is for everyone who would listen to the gospel, or at least claim to believe it. Also, making election sure can also mean making sure they are the elect.
Certainly, the idea of election has to be presented in a way that stirs people to seek out the nature of their relationship with God. And the two major examples of evangelistic sermons in Acts (2 & 17) doesn't mention election, so it does not have to be part of a first call message. IMO the idea of election does not necessarily appeal to someone who hears the gospel message for the first time (or first few times), but it does appeal to someone who is more than curious about the gospel, who wants to know if it applies to them. And chances are, by that time it does apply to them, or else they would not be interested.
Am I making sense here?