Actually, Einstein, that isn't an example of a dead man opening a door, but of Christ calling a dead man back to life.
If anything, it illustrates my point that it is Christ who calls us to salvation when we are spiritually dead and, thus, cannot make the decision to repent and receive Christ on our own.
I must make inquiry. Is that a "soul-winning" verse? Or is it a "soul-winning" verse used out of context? (I so unlike using sarcasm, but as a personality quirk and a teaching tool used by me
in the classroom it works.)
I think, if you look at that verse more closely and in context our Lovely Lord Christ was asking to be readmitted to the Church which had put him out.
No doubt that verse has been used by zealous "soul-winners" over periods of years. But sometimes "soul-winners" are not necessarily good exegetes. But then, what difference does being a good reader and interpreter of the Scriptures matter?
Realize the blessings God has given you in Christ alone today.
Did the father force the prodigal son to return or did the son return willingly on his own? However, the good shepherd did leave the flock to find the one lost sheep. So it is a good question to ask that requires some thought and reflection.
Would it be wrong to say that God is so powerful that His will be done regardless of free will? It would be an insult to imagine that God would require forcing His will upon others. I would think that a supremely sovereign God could accomplish His will regardless of anyone's decisions.