Nearly everyone I’ve known who is active in apologetic work deeply understands the necessity of the Spirit to bring about conversion. I’ve never met an apologist who sincerely believed his arguments could, in and of themselves, change someone’s heart. I have, however, met many who pray fervently that God will use their meager attempts to help remove some of the intellectual obstacles. But they also pray with equal passion for the Spirit to bring about the conviction of the truthfulness of the gospel.
Sharing the gospel with skeptics is the task of shining the light of the gospel into the darkness of Satan’s temporal domain. If you do it in your own power, you will fail. Like the apostle Paul, we should pray for our audience, that the eyes of their hearts might be enlightened so they might understand the truthfulness and riches of the gospel (Eph 1:18). Without the work of the Spirit, all of our work is in vain.
This post is an excerpt from the Guide to Evangelism edited by Southern Seminary. It is used with permission. You can purchase this resource in its entirety here.
Published November 22, 2017
