How Does the Holy Spirit Relate to Evidence for Christianity?
It is often assumed that the Holy Spirit ’s witness to a believer is not very helpful in a study of apologetics. After all, this testimony is given only to Christians and it is not verified or falsified by evidences. So does it follow that this witness is no more than a subjective conviction? In the few NT passages that address this subject, we are told that, at a minimum, the witness of the Holy Spirit is a personal word to believers that they are children of God (Rm 8:15–17). The Holy Spirit testifies to believers as family members (Gl 4:6–7). So the believer will experience the presence of the Holy Spirit ( Jn 14:16–17). This is one way to know that we are truly believers (1 Jn 3:24; 4:13). Since the unbeliever cannot understand things pertaining to salvation (Jn 14:17; 1 Co 2:14), one might question the value of the Holy Spirit’s witness in an apologetic context. But this seems to assume that dealing with unbelievers is the only purpose for defending the faith. Apologetics may...