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TJ states:

I should've prefaced this with the fact that he is very much a "professor" of faith and after the conversation I felt that I should have stuck to simply sharing the gospel. Well now that the conversation is over it's too late for that but where do I go from here? How do you "break through" to one who knows mentally what the gospel is, enjoys having theological discussions but NEEDS the gospel to penetrate the heart. I don't believe the discussion was fruitless however. I think my emphasis on the fact that a man dead in trespasses and sins has not the "will" to come to Christ made him think a little bit and we ended on that question-"How can one who is dead in sin and consumed in wickedness with no desire to seek God will himself saved?"

I just want to share something here. I've heard comedians make comments to the effect of: "you aren't truly a great comedian until you're good as a stand up comedian." I also think that public debating takes allot of skill. So what I'm trying to get at here is that, sharing ones faith isn't easy..... at all! It's tough and it takes practice, time and biblical knowledge. It also takes heart. I have been engaged in public discussions now for about 2 years and I'm just now getting to the point where I'm pretty comfortable sharing my faith and defending reformed doctrine. It's taken allot of reading and consistently engaging myself in discussions to get better. I also want to point out that this forum has been a tremendous help. So I just write this as words of encouragement because I do exactly the same thing. I engage in discussion and then after the fact I beat my self up about what I should or should not have said. But this is the way that the Lord trains us and strengthens us. So be comforted by the fact that your doing exactly what God has put on your heart. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Keep preach'n it brother.

Dave.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. - Galatians 2:16