Scripture is a combination of both parables and straight-up statements that cut to the chase. The following verse goes straight to the truth: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit” (I Corinthians 2:14).

Some want to soften the impact of this verse to keep the door open in a developing relationship. Openness with people is a good thing as long as we don’t forget that truth is “discerned only through the Spirit.” The reality is those who have not chosen to follow the Lord will not understand the ways of God’s Spirit without first being indwelled by the Spirit. The indwelling of the Spirit comes after a choice has been made to believe in Jesus as a person, not a philosophy.

It is a waste of time to debate or argue a point of truth with someone unfamiliar with the ways of the Spirit. Every retort, comment, or debate we attempt we use to address a person without the interpretive presence of the Spirit, is a waste of time until they believe.

We are called to live out God’s truth before those who are not filled with the Spirit so that in time, they will see the truth expressed in our life and choose to personally follow the Lord. As a result, they will be filled with the very Spirit they once considered to be foolish.