"They who strive to build up firm faith in Scripture through disputation are doing things backwards.... The testimony of the Spirit is more excellent than all reason. For God alone is a fit witness to Himself in his Word, so also the Word will not find acceptance in men's hearts before it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit. The same Spirit, therefore, who has spoken through the mouths of the prophets must penetrate into our hearts to persuade us that they faithfully proclaim what has been divinely commanded.... I speak of nothing other than what each believer experiences within himself."
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, pgs 79-80.
Quoted in Evangelicalism Divided, by Iain Murray, pg 157-8.
"Presuppositionalist? What's that?"
This position emphasizes that we cannot argue logically from a neutral position, proving conclusively the truth for an unbeliever. Without the Spirit's work, they will remain unbelievers (1 Corinthians 2:14). Of course, this doesn't mean we shouldn't provide arguments; just that we shouldn't expect them to go very far without God's softening the heart of the listener (1 Peter 3:15).
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