Human reason and logic are stunning gifts from a generous God. Without reason, you wouldn’t be able to apply God’s love for the world (John 3:16) to your 21st-century self. Thankfully, via the laws of logic, you and I trust that the words “the world” apply to us too.

But reason lovers like me need to be careful. Because the Scriptures are clear that human reason has its limits. I might be able to construct airtight arguments for the existence of God (Romans 1:20) or the resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:6), but human reason is unable to do the most important job of all—change the human heart. Only the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the gospel, can change an unbelieving heart into a trusting one. Only that message of Jesus, crucified in our place, can make faith take the place of unbelief. “Faith comes,” not from courtroom arguments, said Paul, but from “hearing the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17).

What does that mean for us? It’s a reminder that reasoning with skeptical family and friends is good but sharing the simple message of Jesus is better. Give the unbelievers in your life plenty of reasons to believe; but make sure that, at the top of the list, is the unreasonable promise that God loves the world, which, according to reason, means God loves them too.