NOTES for Act 28:23-24

Sometimes it appears to us that if we give a person the Bible and at the same time explain how to understand it correctly, and then add several testimonies from different people about their conversion and about the meaning of Christ in their lives, this person will certainly believe. And if such a result is not achieved, we begin to blame and punish ourselves: we did something badly, not as it should have been done. But before us is an example: the great apostle, the great preacher and teacher of the whole Church, speaks about Jesus all day, and not to random people, but to those who wanted to hear him and came specially for this; and here is the result: "Some were persuaded by what he said, while others did not believe." Yes, faith comes from hearing, as the same apostle Paul says elsewhere, but faith is also a gift from above, and also a decision of the person's own will. One can lead a person to the decision, but one cannot decide for him.