So, as a refresher, apart from the Holy Spirit’s work, there would be no New Testament, and no gospel at all.
Secondly, Packer says, “Without the Holy Spirit there would be no faith and no new birth – in short, no Christians.” The gospel’s effect is often compared with the concept of light, and in contrast to that “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2Cor. 4:4). Blind people do not perceive light, and they are uncapable of responding to it. In John 3, Christ tells Nicodemus that no one can see the kingdom of heaven unless he is born again (vss. 3, 5). He then goes on to explain in verse 11 that people who are stuck in their unbelief do not respond to the conviction of the gospel. So, it would seem that evangelism and preaching/teaching the gospel is a futile excercise given that there is no chance of an unregenerate person responding to the gospel at all. But, The Holy Spirit has been given to the Church to testify of Christ. He revealed Christ to the apostles and inspired their words, and He illumines us even today through the revealed Word of God, convicting us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn. 16:8).
The Spirit is the One Who bears witness of Christ, opening blinded eyes and illumining darkened minds. It is because of this witness solely that people come to faith and repentence when the gospel is preached.
