Why can't we force someone to be saved when we share the gospel?
The work of sharing the gospel is only sowing the seed; it cannot be forced, and no one can push the message down another person’s throat, because salvation is something only God can do. The messenger preaches and plants, but God alone gives the saving result.
Les explains that Paul said he could have nothing to do with the unsaved world except to preach the gospel to them. That is all we can do: sow the seed. We cannot force anything or push it down their throat, because salvation is something only God can do. So gospel sharing is sowing, not coercing; God must do the saving work. Les also contrasts this with discipline inside the believing community: while we are not to judge those outside, when gross sin is known among believers, as in 1 Corinthians 5, we are to address it rather than turn away, pointing the person to the fact they are living in sin. He connects this to practical Christian living and doctrine, noting it can be harder to keep people interested than in Genesis or Revelation, but it is still practical.