Orrick: If evil spirits possess such mind-controlling influence, why does it seem an incredible thing that the Holy Spirit of the living God possesses and exerts mind-controlling influence?

At the Last Supper, “the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,” and before the supper was ended, “Satan entered into him” (John 13:2, 27). As the time approached when Judas would betray him, Jesus said, “The ruler of this world is coming” (John 14:30).

If evil spirits possess such mind-controlling influence, why does it seem an incredible thing that the Holy Spirit of the living God possesses and exerts mind-controlling influence? Since the Evil Spirit can blind us, surely the Holy Spirit can give us sight. If the devil can put it into a man’s heart to betray Jesus, surely the Holy Spirit can put it into a man’s heart to receive Jesus.

Jim Scott Orrick, Mere Calvinism (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2019), 150.

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