Billy Graham: "It would be like trying to read a book in an unfamiliar language. It would be impossible."

Billy Graham believed in man's inability.

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"The Holy Spirit of God plays two important roles.

First, He convicts men of sin: “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). This is why before we come to Christ we must acknowledge our sin. We must renounce our sins. The Holy Spirit makes us feel uncomfortable and pricks our consciences. He makes us acknowledge and admit to ourselves and to God that we are sinners, and then He gives us the strength and the power to turn from our sins.
The second role of the Holy Spirit is as a teacher, a guide into all truth. After we have committed our lives to Christ, the Holy Spirit helps us understand the written Word of God. He is our instructor. He is also our comforter in times of trouble and sorrow.
That is why the natural man does not understand the things of the spirit (1 Corinthians 21:4), why the unregenerate man does not have the Holy Spirit, because he has not had his sins forgiven and so has not received his “leader into all truth” and cannot comprehend the Scriptures. It would be like trying to read a book in an unfamiliar language. It would be impossible."

Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010).

Comments

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