Ellet J. Waggoner
The Present Truth : July 15, 1897
“And you hath He quickened [or made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Ephesians 2.1
The moral condition of the natural man is death, spiritual death. It is essential to the Christian worker to know this, so that he may not lose time in trying to talk to the dead.
The Lord Jesus sends every believer into the world to win souls from death. But as well might one go to the cemetery to talk to those who sleep in the grave, as to go with one’s own words and wisdom to help unbelievers.
It requires none other than a voice the dead can hear to speak to souls dead in sin. They can hear the voice of God, because there is life in His words to give life to the very dead that they may hear. “Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Ephesians 5:14. He must say it.
When the Christian worker understands his absolute inability even to speak to those who are dead in sin, he will not weaken his work by trusting in any human wisdom or ability to present the truth to the perishing. They can hear only God’s voice. His words must do all the good that is done. “Which things also we speak,” said the apostle, “not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.”