How do we know that grace and the Holy Spirit are necessary for understanding the Bible?

Understanding the Scriptures requires more than human intellect; it requires a gracious influence from the Holy Spirit that illuminates and circumvents our natural limitations. The difficulties one might face in understanding God's Word can often be traced back to human pride that resists dependence on the Spirit's teaching. When Christ promised His followers a Comforter (the Holy Spirit), He affirmed the necessity of divine assistance in spiritual comprehension. Thus, without the Spirit’s quickening power, even the most learned can find the Word insipid and without transformative effect.