Billy Graham

With our society awash in sinful behavior, amerced in pornography and overwhelmed in violence, we need a definitive message from God, repeating His warnings to a lost and deceived generation. But what do we get in its place from our 'so-called' spiritual leaders? ....The Gospel of sin! A message designed by Satan and guaranteed to close the doors to heaven on anyone who receives it as truth. The flippant and complacent attitude concerning sin among professed Christians is proof positive that the devil's message is a grand success. It is preached and taught world wide by tens of thousands of ministers, evangelists, teachers and authors. They control every form of media outreach in existence and preach daily to 'millions' of unsuspecting souls eager to have their ears tickled with a user friendly message. Following is just a few examples of this twisted version of God's Word. The emphasis is on 'sin' rather than heart purity and 'excuses' rather than Victorious faith. (1Pet1:22, 1John5:4)

Q: I'm in high school and I became a Christian two months ago. But I know God must be very angry at me now, because I've done something I know I shouldn't have done. Have I lost my salvation? Can I get it back, or is God too upset with me? — A.H.

A: Dear A.H.,
No, you have not lost your salvation, if you have truly given your life to Jesus Christ and trusted Him alone for your salvation. God's promise is that nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39).

Think of it this way. When you were born, you became a member of your family. No matter what happens, that relationship will always exist; you will always be your parents' child. At times they might get upset with you (or you might get upset with them), and when that happens your fellowship with them will become strained. But even then you are still part of that family.

This is like our relationship with God. You see, when we come to Christ, the Bible says we become members of His family: "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26). If you have given your life to Christ you are now God's child, and nothing can ever change that relationship. When you sin, your fellowship with God will be broken :but not your relationship.

Sin is serious, because it breaks our fellowship with God. But God still loves you, and He yearns for you to come back to Him. Confess your sin to Him and accept His forgiveness today. Then learn to walk with Christ every day through prayer, the Bible and Christian fellowship.

Such an important question, but asking these wolves for a definitive answer is like asking your plumber to perform brain surgery. First of all the lame explanation about being a member of 'God's' family is NOT a valid illustration, because you were not BORN a Child of God, but a child of Satan! (Eph2:1-2) When and IF you are Born Again by the Spirit of God, you are then 'Adopted' into His family by FAITH. (Rom8:15, Gal4:5, Eph1:5) As far as Rom8:39 proving that you can 'sin and not die spiritually' is another lame attempt by these teachers to spread their gospel of death. WHY would the same Apostle issue such warnings about being 'cut off' by God in Rom11:22 and various other passages IF NOTHING (including grievous sin) could separate you from Christ? The problem is that he has addressed one of the most important issues in Scripture with such briefly. He quotes a couple of Bible passages and 'thinks' he has done this person a huge favor. But in reality this borderlines on criminal negligence! Is it any wonder that our churches are dens of iniquity when ten thousand times a day people are given excuses for their sin and assurance that a loving God is ready to take them to heaven no matter what they do! Most of these teachers won't even suggest that 'continuing' in sin MAY be evidence that you're NOT a Christian to begin with. They are so convinced that a Born Again person cannot live without sinning daily in thought, word and deed, they write it into their creeds and doctrines! The results are obvious, a lose, corrupted and lukewarm mass of professing Christians stampeding down the Wide Road to destruction. Yet the Scriptures are perfectly CLEAR on this issue, 'sin brings about spiritual death!' Rom 8:13 is just one of MANY passages that spell it out in plain language. Heb10:26-29 is another, 'Willful sin' is EXTREMELY Dangerous to the soul!

To tell someone that there is nothing to worry about when you sin is the WORST possible thing you could do in the face of all these warnings from God! You risk searing your own conscience with the 'hot iron' of lust, 1Tim4:1-2. The 'deceitfulness' of sin will cause you to 'fall short of the grace of God!' Heb12:14-15. And Christ will indeed 'spew' you out of His mouth! Rev3:16.
The Wolves will NEVER warn you of these dangers. They will lure into into a spiritual stupor, a 'sleep of death' and you will awake one day at the Judgment and hear those awful Words of Christ, "I NEVER knew you, depart from Me you who practice wrongdoing." The sin gospel will guarantee a quick trip to hell at the Judgment, turn from it while their is still time.

Q: Is it possible to stop sinning completely? I've heard some people say this, but I can't help but wonder if it's really true. — N.Y.

A: Dear N.Y.,
As long as we are on this earth we will never be completely perfect, and sin will always be a problem to us. Only in heaven will we be free of its influence forever, for only then will we be like Christ. The Bible says, "When he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2).

I often compare sin to a chronic illness—for that is what it is: a spiritual illness residing in our souls. A chronic illness may go into remission or not bother us as much as it once did—but it is still there, lurking in our bodies and waiting for an opportunity to overcome us. The same is true of sin. The Apostle Paul's experience is the same as ours: "Not that I ... have already been made perfect" (Philippians 3:12).

Only one person was completely sinless, and that was Jesus Christ. He was born without sin, and—in spite of Satan's fiercest efforts—He never sinned. That is why He could be our Savior and take upon Himself all our sins. If we had to depend on our own righteousness, we could never be saved, for sin still clings to us. But Christ took all our sins upon Himself, and His righteousness was given to us.

I have always tried to follow the advice I heard a preacher say many years ago: Keep short accounts with God. When you know you have sinned, confess it to God immediately and seek His forgiveness. Then ask Him to help you avoid that sin in the future, and to live a life that more and more honors Christ.

This explanation should remove all doubt (if there was any remaining) that these men are advocating a 'sin gospel' from start to finish. I'm surprised he didn't quote Rom3:23, 'For all have sinned and fall short of glory of God' to imply that 'Christians' go on sinning with impunity after salvation. In the Phl3:12 passage, read in context, Paul is NOT speaking of 'perfection' as sinless perfection being impossible to him. He is alluding to the 'Prize' and 'upward' calling in Christ Jesus, Phil3:12-21 and beeches the brethren to follow his example of 'running the race with endurance' and WALK worthy of the high calling to which you were called! Using this passage as an excuse to go on sinning or to say that Paul lived constantly in sin and couldn't help it, is utter non-sense. In another place Paul says that his own conduct was 'blameless' and 'Just' among the brethren, 1Thess2:9-10 and beeches them again to 'walk worthy of God.' You will NEVER hear this from the wolves. They excuse their own sin and the sins of others as though God is going to wink at them at the Judgment.

Why would Paul say again that he served God with a 'clear conscience,' (Acts23:10, 24:16, 2Cor4:2) IF he sinned against God everyday of his life? He also wrote that the PURPOSE of the Commandment is, 'Love from a pure heart, from a good conscience and from sincere faith.' 1Tim1:5. Does this sound as though he condoned sinful behavior as 'normal' conduct for Christians? Try to imagine if you will how foolish it is to suppose that God would send Christ to die on a bitter cross for the sins of the world, raise Him from the dead and seat Him at the Right hand of Glory, all so you could go on sinning everyday and bring disgrace to His Kingdom by your conduct. If Christ's death and resurrection does not provide the POWER necessary to purge our conscience of sin and purify our hearts by faith, to what purpose did He manifest Himself? The Scriptures say that He has provided all things pertaining to life and godliness that through these we can escape the corruption that is in the world through lust....2Pet1:3-4. Paul said the the 'exact' same Power by which God raised Christ from the Dead is available to us who believe and follow Him! Eph1:19-20. Is that POWER of no consequence against this 'chronic illness?' (as Graham calls it) If Jesus cannot CURE our 'sin disease' (only cover it over) why would the Bible say that 'Sin SHALL NOT have dominion over you!' Rom6:14. If you are 'dead to sin' as Rom6:7 states, how can you 'continue' to commit sin daily and be immune from the consequences?

1John3:10 says that 'he who sins is of the devil and that Christ came to DESTROY the works of the devil.' Anyone Born of God DOES NOT sin, says John in the same passage. These men are calling God a lair and implying that He can do nothing but 'wink' at our sin and look at His Son. BUT NOTHING in Scripture indicates this! The 2Pet1:3-11 passage goes on to say that you MUST 'Add to your faith' or risk losing everything. That's why you MUST 'Make your calling and election sure!' as it says in verse ten. Again, will the wolves ever tell you this? Not likely. They will lull you into a 'sleep of death' and ruin your soul. No matter how much they may appear in 'sheep's clothing' inwardly they are ravenous wolves seeking to devour the simple minded and win the praises of men. (Rom16:17)

Somehow, under the sin gospel, the wages of sin is no longer death, Rom6:23, BUT LIFE! The Christian supposedly gets a pass because he 'believes' and Grace removes the consequences of the law. But the 'DEVILS BELIEVE!' James2:19, Unless your faith is evident by producing the Fruit of the Spirit in all godliness and obedience, 1John3:7, you may have indeed 'Believed in Vain!' 2Cor6:1.

Q: I don't want to be left out when the time comes for me to go to heaven, but I'm afraid I will be. I've always tried to be a good person, but how can I know if I've been good enough? What else do I need to do? — P.J.

A: Dear P.J.,
My answer may shock you—but the Bible tells us that you and I can never be good enough to go to heaven. Let me explain.

The reason we will never be good enough is because God is absolutely holy and pure, and even one sin—just one—is enough to banish us from His presence. The Bible says of God, "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong" (Habakkuk 1:13). Just as a sterile operating room requires absolute cleanliness, so heaven requires absolute perfection—and none of us can measure up to that standard.

The only way we can go to heaven, therefore, is to be cleansed of our sins—totally and absolutely. And that is what God offers to do for us through Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus was God in human form—and because of that He was sinless. But on the cross all our sins were placed on Him, and He took the punishment we deserve. Now when we trust Him for our salvation, He forgives us and cleanses us from every sin. The Bible says, "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Yes, we can know we are going to heaven—not because of our own goodness, but because of Christ. Turn to Him today and trust Him alone for your salvation. Then thank Him for saving you, and ask Him to help you learn to walk with Him every day.

This is truly a most disgusting answer! The Bible CONSTANTLY tells you to 'Walk worthy' of your calling, Col1:10, 1Thess2:12, 2Thess1:5, 11, 'Live holy,' in all manner of conduct and behavior, 1Pet1:16-17, 'Work out your salvation with fear and trembling that you may be pure and blameless in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation, shining as lights!' Phil 2:12-16, 'Put off concerning your former conduct, the old man which is corrupt according to deceitful lust and PUT ON the New Man which was created according to God in righteousness and TRUE Holiness.' Eph 4:24-25. 'Pursue peace with all men and HOLINESS, without which NO ONE will see the Lord!' Heb12:14.

To imply that the 'imputed' righteousness of Jesus Christ will 'cover' our sinfulness is beyond the scope of human reason! But millions have bought into this LIE and will take it with them down to the grave. Imputed righteousness is not 'license to sin' nor does it preclude diligent obedience to God's Word. The WORKS OF FAITH are seen in godly behavior and the fruit of the Spirit, that's why FAITH UPHOLDS the law! Rom3:31. Grace does not supersede the necessity of holy conduct, it provides the POWER necessary to live a life of holiness unto God, Titus2:11-14, but it DOESN'T replace your obedience to His Commands! The Greatest gift God has to offer through His Son Christ is the complete 'cleansing' of all the vileness of sin and lust. 1John1:7-9. The sin gospel has trampled this gift and made it of no effect! The cleansing becomes a 'covering' and Grace, an excuse to sin willfully against your knowledge of the truth daily and still believe your on the way to heaven at the end.

Christ provided a way for you to 'measure up' to God's holy standard, NOT by doing it all for you, but by placing His Spirit within you so you CAN do it and bring Glory to His Kingdom. "We KNOW that whoever is Born of God DOES NOT sin, but he who has been born of God KEEPS HIMSELF and the wicked one touches him not." 1John5:18. "Little children, KEEP YOURSELF from idols!" 1John5:21.