Today I started reading the book “Where I am” by Billy Graham. As I first read the forward by Franklin Graham, Billy’s son and then started into the Introduction of the book, the gears in my mind started to turn and there was a desire to expound. So here we go.
One paragraph in the introduction just rang out to my soul so I am going to quote here:
“Many people teach today that the blood of Jesus covers all sin, regardless of whether the sinner repents or not. This is Satan’s great lie. Some believe they will automatically walk into Heaven when this earthly life is over because God is love. That would negate the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. Don’t be deceived, for God is not mocked. God is also a God of justice and righteousness. He is not preparing a place in Heaven for unrepentant sinners. While we have contributed nothing to God’s free gift of salvation, there is a condition to possessing it—we must confess our sin, turn from it and receive Christ on His terms.”
It is this paragraph I wish to go into sentence by sentence if required.
The first sentence paraphrased, there are those that say Christ blood cover all no matter if they have stopped sinning or not. I agree with this sentence completely. There are many that live this belief, but as the next sentence makes perfectly clear it “is Satan’s great lie.”
Those that live in this fantasy wish to have their cake and eat it too as the saying goes. You cannot get into heaven if you live in sin period. If you live in sin on Monday, accept Jesus as you Savior on Tuesday and go back to living your live on Wednesday EXACTLY like it was Monday and have no desire to change in anyway, then you are not saved, period.
“Some believe they will automatically walk into Heaven when this earthly life is over because God is love.” I agree with the next sentence as well this makes Jesus going to the cross a waste of time, thus making the entire Bible irrelevant. People need to come to a realization, that not only are many events in the Bible able to be documented in other historical records but all archaeologically. Since there is more to say that the Bible is real than any other “religious” manuscripts on earth. Also the mere fact that many key figures of political power mentioned in the Bible supported by the above mentioned material makes trying to make them “irrelevant” an act of willful ignorance so as to condone the desire to live life as these people choose. Thus in their own minds free them from God’s justice. As Mr. Graham notes, they are mocking God, something I would highly suggest they not do.
What is “righteousness” in the Bible?
Righteousness in the Hebrew is “tsdaqah” – rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity):–justice, moderately, right(-eous) (act, -ly, -ness).
Righteousness in the Greek is “dikaiosune” – (usually if not always in a Jewish atmosphere), justice, justness, righteousness, righteousness of which God is the source or author, but practically: a divine righteousness.
This is how it is defined in the Bible. Yet as noted above many do not wish to hear this, but if you accept any part of the Bible you must accept all of it. Yet many just pick out what allows them to comfort their conscience, to place a band aid upon their sins not realizing that it is quickly pull off to allow the sin to ooze its corruption throughout their soul.
If you are unrepentant if you openly live in something that is called a sin within the Bible and have no true desire to turn from it. You are not welcome in Heaven, period.
1 Corinthians 6:9 – Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.
“While we have contributed nothing to God’s free gift of salvation, there is a condition to possessing it—we must confess our sin, turn from it and receive Christ on His terms.”
I think the last part of this sentence is the key to everything when it comes to salvation. “Receive Christ on HIS terms.” Not our own terms which allows us to live life as we see fit, but God’s Son’s terms. Living life to His expectations and desires. It is this that many do not wish to acknowledge or accept for to do so would place them in an uncomfortable position.
How I feel about that is good, I hope it does. Would you rather feel some discomfort here in this life or be subjected to an even more uncomfortable situation for all eternity with no hope of parole.