Q: I know we’re supposed to confess our sins when we pray and ask for God’s forgiveness, but I’m a very moral person, and to be honest I usually can’t think of anything to confess. What am I missing? — Mrs. K.S.
07
Oct
Oct
By Billy Graham
How Does One Change After Becoming a Christian?
Q: I know we’re supposed to be different once we commit our lives to Jesus, but what does this mean exactly? I’ve never been a bad person, so what would change if I became a Christian? I think I’d probably be about the same. — M.W.
01
Oct
Oct
By Billy Graham
Is It Possible That Jesus Sinned Maybe Once?
Q: I’ve heard people say that Jesus never sinned, but I have a hard time believing that. He must have done something wrong at least once in His life, like we all do. What difference does it make anyway? — G.K.
A: If Jesus were simply another human being — even an exceptionally good and righteous person — then you’d be right. He’d be just like we are, imperfect and weak and falling short of God’s standards. Even if His outward life seemed perfect (which ours never are), His inner motives and desires would betray Him. But Jesus wasn’t just another human being. Yes, He was fully human, and as such He could experience pain and hunger and thirst. But He also was fully God! This is a mystery we will never fully understand this side of eternity — but when Jesus Christ was born, God Himself came down from Heaven and took upon Himself human flesh. The Bible says, “The Son is the image of the invisible God. … For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (Colossians 1:15, 19). Why is this important? First, it means we can know what God is like. Because Jesus came into the world, we know not only that God exists, but that He loves us and wants us to come to know Him personally. This can be your experience, as you ask Him to come into your life and save you. But this is also important because it gives us hope for today and hope for the future. Because He was God, Jesus never sinned — but on the cross He willingly took upon Himself all our sins and died in our place. Don’t turn away from Him, but thank God for His love for you and by faith welcome Christ into your life today.
30
Sep
Sep
By Billy Graham
How Can I Talk to My Nice Neighbor About Jesus?
Q: My neighbor is a really good person who’s always helping people and all that, but he won’t have anything to do with a church or with God because he says Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites. How can I answer him? — Mrs. M.L.L.
A: One answer, of course, would be to point out that we’re all hypocrites — that is, we all are imperfect, and we all fail to live up to our standards. I’m thankful your neighbor is a good person — but if he’s honest, he’d have to admit that he isn’t as good as he’d like to be. As the Bible says, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10).
But your neighbor also needs to know that no one condemned hypocrisy and hypocrites more forcefully than Jesus. Repeatedly He encountered people who claimed to believe in God and follow His laws. But in reality they were hypocrites, denying by their lives what they claimed to believe with their lips. Often their religion was little more than an outward show, meant to impress others with their supposed piety. Jesus said, “You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of … everything unclean” (Matthew 23:27).
Often, however, I’ve found that people who use this as their excuse actually have other reasons for staying away from the church or Christ. Pride … a desire to run their own life without any interference from God … a particular sin they don’t want to give up — any of these may be their real problem.
Pray for your neighbor, that God will convict him of his sin and his need for God’s forgiveness and goodness. And pray too that God will help you be an example to him of Christ’s love and peace and joy.
20
Sep
Sep
By Billy Graham
How Can I Have Faith in Something I Don’t Know Exists?
Q: I have a lot of questions about God, but my aunt tells me not to think about them and just have faith. But how can I have faith in something, when I don’t even know if it exists? — C.S.
A: If faith were simply a blind leap in the dark (as some have described it), then you’d be right; you’d have no reason to take that leap. But true faith, the kind of faith the Bible urges us to have, isn’t like this. True faith is not a blind leap in the dark, with no reason or evidence to support it. Instead, our faith is in the living God, and He has given us all the evidence we’ll ever need to show us He is real and worthy of our faith and trust. God has not hidden Himself from us; all around us we see evidence of His existence. Look, for example, at the worlds He created. Did this amazing universe just happen by chance? Not at all; it would take far more faith to believe that, than to believe God created it. As the Bible says, “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20). But God revealed Himself to us in a far greater and more personal way: by coming down from heaven and walking among us in the person of Jesus Christ. Do you want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus Christ, for He was God in human flesh. And when you see Him as He really is, you’ll realize not only that God exists, but that He loves you, and He is worthy of your complete faith and trust and commitment.