20
Nov
2008
BILLY GRAHAM AND THE BIBLE
Some brethren in high places have suggested that Billy Graham is an ally with us in the Gospel and I have been asked to comment on the matter. As in every spiritual matter, my opinion is worth nothing. But there is a very important Biblical issue involved here and I will present what God has said about that issue.
To begin with I know there are many who almost worship this evangelist. If we disagree with Mr. Graham they will see that as about like disagreeing with God. But we must answer to a higher authority. True, it is not the business of a Christian to judge any person and I will not do that. But measuring what is preached by the Bible is what we are commanded to do. Here a message is being proclaimed in the name of our Lord, by an evangelist of world wide fame. Every Christian, to be faithful to Jesus, has to hear with Bible in hand, and check what is preached in His name for accuracy. (1 Thess. 5:21)
On his radio broadcast of July 8, 2000, Mr. Graham was reading from Matthew 19 about the rich young ruler. He read in verse 16 where the young man asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Then he paused and said, “First of all there is nothing you can do to inherit eternal life.” Now compare that with God’s answer as Jesus gave it to the young man in that text at verse 17. “…If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Mr. Graham said the opposite of what Jesus said.
This is not an insignificant disagreement. It is a major issue of Biblical faith. No doubt you have yourself heard this same idea preached many times, not only in Graham crusades but elsewhere. It is a fundamental doctrine of evangelical churches, accepted around the world. It is rooted in Calvinism, the concept that salvation is entirely something God does to you. They do not realize it, but the idea that there is nothing you can do to inherit eternal life strikes at the very heart of the Gospel message. Peter said, “You have purified your souls in obeying the truth…” (1 Peter 1:22) but this evangelical message denies that acts of obedience have the value heaven has assigned to them.
A similar conversation took place in Luke 10. A lawyer asked, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Again Jesus did not say, “There is nothing you can do.” He said, “What do you read about that in the scriptures?” The lawyer quoted the first two of the ten commandments and said they are of utmost importance. Jesus replied, “You have answered rightly. This do and you shall live.” The statement, “This do and you shall live” is opposite to the statement, “There is nothing you can do to inherit eternal life.” It is a fundamental error which stands in direct opposition to the offer of God in the Gospel.
They know not what they say. To clarify the real issue, if Mr. Graham had said, “There is nothing you can do to EARN eternal life,” he would have been right and in agreement with the scriptures. But he didn’t. He said, “There is nothing you can do to inherit eternal life” and then immediately contradicted that by saying there is something you not only CAN do but MUST do to inherit eternal life. They all do this. They say there is nothing you can do and then say that unless you do something, i.e. bow in prayer and say to the Lord what is commonly called “The sinner’s prayer,” you will be lost eternally. This points up another error. In this procedure a human theory is substituted for a command of God. The apostles preached, “Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:38) Mr Graham says, “No. The way to be saved is to pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart.”
Other wrong conclusions: In a crusade sermon Mr. Graham said that Romans 8:1 teaches that Christians will not stand before the judgment. He said, “If you’re there, don’t look for me. I won’t be there.” Now read what Paul said on this point in 2 Corinthians 5:10. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Again Mr. Graham says opposite to what the Bible says.
I do not question his sincerity, but three things are wrong here. 1. Contradicting express Bible statements about what God requires. 2. Prescribing one’s own terms of acceptance with God. 3. Contradicting God’s decree that we will all stand before His judgment seat. If you think Mr. Graham preaches the Gospel as Jesus gave it and the apostles preached it, you need to check the Bible again, this time with eyes open. In fairness to him, let’s recognize that Mr. Graham does preach some Biblical truths. In fact he preaches acts of obedence, but only after one is a Christian, serving in the kingdom. The apostles preached obedience as the way to put on Christ. (Gal.3:27, Acts 2:38, Heb. 5:8)))
I applaud the attitude of wanting to be peaceful, agreeable, and unified. But loyalty to God’s word is the higher priority. We will be judged in the last day by what the “books” say, not by popular opinion. (Rev. 20:12) I agree we should not judge persons, but we must be careful about what we accept as God’s truth. I pray that Mr. Graham will see the light. I also pray that those who are misled on these matters will love God enough to look them up in the Bible and let God answer the question of whether man must do something to inherit eternal life and what it is that we must do. God is the judge, not me. May He bless you with wisdom as you study His word.