April 23 2018 – Click here to listen
Over the weekend I watched the documentary by Fox News of Billy Graham’s life which was broadcast shortly after his death. I’d recorded it when it first came out, but just got around to watching it. It was excellent and about halfway through watching it, oddly enough, I received a phone call. It was one of Billy Graham’s grandsons.
It was pretty cool that he called at that precise moment. I related to him what I was doing when he called, and he laughed and told me that he’d recently watched it as well. We both discussed the tremendous faith that Billy Graham had in the Bible being the inerrant unchanging word of God. The documentary revealed that early in Billy Graham’s career, much like the theologians, pastors, and seminary professors today, many people who surrounded him were trying to convince him that parts of the Bible were not true,
He struggled with doubt for a while and even questioned if he should remain in the ministry because of it, but after much prayer decided that though he didn’t always understand everything in the Bible, he was not going to allow his fleshly weaknesses to shake his faith in the word of God. From that moment on he never one time wavered, and whenever he preached he prefaced his statements with “The Bible says…” He tapped into a power far greater than himself and millions of people came to know the Lord Jesus Christ thanks to his decision.
Today doubting the Bible is much worse, especially when it comes to sexual issues. The Bible states that marriage should be between on man and one woman and sex is only permissible within the confines of marriage. Today leaders of the church have a huge debate going on trying to justify people living together without being married, homosexual marriage, lusting via pornography, and other sexual issues. God, however is clear on it. Sex outside of the confines of marriage as defined by Him is sin; inside marriage it is beautiful, because it was created solely for that purpose.
The Bible says of itself it is the same today as yesterday, and forever. If God says it, we are to do it – end of story – we are to follow its commands. Incidentally God gave us the Bible to protect us from the things that will do us harm, namely sin. And yet society wants its sin and it wants to legitimize it by not calling it sin, and accommodating clergy are all to eager to give it to their congregations in order to swell their attendance (and giving). They twist the Bible or state that certain parts are incorrect or invalid in today’s politically correct society; (many in society are doing the constitution the same way.)
The result of the failure to preach the Bible is evident as it unleashes chaos. An April 19 headline on the California Policy Council website announced, “Assembly votes to violate the 1st Amendment.”
Bill AB 2943 bans books, conferences, counseling advocating Muslim, Jewish and Christian views on gender and sexual orientation. The California Assembly approved the bill 50-18 that tells churches and other[s] with traditional and biblical beliefs about gender and sexual orientation that advocating for their views could get them sued. AB 2943, declares ‘advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual’ is illegal under state’s consumer fraud law. These folks want others to “stay gay.”
But wait there’s more: Upon careful examination the repercussions of this onerous bill could literally mean the banning of certain religious books. I read in Charisma magazine that on April 17, David French noted that this bill “would actually – among other things – ban the sale of books expressing orthodox Christian beliefs about sexual morality.
Could the Bible be next? After all it plainly states that homosexuality is “an abomination.” I could be labeled a homophobic just for quoting the Bible and perhaps be put in jail.
God said we should honor our mother and father not lie, steal, murder, covet, commit adultery, and lust and so on. Ask yourself, if you willfully decide to violate any of these laws if you truly think that it will lead to peace, or joy, or happiness in your life. The Bible states there are consequence for sin and they can be severe. God loves us and wants to see us avoid enduring those consequences. That is why He told us not to sin.
Like Billy Graham we cannot always understand everything written in the Bible. The Bible must be accepted upon faith. As for me I accept it as its written. If the Bible says it, I believe it. Preachers can bow to political correctness and smugly say that another translation means something altogether different, and the culture of that day negates it, and it was written by old men, or whatever and it will not make me waver one iota.
Watching the news can make one wonder whatever became of sin. I can answer that. Sin remains unchanged. Society can embrace it all it wants but the misery that results from sin overwhelms and rots away our beautiful world and all of creation is groaning for Jesus to return and put an end to the madness.
Romans 8:21
the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.