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The Villain Billy Graham?
My copy and paste feature doesn't keep the words that are supposed to be italicized, so instead of me doing it manually, refer to a Bible to see which words are italicized.
The world has been talking about the legacy of Billy Graham, but my experience with some people's opinions over the years has been that he's a villain and not a hero. This is sad, but when someone's beliefs are challenged, bitterness usually results.
Billy famously pointed out the incorrect theology that someone can believe the facts about Jesus' death on the cross and forget about repentance. Routinely, before having crowds come forward to receive Jesus, he said things such as, "You need to be willing to repent - This means you need to be willing to change your way of living and your thought life." (Before you read any further, Billy didn't mean that people must change their lifestyles before they become Christians; he meant that people should understand that after they pray to become Christians, they are going to try to begin living the way God wants them to live.) He seemed to always mention this before explaining that they needed to put their trust in Christ and what He did on the cross to forgive their sins. Some people I've talked to, are hostile toward this simple statement and do what they can to paint Billy Graham as a villain.
So, does the Bible teach that repentance should come before belief in Jesus as Savior? It sure does -
The apostle Paul was witnessing to king Agrippa and said in Acts 26:19–20, “Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” This means if someone truly repents and turns to God (changes, with God’s help, and begins to think and live the way God wants them to think and live), they will begin to do good works. (These are things such as: giving money to those who have needs (Luke 12:16-21); teaching people the Bible (Matthew 28:19), counseling with people who are having problems (Galatians 6:2), encouraging others (Hebrews 10:25), correcting believers when they sin (Galatians 6:1), and telling people how to become Christians (2 Timothy 4:5) by mouth, through email or social media, and/or by handing out or dropping off tracts that explain how to become a Christian in places like stores or restaurants where people can pick them up; feeding, clothing, and providing shelter and financial help for the less fortunate, and visiting people in hospitals and jails (Mark 12:30-31); doing acts of kindness for people that will cause them to think good about God (for example - cooking, cleaning, doing yard work, helping shop, washing cars, fixing appliances) (Matthew 5:16).) One way someone can know if they have really received salvation is if they begin to do good works (James 2:17). Another way to explain this is that people must be willing to begin doing good works (following Jesus) after they accept Jesus as their Savior. I promise you, a major part of following Jesus is doing good works. While Jesus was on earth, He caused people to praise and think good about God by helping others (doing good works), and when He wasn't doing that, His mind was on the things of His Father. (See chapter 39 of this book - www.areyousureyouaresaved.com for an example of what following this pattern looks like.) This is how someone needs to be consciously or unconsciously willing to begin living after they accept Jesus as their Savior. (If you read the sixth paragraph of chapter 2 of this book - www.areyousureyouaresaved.com, you will see that someone can be unconsciously willing to begin following Jesus after they accept Him as their Savior and be prepared to become a Christian, but in the New Testament we see examples of people who consciously were not willing to follow Jesus “from that moment on and for the rest of their lives”. As a result, the people who turned away from Him gave up their chance to receive salvation at that time.) Jesus repeatedly drove thousands away from heaven because they were not willing to begin following (imitating and obeying) Him – (This is explained in chapters 6 and 7 of this book - www.areyousureyouaresaved.com) Notice in Acts 26:19-20, Paul not only witnessed this way to king Agrippa, but to people in Damascus, Jerusalem, throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles.
Also, notice that Paul preached repentance before belief in Jesus when he first preached to those in Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles (Acts 26:20). Then, he preached belief in Jesus to those people (Acts 26:22-23). Paul confirmed repentance before belief again in Acts 20:20-21 when he said, "And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." When someone repents toward God, they are obviously willing to quit sinning on purpose after they pray or make a decision to become a Christian, because God hates sin so much that He can’t even look at it (Isaiah 59:2). If someone is willing to begin living this way after they pray or make a decision to become a Christian, they are ready to become a Christian by letting God know that they have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 6:1 also states, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,” Notice that repentance from dead works (which are sins) comes before faith. Some church leaders would proclaim that someone is adding to the gospel (will go to hell) if they tell people that they need to repent (be willing to quit sinning, and if they are willing to try to avoid sinning for the rest of their life after they tell God that they believe Jesus is their Savior, they are ready to become a Christian by believing). Of course, Jesus was the only one who never sinned, but we should be willing to try to “follow” His example.
If you have prayed or made a decision to become a Christian, but you haven't been living the way this message has explained, please follow this website - http://chriswaug5.wix.com/makingsure
If you have not prayed or made a decision to become a Christian, please follow this website - http://chriswaug5.wix.com/howtogotoheaven
If you have prayed or made a decision to become a Christian, but you are not sure you are really a Christian (Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 21:18-22, 1 John 5:14, and Hebrews 11:1), please follow this website - http://chriswaug5.wix.com/howtogotoheaven