DEAR REV. GRAHAM: Does God judge us for every sin we do, no matter how big or small it is? I hope I don’t lose my salvation every time I think a bad thought or fail to do something I should, but I worry about this.
- M.M.
DEAR M.M.: The devil wants you to believe that God is just waiting to pounce on you and take away your salvation every time you commit a sin, but this simply isn’t true! God loves you, and if you have given your life to Jesus Christ, you have become His child forever. The Bible says, “This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).
You see, when Jesus Christ died on the cross, all your sins - without exception - were placed on Him, and He took upon Himself the judgment and hell that you deserve. If this weren’t true, then why would Jesus have gone to the cross? In other words, Jesus didn’t pay the price for just some of our sins; He paid for all of them - past, present, and future.
Think of it this way. Imagine for a moment that you owed someone a very large sum of money, far greater than you could ever repay. But then suppose someone came along who was very wealthy and paid off your debt. Why, then, would you keep worrying about it? And that’s what Jesus did for us: He fully paid the debt we owed because of our sin.
Does this mean God isn’t concerned about the sins we still commit? No, of course not; sin breaks our fellowship with God and hurts our witness for Christ. But when we do sin, we know we can come to Christ for forgiveness - and that’s what we need to do.
Write to Billy Graham in care of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C. 28201 or visit the website at billygraham.org
Weekend, Pages 35 on 12/12/2013