Billy Graham: Having Shallow Faith in God Is Dangerous
Having a shallow faith in God is not enough, the Rev. Billy Graham wrote in a recent column.
The evangelical leader wrote in a post for the Kansas City Star this week that it is not enough to simply say you believe in Jesus and then do nothing to live out or nurture your faith.
Such a shallow view of your relationship with Christ can put you in "grave spiritual danger," Graham says, referencing James 2:14-17, which reads: "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? [...] Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Christians need to live out an active faith instead of a passive, weak faith because Jesus died on the cross for their sins, Graham continues, and we need to fight the power of sin daily.
"[Jesus] came to free us from both the penalty and the power of sin. We have sinned and turned our backs on God, and we deserve only his judgment. But on the cross, all our sins were placed on Christ, and he took upon himself the judgment and hell that we deserve," the preacher writes. "Jesus came to free us from sin's penalty, cleansing and forgiving us so we can go to heaven."
Despite this generous gift from Jesus, sin still tries to "pull us down," Graham continues, so we must fight to live an active faith to counteract the dangers of temptation, which could easily affect someone who has a lazy relationship with God.
"When we open our hearts and lives to Christ, however, God himself comes to live within us by his spirit, to help us in our battle with sin. In other words, Christ also came to free us from sin's power," the evangelical leader says, adding that it is because of sin that Christians must ensure they are fully committed to Christ.
The 97-year-old Baptist minister has spoken on the topic of weak faith before, writing in the "My Answers" portion of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's website in February 2011 that it is God's will for everyone to have a strong faith filled with "patience and endurance."
However, Christians cannot just sit idly by waiting for their faith to grow strong. Rather, having strong faith takes effort, Graham writes.
"Our faith grows stronger only as we nourish and exercise it; if we don't, it will always be weak. Just as we need food and exercise to grow and become strong physically, so we need spiritual 'food' and 'exercise' in order to grow and become strong spiritually. And God has provided everything we need to make this happen," the pastor says.
There are two ways to nourish our faith: through the Bible and prayer.
"Make the Bible part of your life every day — read it, study it, learn about it from others," Graham encourages, saying that Christians should also take advantage of the "privilege of prayer."
"Instead of worrying about our problems (or worse yet, refusing to admit they exist), we can bring them to God in prayer," the evangelical leader says.
