This week I heard something that stirred some deep feelings in me.
I got an email from someone that had a link to a Billy Graham interview. In that interview Billy Graham said there were numerous ways to God. He said, people will go to heaven "if they know Christ, or love Christ, whether they are conscience of it or not." WHAT!?!?!?! How can someone know or love someone...anyone uncousciously? He also said that some people will "find themselves in heaven and not really know the name of Jesus." He also says those people will realize they need something that they don't have and they turn to "the only light they have." Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 11:14 that Satan disguises himself as an "angel of light."
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
This is herecy. In looking a little further, we see Mr. Graham has held this view at least since the 1960s.
I am troubled by this. It angered me when I saw this and looked into what he said. I know that God is on His throne and calling people to salvation, but the Bible also tell us in Acts...
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 (NIV)
Here are links to this if you want to hear it for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axxlXy6bLH0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gtR8rp4ozw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC2WPR7q4pU&feature=related (the first video may have been removed. You can hear the transcript quoted here.)
FINALLY, this is just a reminder that we need to stand firm as we share Jesus with the world whether we do it on the weekends from some pulpit or in our everyday lives as we talk to people. There is ONE WAY to the Father and that is through faith in Jesus.
