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As a person, I like Billy Graham. Whenever I find him on TV, I always stop channel surfing and
listen to him. I have been a listener of his over the years on radio. He is a nice looking man.
The Gallup Poll, 33 times, found him to be one of the ten most admired men in the world
(The Birmingham News, Oct. 23, 1992).
But regardless of personal feelings, what Billy Graham teaches and has taught over the years is not what the New Testament teaches. I have saved his newspaper article, My Answer, over the years. I want to go back to those articles and contrast what Billy Graham has taught with what the New Testament teaches. Even though Billy Graham has been baptized three timesonce because his parents unscripturally had him sprinkled, second because he became convinced that he should to it, and third to get into the Baptist Church and get along with the Baptists among whom he was going to preach — he does not believe baptism is essential to salvation. Billy wrote in the Daily Oklahoman (Sept. 26, 1978, p. 8), Baptism does not save us. He wrote in The Birmingham News (Apr. 26, 1978, p. 78), It is only God's grace that saves us. Billy says in The Birmingham News (Aug. 30, 1978, p. 60), As you repent and turn in faith to Christ, He will make you His child and begin to show you His love every day. In the Knoxville News Sentinel, Billy was asked, Isn't it true that after hearing and believing, baptism is the step the Bible says man must take to be a Christian? Isn't acknowledging Him as Lord followed by obedience in baptism? I get the impression that you think baptism is not important. Am I right?To which Billy replied, You are wrong. I believe baptism is important, and I have been baptized. According to Billy, baptism is not important to salvation but is important to getting into the Baptist Church, because no one can get into the Baptist Church without baptism. Thus, according to Billy, it is harder to get into the Baptist Church than it is to go to heaven because it is not essential to be baptized to go to heaven. Billy further said, I think we violate the scriptures when we make baptism the prime requirement for salvation. Who does this? I do not know of anyone who makes baptism the prime requirement for salvation. I am of the opinion that Billy does not know anyone who makes baptism the prime requirement for salvation. This is just his way to get around the plain command of Jesus to be baptized to be saved (Mk. 16:16). I know of no one who teaches that baptism is the prime requirement to be saved. Baptism is no more important than faith or repentance. Baptism will not take the place of anything. Baptism is just one of the requirements Jesus said one must obey in order to be saved — just like believing and repenting. In Family Circle, Billy wrote an article on How To Be Born Again. He asked, What does it mean to be born again? He said there are varied paths to rebirth. This new birth happens in all kinds of ways. It may seem to happen over a period of time or in a moment. He then said there are four things to the new birth:
But Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life and no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (Jn. 14:6). Jesus is not one of the varied paths to rebirth. He is the only way. In the Houston Post, Billy said one of the questions one should ask about any group is do they see salvation as coming through faith alone. From what Billy says about salvation in the above, one recognizes that he has a cocktail of confusion. He says you must recognize, repent, receive, and confess, yet salvation is by grace alone and faith alone! If man must do any of those things Billy says, how can salvation be by grace alone or faith alone? In My Answer, Billy said, The Bible says, If any man is in Christ (by believing) he is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold all things are become new. But the Bible nowhere says men believe into Christ. If so, let Billy give us the book, chapter, and verse that so teaches. Men are baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27). Salvation is only in Christ. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (Jn. 14:6). Paul said, "Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (2 Tim. 2:10), and he further writes that all spiritual blessings are in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Moreover, he says, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Eph. 1:7). This being true, the logical question is, How do we get into Christ? Faith is important — essential — and without it one cannot be saved (Heb. 11:6), but it is unto, not into Christ. "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (Rom. 10:10). No passage teaches man may believe into Christ. If so, where is it? Repentance is likewise important — essential — and without it one cannot be saved (Lk. 13:3; Acts 2:38). But repentance is unto not into Christ. "Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life" (Acts 11:18). Confession is likewise important — essential — but it is unto salvation. "With the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:10). Just like faith, repentance, and confession are essential to salvation, baptism is also essential. Baptism does not take the place of anything and is no more important than any other requirement. The New testament never says baptism is unto salvation, but rather into Christ. "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" (Rom. 6:3). Paul also wrote to the Galatians and told them, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:26-27). When one is baptized into Christ, he is baptized into the spiritual body of Christ. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" (1 Cor. 12:13). That's why one does not have to join the church. The same act that puts one into Christ puts him into his spiritual body, the church (Eph. 1:22-23). It is sad that Billy Graham has had the opportunity to preach to more people than anyone else in the history of the world, yet he has never told a single person what Jesus Christ said one has to do to be saved. Men will be judged by the words of Jesus, not by the words of Billy Graham (Mk. 16:15-16; Jn. 12:48). |