ON CHRISTIANITY

DEAR REV. GRAHAM: How many sins can you list that God won’t ever forgive? I worry about this, because I know I’ve not been a very good person, and some of the things I’ve done are probably on that list.

— J.F.D. DEAR J. F. D.: Only one sin that can’t be forgiven is on God’s list — and that is the sin of rejecting Him and refusing His offer of forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ. This alone is the unforgivable sin, because it means we are saying that the Holy Spirit’s witness about Jesus is a lie (see Luke 12:10).

Why is it so serious to reject Christ? The reason, first of all, is because of who He was. He wasn’t just another religious teacher; He was God in human flesh — but when we deny this, we limit Him and assume He is unable to save us. But the Bible is clear: “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (John 1:18).

The main reason why it’s so serious to reject Christ, however, is because He is God’s appointed means of salvation. Our greatest need is to have our sins forgiven; if we don’t, we have no reason to expect God to welcome us into Heaven. But by His death and resurrection Christ provided the way for us to be forgiven and cleansed of all our sins.

Don’t turn your back on Christ or refuse His offer of forgiveness. Instead, by a simple prayer of faith ask Him to come into your life today — and He will. Think of it: Before you go to bed tonight, you can know that God has forgiven every sin you ever committed! Commit your life to Christ without delay.