From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

From a human standpoint some sins are certainly worse than others; sins like murder, assault, or stealing. These things deeply hurt others. But the Bible doesn’t tell us which sin is worst in God’s eyes, and the reason is because God hates all sin. God is absolutely pure and holy; even the smallest sin is evil in His sight.

We have largely lost sight of the holiness and purity of God today. This is one reason why we tolerate sin so easily and casually dismiss so many sins as minor or insignificant. It is also the reason why we ignore sin in our lives and neglect to repent of it. We need to know God and how it breaks His heart to see man’s tolerance of sin. His Word commands us to do away with sin. “The fear [reverence] of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).

The enemy [Satan] attempts to blur the lines between right and wrong until we are able to convince ourselves that our sin isn’t that bad or, perhaps, even sin at all. We must acknowledge the seriousness of our sin and receive, through repentance, the grace offered through the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

No matter how good we think we are, God’s judgment still stands: “There is none who does good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12). But God loves us despite our sin, and He yearns to forgive us and welcome us into His family forever. We must never excuse sin or tolerate it in our lives but repent, and ask God to help us begin following Him daily. The best way to do this is to saturate our minds with His truth.

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

Do you know God? Start with this prayer.