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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: Many of my Christian friends say that the only way to live properly is to live by faith in God, but I pride myself in living according to fact, not suppositions. Religion is fiction, made up by multitudes of people. I prefer dealing with reality in order to navigate in a world that is increasingly more educated and prosperous. Why do Christians ignore reality and think they can navigate life through faith? – F.F.

Dear F.F.: Astronomers tell us that every star moves with precision along its celestial path. Most people haven’t studied astronomy, but believe by faith the detailed rules that govern the universe. The laws of nature are fixed, and for a star to ignore those laws would be folly – if it were even possible. If the laws in God’s material realm are so fixed and exact, would God be haphazard in the spiritual realm, where the eternal destinies of billions of people are at stake?

God did not ordain that people should drift aimlessly in the seas of uncertainty without compass, captain, or crew. Christianity is distinguished from all the religions of the world because it carries the truth of redemption, by the death of our Savior for our sins on the cross, and it carries the fact that Christ rose again.

Our inner sense of right and wrong, our ability to love and to reason – all bear witness to the fact that God created us in His image. The Bible says God has not left Himself without testimony (see Acts 14:17). There is nothing that indicates the inspiration of the Scriptures more than the factual and faithful record of people and their failures. These records are for our warning and instruction. They show us how sinful man needs God.

God desires that all people come to know Him personally. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV).

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