Post by AuntieSocial on Nov 22, 2003 19:04:49 GMT -5
Billy Graham: Atheist uncle is Christlike because we are all made in God's image
Click here to read the article on the original site
By BILLY GRAHAM SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
Published: November 12, 2003
Publication: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
DEAR DR. GRAHAM: My uncle is one of the most loving, kind, Christlike people I know -- but he's an atheist who doesn't have any use for God or religion. How do you explain this? I've always been taught that people who don't believe in God are very selfish. -- K.L.
DEAR K.L.: Yes, some people who don't believe in God are very self-centered -- but some of them aren't, and your uncle apparently falls into that category.
After all, your uncle is like every other human being: He was made in God's image. In other words, part of God's character is stamped upon us, and even when we deface it or try to hide it by our sin, that image is still there. Just as a silver platter may be pitted and tarnished, so God's image in us may be obscured by sin. But the platter is still silver -- and we are still the bearers of God's image. The Bible says, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him" (Genesis 1:27).
What does this have to do with your uncle? Simply this: God's image -- including God's kindness and compassion -- shines through in your uncle's life, even if he doesn't realize it. To put it another way, he isn't good because he is a good man; he is good because he bears God's image. Think how much better he would be if he knew Christ and had submitted his life to God's control!
Unfortunately, I suspect your uncle thinks he doesn't need God -- and that is a tragic blind spot in his personality. Pray for him, that he will realize not only that God exists, but also that God loves him and wants him to discover the joy and peace that come from knowing Christ.
Contact the Rev. Billy Graham c/o Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, P.O. Box 779, Minneapolis, MN 55440, phone 877-247-2426, or see the Web site www.billygraham.org
Click here to read the article on the original site
By BILLY GRAHAM SYNDICATED COLUMNIST
Published: November 12, 2003
Publication: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
DEAR DR. GRAHAM: My uncle is one of the most loving, kind, Christlike people I know -- but he's an atheist who doesn't have any use for God or religion. How do you explain this? I've always been taught that people who don't believe in God are very selfish. -- K.L.
DEAR K.L.: Yes, some people who don't believe in God are very self-centered -- but some of them aren't, and your uncle apparently falls into that category.
After all, your uncle is like every other human being: He was made in God's image. In other words, part of God's character is stamped upon us, and even when we deface it or try to hide it by our sin, that image is still there. Just as a silver platter may be pitted and tarnished, so God's image in us may be obscured by sin. But the platter is still silver -- and we are still the bearers of God's image. The Bible says, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him" (Genesis 1:27).
What does this have to do with your uncle? Simply this: God's image -- including God's kindness and compassion -- shines through in your uncle's life, even if he doesn't realize it. To put it another way, he isn't good because he is a good man; he is good because he bears God's image. Think how much better he would be if he knew Christ and had submitted his life to God's control!
Unfortunately, I suspect your uncle thinks he doesn't need God -- and that is a tragic blind spot in his personality. Pray for him, that he will realize not only that God exists, but also that God loves him and wants him to discover the joy and peace that come from knowing Christ.
Contact the Rev. Billy Graham c/o Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, P.O. Box 779, Minneapolis, MN 55440, phone 877-247-2426, or see the Web site www.billygraham.org
