My Answer
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: My friends tell me that God wants to be our buddy. I may not be as religious as they are, but I was brought up to believe that God was holy and that He should be held in high esteem. My friends say that I’ll never understand the things of God until I learn to let God hang around me and be part of my life. They say that no one can be holy and that people who try to be are false believers. Is this a new culture for religion and if so, where does the Bible teach this? – N.B.
A: The Bible says that God is a holy God: “Holy and awesome is His name” (Psalm 111:9, NKJV). “The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works” (Psalm 145:17, KJV).
Understanding the Bible will be difficult until people accept the fact that God is holy and righteous. We have largely lost sight of the holiness and purity of God almighty. This is one reason why we tolerate sin so easily. Man seeks to make a god after his likeness, but the Bible clearly teaches that we are made in His likeness and we are to seek after Him. We do not add Jesus to life, He becomes the very center of life.
God’s will is for us to be righteous in our living, and He enables us to do this when we surrender to Him, receive salvation in Him alone, and follow Him. Many people talk about sacrificing for the Lord, but true righteousness has holiness for its goal. This is greatly ignored in the 21 st century. Christians should seek after holiness – without which no one shall see the Lord.
“Jesus Christ … gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people” (Titus 2:13–14, NKJV).
(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
©2026 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(c)2026 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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