Pastor Billy Graham is asking the faithful to take sin seriously because Jesus himself died for it.
In his weekly column, the pastor addressed a question by one of his readers about acknowledging sins.
In his response, Graham said most of the faithful do not understand the gravity and depth of sin: while Christians feel like they have not committed sin overtly, they may already be guilty of sin just by thinking ill thoughts about others.
"Sin is like a deadly disease that touches everything we do and everything we are. Yes, you may be a good and moral person whose life isn't marred by obvious sins. But what about your inner thoughts and motives? What about your pride? What about the things you should be doing but fail to do — the people you ought to help, the person who needs a kind word, the person you ought to be praying for but don't?," he explained.
The pastor said that sin must be taken seriously because Jesus Christ laid his life down to save us.
"The Bible says, 'This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us' (1 John 3:16). Have you ever invited Jesus Christ to come into your life, to forgive you and cleanse you and change you from within? Commit your life to him today. Then thank him for his love for you, and ask him to cleanse you from sin and make you into the person he wants you to be," he added.
However, before coming to terms with sin, Graham reminded the faithful to first acknowledge their sins and be truthful to God as the first step.
Megachurch pastor Perry Noble, for his part said that Christians should take the initiative to support and encourage each other to overcome sin, especially for those who are working through their own mistakes.
"We have to let our past die, because if we don't, it will not allow us to truly live! Jesus WANTS for us to have a life that is filled with joy! He knew every stupid, foolish, sinful decision we would ever make, and yet He still chose to create us, love us, pursue us, and rescue us. Our past only defines us when we lose sight of the future Christ has for us," he said, urging the faithful to confess and repent.
He also urged Christians to actively reach out to anyone whom they think is in need of help in getting through sin and said it will make a lot of difference to that person.
