Religion: Graham's New Sermon

"Born again" has become such a cliche, applied to such a variety of political celebrities and rock stars, that it no longer has a very clear meaning. The Rev. Billy Graham's newest book, How to Be Born Again (Word; $6.95) undertakes to correct that state of affairs.

For Graham, America's premier evangelist, being born again is not some vague spiritual high but a personal commitment with a very specific doctrinal content. The starting point is sin, which, in Graham's view, saturates every individual and humanity in general. He argues that God, the righteous "moral judge of the entire universe," requires a penalty for sin, and that penalty was paid for all time by the death of God's son, Jesus Christ, on the Cross. "When Christ atoned for sin, He stood in the place of guilty men and women," Graham writes. "If God had forgiven sin by a divine decree, without the atonement which involved the personal shame, agony, suffering and death of Christ, then we might assume that God was indifferent to sin. Consequently we would all go on sinning and the earth would become a living hell."

To Graham, Christian conversion involves two "vital elements," repentance and faith. Repentance, which is "absolutely necessary," is not a commitment to self-reform or an acknowledgment of the general evil in society. It is rather a very personal "recognition of what we are before God—sinners who fall short of His glory." This is followed by "genuine sorrow for sin" and "willingness to turn from sin."

The second element, faith, includes the belief that "Christ was who He said He was," namely God's own son, and that "He can do what He claimed He could do," forgive sins and fill a person's life. "Only by believing in Jesus—committing yourself to Him, surrendering to Him—are you saved." Graham insists that this God-given "complete change" in individuals is the only basis for social improvement, because people's efforts to better things on their own are doomed.

Show Biz. This kind of conversion is often associated with emotionalism, but Graham's advice is: "Don't depend on feelings for your assurance of salvation." The night* he walked the sawdust trail, Graham remembers, others were weeping, and since he was not, he wondered whether his commitment was genuine. Despite the exuberance of some new converts, however, Graham writes that being born again does not mean that "we will never have any problems. This isn't true, but we do have Someone to help us face our problems. The Christian life is not a way 'out' but a way 'through' life."