Billy Graham on the Gospel

Earlier this year I came across a paperback book titled What The Bible Is All About, by Henrietta C. Mears (1890-1963). The foreword of the book is written by none other than Billy Graham, who commends it with these words: "This book, What The Bible Is All About, will help make the reading and study of God's Word interesting, challenging and useful. We commend it to you."¹ The book provides a "clear, concise overview of the Scriptures"² in easy to understand language. In the chapter titled "Understanding 1 Corinthians", Henrietta Mears gives the following helpful explanation of the Gospel, which really is what the Bible is all about! Under the heading "The Pillars of the Gospel", Mears writes:

"No doubt there was a group in the Corinthian church who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul in answering this starts out by giving a wonderful statement of what the Gospel is in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. Paul did not give a new Gospel. It was the old Gospel, given in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus.

 

1. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (15:3). 

2. He was buried (15:4).

3. He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (15:4).

4. He was seen by many witnesses (15:5,6).

 

If we deny the resurrection, we deny one of the greatest of all truths of the Gospel. Preaching is vain; faith and hope are all vain. But more than all that, no resurrection would mean no Gospel at all for we would be worshipping a dead Christ. There would be no 'good news,' for there would be no proof that God had accepted Christ's death as an atonement for our sins. If a sailor on jumping overboard to rescue a drowning man were drowned himself, then we would know that he did not save the man after whom he went. If Christ did not come out from the grave, then He could not bring anyone with Him from the grave. Christ's body died, and it was His body that was raised again. His soul was committed into the hands of the Father.

 

Because Christ lives, we shall live also. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"³

References:

¹ Billy Graham, from the Foreword to the book by Henrietta C. Mears, What The Bible Is All About (Ventura: Regal Books, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1966, 1980), no page number. Note: The Foreword of the book is written by Billy Graham.

² From the back cover of the book by Henrietta C. Mears, What The Bible Is All About (Ventura: Regal Books, 1980).

³ Henrietta C. Mears, What The Bible Is All About (Ventura: Regal Books, 1980), pp. 468-469.