Ron Graham was called home on March 14, 2013. He began writing this commentary before his death and had asked me, Nathele Graham, to continue his service to our Lord by finishing what he began.

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“And he said, ‘Who told thee that thou wast naked? ‘Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, ‘The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat’” (Genesis 3:11-12).

It is human nature to blame someone when things go wrong. This finger pointing started with Adam. God asked him a simple question and Adam blamed the woman for giving him the forbidden fruit to eat, but he also blamed God. He points out that God gave him the woman in the first place. Was it really God’s fault? Let’s back up a little and see who really was to blame.

God made a beautiful place for Adam to live. There was plenty to eat and all of his needs were provided for, but God gave him one rule:

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17).

Eve wasn’t around yet, and God made it very clear to Adam what he was allowed to eat and that the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was off limits.

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man” (Genesis 2:21-22).

Sometime later Eve had a chat with Satan, who twisted God’s words. He convinced her to eat the forbidden fruit. Adam hadn’t instructed Eve clearly enough regarding God’s “rule.” Eve made the mistake of talking with Satan and believing his lies over God’s truth. Satan convinced Eve that God really didn’t mean what He had clearly said, and that twisting of Scripture still happens today. Eve asked Adam to join in the sin and he chose to go against God’s will by also eating the fruit.

Adam and Eve learned that God meant exactly what He said and was not exaggerating when He said that if they ate the forbidden fruit they would die. God had no choice but to remove them from the Garden. Death and suffering now touched every part of creation.

Is God to blame for any of this? He isn’t, yet we see God still being blamed for the troubles in this world. If our first parents had listened to God instead of Satan, humanity would still be living in that beautiful garden without pain, suffering, or death.

God created mankind gave us free will. He loves us enough to give us a choice as to whether we love, accept, and obey Him. If He hadn’t given us the right to make that choice we would be nothing more than robots programmed to obey. God wants us to love Him by choice

[Jesus said,] “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

When Adam sinned, the fellowship he had with God was broken; a gulf was created that mankind could never cross. God had a plan of redemption and it would take the ultimate act of love by God to accomplish it.

Even though Adam and Eve no longer were living in the Garden of Eden, God did not abandon them. The rebellion that started in the Garden continued and got worse.

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them” (Genesis 6:5-7).

Adam lived a very long life and we can only imagine how he felt as he watched the result of his sin grow to the point that God had to destroy man, beast, creeping things, and fowls of the air. I wonder who he blamed now. Did he still blame “woman whom thou gavest to be with me” or did he see the blame of his own choice?

I wonder if he ever came to understand that the father of all lies is the one to blame. Still God loved His creation and Noah, his immediate family, and some animals were saved through God’s judgment. It was time for a new start.

Noah had seen the wickedness that caused God to send the flood but chose not to be a part of it. When he, his wife, their sons and their wives stepped out of the Ark they had a fresh start. They had seen firsthand what full blown rebellion to God looked like and now they had the choice of rebelling or choosing to obey God.

The sin nature was still there. Sin and death were still very real. As the population grew so did sin. Sin was so rampant in Sodom and Gomorrah that God had to destroy those cities. Satan was still spreading his lies and mankind still believed him instead of God. Who did these post-flood people blame? Did they blame God?

God still loved His creation, and as rebellion continued He began to put into effect the plan of salvation that He had devised even before Adam sinned. God’s plan was to become one of us and shed His precious blood to redeem us. This was the only way to bridge the gap that Adam’s sin had created.

First the ground work had to be laid. Mankind had to be taught exactly what God views as sin. Man’s rebellion had grown far beyond eating the forbidden fruit and God gave the Law to the Jewish people to teach them and us what God sees as sin and what He required to cover it.

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

The giving of the Law was only a step in God’s plan of redemption. The Law and all of the sacrifices could never take sin away. It could only cover sin. God would have to enter His creation and become man in order to give mankind the only way to salvation.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The “Word”, of course, is Jesus who is the second person of the Holy Trinity…God the Son.

God loved His creation and still does. He loves us so much that He allows us to choose to accept Him and His love rather than programming us to love Him. He gave us free will even though He knew before the foundation of the world that Adam would choose to sin and that He, God Almighty, would have to enter His creation as a man to save us from sin and death. Only a perfect God could become a perfect man in order to redeem His once perfect creation.

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God” (1 Peter 1:18-21).

God has done everything He can do for you. First, He gave Adam and Eve a perfect place to live. They chose to believe Satan’s lie and sin and death entered God’s perfect creation. As people continued to follow Satan’s lies, God put His plan of salvation into effect by giving a very detailed list of His requirements. People still chose to rebel. Finally, He gave Himself. How can anyone blame God for the evils and the hurts in life? When something goes wrong in our lives we often ask, “Why would a loving God allow that?”

Did God make you smoke cigarettes so you got lung cancer? Did God force you to into that homosexual lifestyle so you got AIDS? No, it is the individual who chooses to reject God and follow Satan’s lies. Do not blame God.

If sin had not entered into creation there never would have been any suffering. It seems that blaming God has become commonplace among men and women everywhere. Because the blind and lost sinners of this world blame God for all evil, they want to eliminate Him from our culture.

We only need to look back to the way life was prior to the flood to see what happens when mankind, led by Satan, ignore God and attempt to remove Him from their life. That’s a big mistake. Now read the news headlines and ask yourself if things are much different in today’s world. Though mankind is still wicked and rebellious, God still holds all things together.

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

God’s judgment came once by a worldwide flood. His judgment is coming again. Right now Jesus is: “…upholding all things by the word of his power…” One day soon He will loosen His hold and judgment will come.

“Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:6-).

Only those who have stopped blaming God for all the problems in their life and have accepted the free gift of salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will escape that final Judgment.

It is certain that every person will one day either die or be taken in the Harpazō. If you die without accepting Christ as your Savior, you will spend eternity in the lake of fire. You will only have yourself to blame because you, like Adam, made the wrong choice. Only born-again Christians will be taken in the Harpazō and those who are left will face the worst judgment that has ever been. In Jesus’ words:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

If you have not accepted Christ’s free gift of salvation, you need to do that right now at this very moment. Don’t put it off because tomorrow may be too late. If you find yourself left here and facing the Tribulation, you cannot blame God.

He gave His life so you would not have to face His wrath. Blame Satan and the lies he spreads. Ultimately, though, it is your choice and you can only blame yourself for making the wrong choice. Instead of blaming God who loves us, we should be praising Him.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

So, who do you blame?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

Ron Graham was called home on March 14, 2013. He began writing this commentary before his death and had asked me, Nathele Graham, to continue his service to our Lord by finishing what he began.

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We see them everywhere. They are people we work with, doctors, teachers, bus drivers, our own family members, the list goes on. If they have not accepted Christ’s free gift of salvation, they are the walking dead. These people have rejected Christ and His free gift of salvation and they don’t want their sin exposed. In fact, these people don’t even see their sin as sin. It may seem as if they have it all, they laugh and seem to enjoy life to the fullest, but if they do not know Jesus Christ then they are dead in their sins.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

This Scripture is often quoted because it holds a deep truth. Sin gets paid, but those wages are not worth earning. The death talked about in this verse isn’t the death of the body. It is the eternal death and separation from God that those who choose to reject Christ’s free gift of salvation will face. It is the state of eternal existence of the wicked dead in the lake of fire.

Many people are steeped in unbelief and as such they have buried themselves in sin but believe they are living life to the fullest. They see no need to accept Christ as Savior. These are the walking dead. We can look at these people and marvel at their blindness, but there was a time when we, who are born again Christians, were just like them. Everyone is dead in sin prior to accepting Christ as Lord and Savior.

“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Colossians 2:13).

Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin. He has forgiven the sin that separates us from God and has made available to us the free gift of eternal life with Him. Jesus paid the price, now you must accept the gift. It is an individual choice, but it is the most important choice of your life. It determines your eternal life.

It is the responsibility of every Christian to share the gospel with non-believers.

“For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?” (Romans 3:3).

This was a rhetorical question by Paul but we need to reflect on this question and apply it to today’s unbelieving world. What if some refuse to believe in God? Does their unbelief nullify the believer’s faith in God?

“God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightiest be justified in thy sayings, and mightiest overcome when thou are judged” (Romans 3:4).

In God we find truth. People may mock and ridicule you for your faith, but that does not make their words true. Hold your ground, stand firm on God’s truth, and speak boldly of His love.

Those people who are caught up in the deception of unbelief, the walking dead, in all actuality are our mission field. The thief on the cross hanging next to Jesus first ridiculed Him as did many others who were present at the crucifixion. Yes, this thief was dying in his sins, as were all those present and watching the crucifixion. Something changed in this thief though, and eventually he had a change of heart. He came to know that Jesus could save him from eternal damnation.

“And he said unto Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom” (Luke 23:42).

These were very simple words but he meant them. Jesus recognized that change of heart and as soon as the man asked Jesus to remember him, Jesus forgave his sins.

“And Jesus said unto him, “Verily, I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

That one time mocker of our Lord is now in heaven serving God. The unbelievers around us need to recognize who Jesus is before it is too late. The thief was facing death and knew it. He made the right decision. Most of us have no idea when death will come. A car accident or a sudden heart attack can send us to our eternal destination no matter how old we are. The decision to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior is a decision that needs to be made today.

Tomorrow may be too late. Jesus encountered much unbelief during His years on earth. Still today many people also have their eyes closed and their hearts cold as ice. We are given a great example of Christ’s love and forgiveness as we read of the thief on the cross. He was a man who moments earlier was destined for hell, but he called out to Jesus and is now eternally with Him. Those people today who reject Christ may be moments away from death. Christian, you need to share the gospel with them before it is too late.

Those who are the walking dead may, in our eyes, seem to be steadfast in their rebellion against God. Although just like the thief on the cross they can have a change of heart. Yes, anyone can change. Only God knows who will accept the prodding of the Holy Spirit. That change of heart might even come from one word spoken from someone like you or me. It is certain, though, that if nobody dares to speak to those who are lost in sin, salvation will not come to them.

They will never know who Jesus is and that they need His free gift of salvation. It may not even take a spoken word. The way we represent Jesus with our way of life and our actions will speak volumes. Do you pray before a meal at a restaurant? Do you let anger rule your life, or does Christ’s love reach out through you to other people?

How about your words? Cussing and yelling do not represent Christ in a good way. Our actions are noticed and if we look and act different than the lost we may cause the walking dead to ask us some questions about Jesus. Then we need to have answers.

Sometimes we can be overwhelmed by the non-belief of those we tell about Jesus. We can easily get discouraged, yet we are in good company. Matthew recorded a time when Jesus went into His own country and was confronted with much unbelief.

“And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house” (Matthew 13:57).

Jesus’ very own countrymen were offended in Him. Because of their unbelief His countrymen lost out on much.

“And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58).

Unbelief hinders and even impedes God’s wonderful blessings. It is sad but there will come a time when we will need to shake the dust off our shoes, so to speak, and move on. We should never get discouraged with spreading the gospel, because as we move on. The Holy Spirit will stay behind to work on that individual. Our words watered by the Holy Spirit will work a work that we can’t see. We may never witness the fruit of our labors as we endeavor to confront unbelief but that doesn’t mean fruit doesn’t appear.

So how should believers continue in the face of such unbelief? With steadfastness in the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

It’s never our strength that leads us to witness. It’s always the Holy Spirit’s prodding that moves us to action. As believers, it is our responsibility to listen to His prodding and take action. You may be the only one who has taken the time to witness to Aunt Martha or that boss or co-worker who seems so mean. Christ has called all of us to share the gospel and we may never know the result of our witness.

If our motivation for sharing God’s word is seeing the results of our efforts then we are doing it for the wrong reasons. I’m sure that Peter, John, Paul, and all the rest had no idea how many people would be touched by their faithful witness, but we certainly would be in a sad state of affairs if they had stopped evangelizing after their first beating or stint in jail. Because of their love for Christ, today we know who Christ is and why we need Him as our Savior.

Just what is the gospel? Adam chose to disobey God. He ate the forbidden fruit even though God had specifically told him.

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:1).

Adam sinned. When he ate the fruit death became a reality. All of the pain, suffering, and trials of this life began at that moment in time. There was nothing Adam or any other human could do to take that sin away. No animal sacrifice could take sin away. No amount of “good works” can restore fellowship with God or earn us a place in heaven. It took God Himself to step into His creation and become one of us. His blood alone takes our sin away. It is our choice to believe Him or not, but we must be willing to spend eternity in the lake of fire if we reject Him.

“I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24).

This statement by Jesus confirms that He is God. In this verse “he” is not in the original text. Jesus said “I am”, meaning that He was the one who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. He is God. The Pharisees understood what Jesus meant because the conversation ended with them taking up stones to stone Him for blaspheme. On the other hand, Jesus told Nicodemus:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

That’s the gospel. That’s what we need to tell the walking dead. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the only way to have everlasting life.

Unbelief is sin, there’s no question about that, and it’s an inexcusable and unpardonable sin if a person dies in that state of rebellion. Rebellion is spreading like wildfire. The lost world is trying to silence Christians so that sin can be glorified and they won’t feel guilty.

In these last days before Jesus’ return, unbelief will increase substantially, but that should challenge every Christian to be more diligent in sharing the gospel. Jesus said “

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10.

Yes, the walking dead are all around us but they still have a chance at eternal life while they are still among the living. We have to tell them the Good News before it is too late.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham