Are viruses that infiltrate the body the same as sin that kills the soul?

on Jan 5, 2026

From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: The dark mornings and evenings of winter seem to welcome in the flu season. Our preacher compared viruses that infiltrate the body to sin that kills the soul. Doesn’t that seem far-fetched? – V.K.

A: When flu season comes around, people live in dread of getting this terrible virus because it invades the whole body. Weakness sets in, making it difficult to function or even rest. When it hits the elderly and the weak, it can be deadly!

Sin is a spiritual virus that invades our whole being. It’s the most serious thing people will ever deal with. It makes us morally and spiritually weak, infecting every part of us: our body, our mind, our emotions, our relationships, our motives – absolutely everything. We don’t have the strength on our own to overcome its power.

But when we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us. When this happens, any sin that comes in begins to fester, and God’s Spirit reveals it to us. The Holy Spirit tugs at our souls to get our attention, telling us that we are not right with God.

The root of all sorrow, the dread of every man, lies in this one small word – sin. We all have this terminal disease, far worse than the flu or even cancer. It has crippled human beings and has caused man to be caught in the devil’s trap!

People don’t willingly expose themselves to the flu virus – people generally run from it. This is what we should do with sin – flee.

Sin is the great clogger, and the blood of Christ is the great cleanser. We don’t need to be crippled any longer by the disease of sin because God has provided the cure. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7, NKJV).

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)