Pop star and teenage heartthrob Justin Bieber recently opened up about his faith in Jesus Christ, a positive example in a music and entertainment industry that often seems devoid of Christian values. Bieber explained that he had always believed in Jesus but had never truly implemented his work and teachings into his life.
“I believed in Jesus, but I never really like, you know, when it says following Jesus is actually turning away from sin,” the celebrity said. “What it talks about in the Bible, it’s like there’s no obedience. There’s no faith without obedience, so it’s like I had faith about like, ‘Oh, I believe Jesus died on the cross for me,’ but I never really implemented it into my life. I never was like I’m going to be obedient.”
The Grammy award-winning musician further illustrated how he didn’t have any solid examples of Christians who genuinely followed the teachings of Jesus Christ, constantly observing people who claimed to be followers of Christ but acted in a contrary manner.
“I think it was my perception of who Jesus really was, you know,” he explained. “I’d had really bad examples of Christians in my life who would say one thing and do another, so they were the direct example of who Jesus was. That’s why I didn’t take it as seriously because I didn’t have a good example.”
Bieber also demonstrated a vital point of the Gospel that people often miss: that we do not earn salvation through our good works, but it is a free gift through God’s grace if we choose to accept the substitutionary sacrifice that Jesus Christ endured on the cross so that we may be forgiven of our sinful nature.
“The way I look at my relationship with God and with Jesus is I’m not trying to earn God’s love by doing good things,” he added. “God has already loved me for who I am before I did anything to earn and deserve it. It’s a free gift by accepting Jesus and just giving your life to him, and what he did is the gift.”
In a separate interview with Vogue, Bieber noted that he sought to “rededicate” himself to the Lord and prioritize faith in his marriage with Hailey Baldwin. “I wanted to rededicate myself to God in that way because I really felt it was better for the condition of my soul,” Bieber stated. “And I believe that God blessed me with Hailey as a result. There are perks. You get rewarded for good behavior.”
Bieber also gave a 2021 interview to GQ where he also shared his faith in God. “Hurt people hurt people—you know? And there’s a quote; The comforted become the comforters. I don’t know if you’ve heard that before. But I really do feel comforted. I have a wife who I adore, who I feel comforted by. I feel safe. I feel like my relationship with God is wonderful. And I have this outpouring of love that I want to be able to share with people, you know?” Biebers said.
Featured image credit: Screenshot from the embedded video.