By Mallory Mattingly
Grammy-winning artist Justin Bieber understands the difference between being religious and being someone who follows Jesus.
“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,” Bieber declared in a video on Instagram posted by PRAY.com. “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.”
Like all of us, Bieber faces temptations every day and is thankful for the strength God gives him.
Related: Justin Bieber Rejects Bitterness: ‘Jesus Keeps Meeting Me’
“The forgiveness is the thing that we look at — you know, ‘I’m gonna worship you God, because you gave me something so good,'” the “What Do You Mean” singer continued. “At the core, I fight temptation every day and things that, you know, are instinctive to do…whatever it is — lie, be greedy, all these things that just naturally come.”
“I gotta fight to not be that. With my journey to just see a God who accepts me, loves me, they call him the Savior. And I believe that to be true, that Jesus saved me,” Bieber added.
The pop star pointed out that “Jesus wasn’t this religious elite guy, but He was in the dirt, and He found me in my dirt and pulled me out. I’m a Jesus follower. When you accept Jesus, He says that now you walk with the Holy Spirit. So I think I just want to be led by the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus wasn’t a religious man. In fact, he condemned the Pharisees for their devotion to religion, as Matthew 23:1-7, 13-14 (CEV) reveals.
In the verses, Jesus says:
The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. So obey everything they teach you, but don’t do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.
They pile heavy burdens on people’s shoulders and won’t lift a finger to help. Everything they do is just to show off in front of others. They even make a big show of wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms, and they wear big tassels for everyone to see. They love the best seats at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues. And when they are in the market, they like to have people greet them as their teachers.
You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You’re nothing but show-offs. You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You won’t go in yourselves, and you keep others from going in.
Bieber frequently speaks about the life-changing power of faith in God.
“I grew up in a system that rewarded my gift but didn’t always protect my soul,” he said in a vulnerable Instagram post last December. “There were moments I felt used, rushed, shaped into something I didn’t fully choose. That kind of pressure leaves wounds you don’t see on stage. I’ve carried anger. I’ve asked God why. But Jesus keeps meeting me in the middle of the pain-not excusing what hurt me but teaching me how not to become bitter.”
Bieber does not want to be deemed a “religious man” but rather strives to follow Jesus’ commands to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Read Next: Justin Bieber Tells Followers This Biblical Reminder: ‘Bow in Obedience’
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