Justin Bieber’s journey of faith

Justin Bieber has been famous worldwide since he was a teenager. With millions of records sold, and more than sixty million fans on Twitter, the Canadian singer was in the “100 most influential people in internet” list of the Times magazine, close to Obama or Beyoncé.

Despite of his great success, Bieber´s career was threatened because of his problems with drugs and alcohol, which led him to prison in 2012.

But it seems that the 21 years old singer is changing his habits and behaviours. As he said in an interview with the British Magazine Complex: “I forgot what I was about, what my mom raised me to be. I veered off, and I got tainted. I came into the music industry at 13. I was trying to trust people and they’d break my heart at 15.”

“Then I started doing my own thing. I got into a little bit of trouble—nothing that other 20 years old don’t get into—just rebelling a little bit. Now, being 21, I’m coming into my own and around some pretty cool people who are not afraid to tell me what’s real”, he explained.

He regularly attends the Hillsong New York church and was baptised on June, 2014.

“I GOT TO LEAN ON GOD”

When asked about what love means for him, he says: “Love is a choice. Love is not a feeling. People have made it seem in movies that it’s this fairy tale. That’s not what love is.”

“I can’t lean on people. I got to lean on God. I am going to trust in him through all my situations. Then, hopefully, my other relationships will flourish around me”, he adds.

Justin Bieber and Hillsong New York pastor Carl Lentz. / Hillsong

Bieber talks about those who try to reach him just because of his popularity. “If I can love you and know that I’m not who I am because you are being nice to me, but that I love you and I think you’re an incredible person but you’re just as broken as I am on the inside. We’re all just trying to figure it out.”

Bieber recognises that he was “tired of putting on a mask and a show for the people.” Now everything is fine because he “can just trust that God got this under control.”

“I LOVE TALKING ABOUT MY FAITH”

“At this point, my faith has gotten me to where I am. My faith has brought me to a whole other level. I love talking about my faith”, he adds.

“I’m not religious. I, personally, love Jesus and that was my salvation. I want to share what I’m going through and what I’m feeling and I think it shouldn’t be ostracised. I do not want to shove this down anyone’s throat. I just want to honestly live like Jesus”, he comments.

“JESUS IS THE GREATEST HEALER”

“What Jesus did when he came to the cross was basically 'you do not have to feel any of that stuff'.. We could take out all of our insecurities, we could take away all of the hurt, all the pain, all the fear, all the trauma. That does not need to be there”, Justin argues.

“So all this healing that you are trying to do, it is unnecessary. We have the greatest healer of all and his name is Jesus Christ. And he really heals.”

RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS VS. RELIGION

Bieber makes a distinction between religion and a personal relationship with Jesus. “The whole thing with religion is you present yourself holy and bring your offerings so that God can bless you, when the whole point of the relationship should be: `No, I am going to do this because he loves me. I’m going to do this because he is amazing and not because I have to, but because I want to' ”.

The singer believes that “that is the whole thing with religion that has been throwing off the people. It’s not a 'have to'.” It should be just like a personal relationship. Like: `hey, I love you because you first loved me'.”

And he continues: “If we can understand that we are all imperfect, let’s come to God and come for his help. You are not weak by doing that.”

“It does not make you a Christian just by going to church. It is a relationship. If you go to Taco Bell, that does not make you a taco”, Bieber argues.

“A GODLY CONFIDENCE”

When the reporter asks him if his faith makes him feel invincible, as he used to say he felt in the past, Justin replies: “I feel invincible like, nothing is bigger than God. If God’s for me, who can be against me?”

“That’s helped me in a lot of situations where I feel judged. It gives you confidence and you can carry yourself in a cool way, but it is not cocky. It is a confidence that is a godly confidence”, he concluds.