An Open Letter to Justin Bieber About His Faith

Dear Justin Bieber,

I’m ecstatic to see what God is doing in your life. Nobody is too far from God’s grace, and your story is one of redemption and revitalization. Your influence is beyond anything most could imagine harnessing, and I’m beyond thrilled to watch you use that influence for the sake of your faith in Jesus. Sure, you’ve made mistakes along the way, but don’t we all? Nobody is perfect, and I would encourage you to keep fighting the good fight while constantly seeking after the grace and love of Jesus. He’s got you covered.

You may find criticism along the way, but those who truly love you will be the ones who are there for you through it all. Those who love you will continue pointing you toward the foot of the cross.

Repeatedly lean into God, your pastors and those whom God has divinely put around you. Ignore the opinions of society and pop-culture and be who God created you to be—nobody else. Let Him be your guide. You have been called to something great, and I pray God continues to open up doors for you as you boldly share his name. Continue to do away with religion, and grab a hold of the all-consuming love of Jesus.

Here’s to a new you, and a new season and a fresh start. Be bold, continue to stay faithful and remember that you have millions of people praying for you on a daily basis. Thank you for your boldness, courage and audacity to share the name of Jesus through your platform. Stay well, my friend.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:9

“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. I think that with Christians, they’ve left such a bad taste in people’s mouths. Just like, overly pushy with the subject, overly churchy and religious. … You ever flicked on a channel and a late-night church show is on? Sometimes it’s like, “You better do this or you gon’ die and you gon’ burn in hell!” And you’re like, I don’t want anything to do with this. I’m the same way. 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 ostracized.

I just wanna honestly live like Jesus. Not be Jesus—I could never—I don’t want that to come across weird. He created a pretty awesome template of how to love people and how to be gracious and kind. If you believe it, he died for our sins. Sometimes when I don’t feel like doing something, but I know it’s right, I remember, I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t feel like going to the cross and dying so that we don’t have to feel what we should have to feel. … We have the greatest healer of all and his name is Jesus Christ. And he really heals. This is it. It’s time that we all share our voice. Whatever you believe. Share it. I’m at a point where I’m not going to hold this in.” —Justin Bieber