JESSICA (life story)

THROUGH CHRIST ALONE

Do you think you will get to heaven because your 'good' deeds outweigh your 'bad' ones? Raised in the Christian family, Jessica came to think Christianity was only for goody goodies or criminals. Read this interview with Jessica to find out that it is only by God's grace that we can gain entrance to Heaven.

Q: What were you like before you became a Christian?

"I was born into a Christian family and had attended church most of my life. But to be honest, throughout the years I didn't really understand what being a Christian meant. In fact, when I was about 14 years old I decided to forget about God and went my own way. I didn't care to think about God, church, or anything related to Christianity. I remember a high school friend of mine talked about God on several occasions. I couldn't imagine why anybody would be into this stuff. I thought God is good for two kinds of people - those "religious" kinds out there, or the criminals who needed help. I didn't like going to church and often made up excuses to my parents so I wouldn't have to go. I've always thought I'm not the "religious" type. At the time I thought I was already a pretty "good" person since I wasn't a criminal and didn't do "major" bad stuff. Sure I lied once in a while and did some "minor" bad things, but I just didn't think I needed God. But that changed later on during my high school year."

Q: How has your attitude towards going to church changed?

"Before I became a Christian, I found church to be less than exciting. But now I have a different perspective about these things. Now I think that being a Christian means having a personal relationship with God. Yes, Christians do go to church and pray, but we do these things as an imperative love of God. Being a Christian does not mean grudgingly praying and going to church. We do it because we truly desire to. In fact, I now consider it an awesome privilege to be able to pray and talk to the very Creator of this whole universe about anything and everything! I can't think of a greater privilege than that. And I find it a joy to be able to go to church to sing and worship God with other fellow believers."

Q: What caused the change in your heart?

"I believe during my junior year in high school God allowed some difficult circumstances to enter into my life as tools to get my attention to Him. When there was no source of help anywhere around me (left nor right), I finally had to look up. C.S. Lewis said this about pain: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." Out of His love, God used the difficult circumstance to get my attention, break my pride, and help me realize my need of Him. He broke my pride to humble me. And He had to break my hardened heart first before He could soften it. Well, one day as I reflected upon life, I concluded it's foolish to live my whole life while completely ignoring the very One who created my life. If God exists, I wanted to either give it my all or not at all. Why be on the middle ground? After all, if He truly exists (and He does), why not live for this sovereign, omniscient, omnipotent Creator of the universe who knows my life and wants what's best for me? H. G. Wells once stated, "If there is no God, nothing matters. If there is a God, nothing else matters." Since God created me, I'd like to know Him and His purpose for my life here. I learned and am continuing to learn that the Christian life is a relationship with God - the Creator of the universe who knows all my weaknesses, failures, and shortcomings...yet who chooses to love me nonetheless."

Q: What is the biggest misconception
you had about Christianity?

"I think this is a very important question because I believe many people share the same misunderstanding I've held. The misconception I had was that Christianity is about our trying to be "good enough" to get to heaven. I felt like I had to earn enough "brownie points" from God to earn His love and approval for heaven. But later on I learned that Christianity is not about our being "religious" and "good enough" to earn heaven. In fact, it's about acknowledging that we cannot be good enough to earn heaven on our own. That's why I need Christ, and that's why I became a Christian. God loves me and saved me because of who He is (He's a loving God), not because of who I am or what I've done. Even before I had the chance to do anything good, Jesus in His own volition suffered and died on that cross for my sins.

"The most important truth I discovered about Christianity is that Jesus Christ does for me what I couldn't possibly do for myself: He lived a perfect sinless life in my place, and paid the penalty of my sins in full 2,000 years ago on that cross."

By grace alone,
Through faith alone,
In Christ alone,

Jessica

Learn more about Jessica by visting www.solochristo.net