The Love of Jesus: A Testimony of Redemption

It has taken me nearly thirty years of walking the earth to even begin to scratch the surface of the depth and profundity of the love of Jesus. His love is real. It has changed my life. I want everyone to know Him like I do.

I grew up a staunch atheist. From the time I was a teenager, I identified myself as a “secular humanist,” which was the preferred title donned on me by my grandfather. To be totally honest—and it hurts to even confront this truth—I hated God. Or, more accurately, I hated the image I had invented of God in my mind. I imagined him as some czar of the Heavens who spent all of eternity punishing people in hell, a tyrant who relished in the destruction of non-believers. And if that were true, I figured I would be one of His favorite targets. I thought that no matter what I did, my eternal end would be inevitable: I was destined to be tormented in hell forever.

Now that I am twenty-eight years old, I have come to find out that the One True God is the EXACT OPPOSITE of all my previous thinking. He is a God of mercy and love, the depth and profundity of which I doubt we can ever possibly realize. His love is so great that He sent His Only Son, Jesus Christ, to go up on a cross and take the penalty for our sins. He was tortured and crucified, mocked and scourged, taunted and spat on, and did all of that for you and me. For all of us. What amazing love! The Bible, God’s very Word, describes these events in extensive detail for us to examine and begin to understand how much God loves us. God not only created us – He died for us! And then He rose again on the third day. He is truly the Alpha and Omega.

When I was younger, I was very much a pessimist. And when I heard people talk about Jesus and His sacrifice, I tried to deny it, as it made me feel guilty. Somehow, I adopted a twisted notion that God was going to torment me even more after death, after some sort of vindictive spirit born out of the ashes of His resurrection. I just wanted more than anything for it all to go away; I didn’t want to even think about any of it.

From this jumping off point, I went down into the depths of my own hell: addiction, suicide, obsessive manipulation, pride, envy, and all the hosts of sin and vice I could possibly fall into. I was lost, broken, ashamed, alone, and hopeless. I thought there was no way out.

Well, our awesome Lord Jesus delivered me from all of that. He brought me out of addiction into sobriety since September 22, 2021. He rescued me from a 75-foot suicidal jump. He taught me how to love and trust, and He molded me into a new creation. I am a child of God today. I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. My life is no longer my own; I freely submit to being Christ’s bondservant forever. He is truly worthy and ever my Hope and my Rock. I could not be happier, and I pray that if you have not already accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you would join me now, push back the gates of hell, and live in the love of God forever and ever. If God saved me, He can save you too. His grace is wider that you could ever imagine. He loves you, no matter how far gone you think you are. Take Him at His Word and find salvation in His love.