Faith shaped every part of Yusuf’s upbringing, but it left little room for questions.
He is a young man from a country shaped by war, now living in a place of refuge just beyond its borders. Raised in a deeply religious family, he was surrounded by strict teaching and clear expectations about faith.
One day, he decided to open a new door and reached out to Arab World Media online.
Do you really worship Christ?
“I want to learn more about the concept of divinity and lordship in Christianity,” he wrote. “Do you really worship Christ, or is it the God of Christ you worship?”
The responder began speaking with him about what the Bible teaches, and Yusuf was encouraged to read it for himself. He took this seriously, reading six chapters a day and returning often with questions. Some passages confused him; others excited him.
What first caught his attention was Jesus’ teaching on fasting and charity. In the Bible, Yusuf noticed that these acts were meant to be done in secret, known only to God, and without drawing attention. The thought that repentance and giving should not be aimed at showing piety in front of others stayed with him.
Unsettling parts of the Gospel
As he continued reading, parts of the Gospel unsettled him. When he reached passages about Christ’s sacrifice, he paused. The idea that God would choose to carry suffering challenged everything he expected of faith.
“I never imagined Christianity was like this,” he wrote later. “So beautiful.”
Christ’s deity
Yusuf noticed the tone of the Gospels themselves. When he came to accounts of Jesus’ miracles, he was struck not only by what Jesus did, but also by the clarity with which he spoke. A couple of passages became decisive. When Jesus gave his disciples authority to heal, Yusuf paused.“Only God can give this gift,” he wrote. “A messenger doesn’t have this kind of authority.”
He also noticed that Jesus called people to follow Him without force, threats, or coercion.
“What impressed me in chapter 10 is that Christ doesn’t force people to follow Him. When He said, ‘If they don’t accept you, shake the dust off your feet,’ He didn’t use force or a sword. He said, ‘Follow Me,’ not ‘Follow the God who sent me.’ He speaks as though He is God Himself. Now, I am convinced that Christ is God.”
Amazing grace
In his most recent messages, Yusuf expressed deep gratitude for God’s grace. He wrote: “I am amazed that we are alive in God, in Jesus Christ. I want to remember how He sacrificed Himself so we could live without sin, how He took everything upon Himself because He loves us. I want to always remember that the Lord, no matter how much we sin, will always love us because He is our loving Father, and we are the children of the Lord Christ.”
Yusuf has begun praying for his family, asking that they too would be guided to “the faith of love and truth”. And he has expressed a growing desire to share what he was learning with others.
“I want the Lord Jesus to teach me,” Yusuf wrote, “and help me teach others.”
*Name changed for security purposes.
Source: Arab World Media
