“I came to the undeniable conclusion that God revealed himself in Jesus and the Bible”

With the book Ten reasons to believe in God, Oriol Jara presents his testimony of conversion to Christianity.

Oriol is a well-known Spanish scriptwriter, who has worked on popular television programs in national channels and on humorous programs in Catalan television, such as Buenafuente and Polònia. He also produces a radio program.

Spanish radio broadcaster Onda Paz talked to him about his conversion story.

Question. How do you find God?

Answer. It's a long process, which develops above all through reason. God prepares his supernatural work in me through books, philosophy and the Bible. I come to the undeniable conclusion that God has revealed Himself in the Bible and in Jesus. If you want to know, you come to see that there is a cosmic legislator.

By the grace of God we know that there is a personal God who has revealed himself in the Bible in a coherent way.

It is a process not only rational, but also spiritual, when you find that your life is all about leaving your life in the hands of Christ. Many converts have felt this, and it is enriching not only for you but also for those around you.

Q. Did that discovery of Christ bring about a deep change in your life?

A. My rupture with who I was is radical, and that is the work of God, who changed my nature, my way of being, what I desire and what I want.

When someone's nature changes there is a supernatural renewal. God has put a heart of flesh in this wretch who had a heart of stone. It's amazing, when you realise that it's Christ, that it doesn't depend on what you do, but on receiving what Christ has done for you.

Q. How do the people closest to you react to what you experienced?

A. It's a very natural change that happened organically. One of the beautiful things about conversion is that people see those fruits, without having to explain it.

It's the beauty of God's work in our lives. I don't become a crazy legalist, telling people what to do, but what I do is take on the death of Christ for my misery and rubbish, and give that back in absolute love to Him and to the people around me.

Q. In the book you start talking about truth. Does it make sense in today's world, where truth is considered to be relative?

A. I defend the concept of truth as the absolute and final explanation of what we are and what the cosmos is, and what happens in the afterlife.

I have discovered that the Bible is not an ancient book written thousands of years ago that fits in with things that happen today, but it is inspired by someone who is outside of time, and that is why this book speaks today.

That is why when Pilate asks "What is truth?" it is a modern question, of today. Everything is questioned now. The Bible and God is truth, something revealed in a coherent way.

Non-believers sometimes do not notice that the same is said from Genesis to Revelation. We find emblematic things about Christ in Proverbs. That consistency is impressive. The apostles did not die for a lie, but experienced something supernatural.

It is an easy truth to prove. But people are afraid of absolutes, because they lead you to make a commitment, decisions that have to do with your life and that you have to change.

Q. What kind of love do you find in God?

A I have done very bad things, I have been very miserable, but God has loved me to the point of giving me the opportunity to believe in Him, to think about Him, and to know Him. Those who have been forgiven the most, love the most.

God loves me so freely, when He could have crushed me! But He has given me a new life, and all I can do is love, that those around me see this love.

Q. Do people today find it difficult to acknowledge they are sinners?

A. We are consumers, and the world tells us that we should buy things, that we deserve what we get. We are told that we are good, but knowing Christ, and knowing the holiness of God puts you in your place.

God, in his holiness, couldn't even look at us. Jesus says: love God and love your neighbour. It is a great revelation to know that every day is an undeserved gift. My awareness of being a sinner comes from conversion, when I realise that my human nature had negative effects on others.

God taught me that everything I do is filthy rags, the only thing I have is Christ. I am a apprentice who can only say: I am a sinner, and I thank God for his grace.

Q. How did you discover the Bible and what does it mean to you?

A. The Bible is the Word of God, for rational reasons, because there is no other writing like it. It is a historical truth in which God works. God speaks and is coherent, he is concerned that his truth be seen.

I want people to understand that Christ, his life and resurrection, is a historical truth. There is a lack of knowledge of who God is, of how he acts.

God's word is coherent. In the Bible there are almost 40 authors that agree and complement each other, which is impressive. Moreover, the preservation of the Bible throughout history is another demonstration that it is from God.

 

Q. What does following Jesus mean to you?

A. I have felt the conviction that my whole being belongs to Christ. My hands, my ears, my eyes... this is so radical that it is a problem for the consumption society.

If we want to live differently, we have to ask ourselves what we look at, what we do. It affects us. We have to watch what we consume, because it affects our relationships. The consumption society creates products to change the way we think and live.

Q. Do you have any plans for the future?

A. I have learned to love, to respect, people who love God much more than I do. I am learning so much.

With the book presentation talks, I thought that God was using me to bring the word to others, and it turns out that what God is doing is allowing me to meet people who teach me, to discipline me, to live closer to God.

I understand that I am new and I have much to learn about loving God and serving. That allows me to love my wife, my children, my parents, and I understand that that is the goal and the aim.