Justin Bieber says he overcame 'bad examples of Christians' before starting to follow Jesus

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Justin Bieber is giving fans a look at his life through a new docu-series; Steve Harvey goes from ringing in the new year on FOX to returning as host of the NFL honors February 1st.

Justin Bieber opened up about his come-to-Jesus moment during a wide-ranging interview promoting the release of his newest album, "Changes."

The "Intentions" singer sat down with Apple Music's Zane Lowe and reflected on his past self-destructive behaviors before he truly started following Christ and before he married Hailey Baldwin.

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"I really took a deep dive in my faith," Bieber explained about the darkest time in his life. "I believed in Jesus but I never really, like...when it says following Jesus is actually turning away from sin, and so there's no, it talks about it in the Bible, there's no faith without obedience."

Bieber performs onstage at the Staples Center on November 13, 2015 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Universal Music)

The 25-year-old superstar said he has long believed in Jesus dying on the cross for him but "never really implemented it" in his life.

Bieber explained the moment he turned away from drinking, drugs and sleeping around.

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"I think it was my perception of who Jesus really was," he said. "I'd had really bad examples of Christians in my life, who would say one thing and do another, so they were my direct example of who Jesus was."

Justin Bieber performs during the 2016 Purpose World Tour at Staples Center on March 20, 2016 in Los Angeles, Calif.

The Canadian-born artist who was raised Christian by his mother, Pattie Mallette, said he struggled with forgiveness and shame, which made him question who this "Jesus guy was."

"The way I look at God and my relationship with Jesus is I'm not trying to earn God's love by doing good things," Bieber explained. "God has already loved me for who I am before I did anything to earn or deserve it. It's a free gift by accepting Jesus, giving your life to him, and what he did is the gift. The forgiveness is the thing that we look at and we go, you know, I'm going to worship you, God, because you gave me something so good."

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He believes a lot of people have misconceptions about who God really is.

Justin Bieber leaves 1OAK on Feb. 8, 2020 in New York City. (James Devaney/GC Images)

"Jesus wasn't this religious elite guy...but he was in the dirt, and he found me in my dirt and pulled me out," Bieber said.

"I never want to be someone that's trying to persuade anyone to believe in what I believe. I think God persuades people," he concluded. "But I definitely want to tell my story so that if that resonates with anybody they can hopefully learn from it."

The Biebers are sharing part of their story in a YouTube series called "Justin Bieber: Seasons," which follows his songwriting and recording process for his latest album.