I am the second generation of a Christian family. In the era of material deprivation, as the only male descendant in the family, my uncle had been sick for years with no signs of healing, despite seeking medical advice everywhere. At that time, there was a saying that Jesus can heal all who believe, which drove them to church, and my uncle was then cured. Therefore, the whole family, including my mother, became Christians.
My childhood memories are intertwined with church life. During worship gatherings, I would follow my parents to church. Sermons were over my head. I either fell asleep in my mother's arms or headed to the yard to have fun with my peers. In my daily life, I often heard conversations about faith, life, and prayers between my mother and other Christian aunts. There was also the merriest event, Christmas, which was the children’s favorite.
When it came to my teenager, there was a heavier homework load on my shoulders and more thoughts in my head. Sometimes I would skim through my mother's Bible, but I found it difficult to understand. It was a time when I started to realize the emptiness and complexity of life, yet I didn’t believe faith was the answer.
At college, I joined the fellowship of the church, attended every Sunday worship, studied the Bible, even served in the church, and told everyone I was a Christian. However, I was not clear about the relationship between me and Jesus or that between Jesus and God, though I knew there is a God who loves me. I barely had knowledge about the basic doctrines, so I would have doubts about God’s love when confronted with things I couldn’t understand. I found my flesh to be weak in establishing a relationship with God, even though my spirit was willing.
Years later, a senior Christian told me that spiritual life is rooted in trusting God and knowing Jesus, which I had no idea how to do. Her answer was to know more about Jesus first. It occurred to me that I barely knew Jesus, regardless of claiming to be born as a Christian. I often forget about Jesus's love, despite being moved to tears by it.
Jesus, who was God's only child, arrived on earth to spread love, but the prepared rejected him. He came close to those at the bottom of society, presenting God’s infinite love and forgiveness towards the sinful. Confronted with the disciples’ weakness and betrayal, he loved them till the end; facing the cross, he finished the path of redemption. A pastor said that not only when Jesus was crucified, but his whole life was the path of the cross, which makes the cross the symbol of Christianity.
A pastor, who is also a second-generation Christian, mentioned that one benefit of attending church since childhood as the second generation is that they have had a fear of God. However, the issue is that many of them need to learn who Jesus is, and they need to establish a true relationship with him, under the cognition that Jesus is their parents' Lord. He exhorted the second generation to break free from the previous cognitive framework and “to know Jesus again.”
He proposed two approaches to understanding Jesus: one is through genuine personal experience, and the other is through a thorough grasp of salvation. After a day of staying with Jesus, disciples of John the Baptist confessed that Jesus was the Christ, as their focus was on the real life of Jesus. We have to realize that what saves us is the real Son of Man, a living person, instead of some theory or our parents’s Christian identity.
The process of truly knowing Jesus has been uneasy. There have been struggles, pains, and even thoughts of leaving Christianity when I reflect on my faith experience over these years. Yet, the Lord’s love has always been there for me, as he chose, protected, and guided me. Now I can confirm that Jesus is not only the Lord of my mother's life but also the Lord of mine.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
我是一名信二代。在物质条件落后的年代，我舅舅作为外公家唯一的男丁，数年疾病缠身，到处求医问药却不见好，就在这时，听说信耶稣可以得医治，去了教会，舅舅的病好了。因此他们一家人，包括我母亲都成为了基督徒。
我的童年记忆和教会紧密相连。礼拜聚会时跟着父母，听道是听不懂的，要不靠在母亲怀中睡着了，要不就和其他小朋友去教会院子里玩。平时也会经常听母亲和其他其他信主的阿姨交通彼此的信仰和生活，一起祷告。还有最欢乐的圣诞节，最受小孩子的欢迎了。
进入青春期，功课的加重，以及开始更多有自己的想法，偶尔在家翻母亲的圣经，觉得生涩难懂。开始认识到人生的空虚和复杂，却不觉得信仰会给我答案。
大学后参加教会团契活动，虽然每周参加主日，也参加圣经学习，甚至参与服侍，也告诉周围的人自己是基督徒，知道世界上有神，也知道神爱我，但是对于我和耶稣的关系还有耶稣和神的关系都是模糊的，基本的教义认识也没有，所以在遇到一些不能理解的事情的时候就会怀疑神的爱。虽然知道自己要和神建立关系，但是如何建立，却是力不从心。
多年后，一位信仰的前辈告诉我，信仰的生命根本在于要信靠神，认识耶稣，但我迷茫怎么做呢。她告诉我，首先要更多的认识耶稣。我才意识到，我虽称自己从小是基督徒，可是却对耶稣非常陌生。虽然也因着耶稣的爱而感动痛哭过，可是这样的爱又是被我常常忘记的。
耶稣是神的独生子，他因着爱来到世界，预备的百姓却不接待他。他走近社会上最简陋的人，将神向着罪人无限的爱和饶恕彰显出来。面对门徒的软弱和背叛，他爱他们到底；面对十字架，走了这样代赎的道路。一位牧师说，不只在十字架上，耶稣的一生都是走了十字架的道路，所以十字架成为基督教的信仰标志。
一位牧师也是信二代，他说，作为信二代，从小去教会，好的一点是我们从小对神有敬畏。很多信二代认识到耶稣是我父母的主，可问题是他们不太关心真实的耶稣是怎样，没有真实的和基督建立关系。他提醒信二代要打碎自己之前的认知框架，“重新认识耶稣”。
他提到两方面来认识耶稣，一是通过自己生命真实的经历，二是对救恩有清晰的认识。施洗约翰的两个门徒去找耶稣，他们和耶稣同住了一天后，告白耶稣就是基督。他们将焦点放在耶稣真实的生活。我们也需要知道，让我们得救的不是某种理论，不是我父母的信徒身份，而是真实的人子，活生生的一个人。
这个过程并不容易，回顾这些年的信仰经历，有很多挣扎和痛苦，也有想要远离信仰。可是主的爱一直都在，他拣选，也带领保守。现在，我可以告白，耶稣不仅是我母亲的主，也是我生命的主。
一名信二代的自白：不能只是跟着文化习惯去教会而是要真实地认识耶稣
I am the second generation of a Christian family. In the era of material deprivation, as the only male descendant in the family, my uncle had been sick for years with no signs of healing, despite seeking medical advice everywhere. At that time, there was a saying that Jesus can heal all who believe, which drove them to church, and my uncle was then cured. Therefore, the whole family, including my mother, became Christians.
My childhood memories are intertwined with church life. During worship gatherings, I would follow my parents to church. Sermons were over my head. I either fell asleep in my mother's arms or headed to the yard to have fun with my peers. In my daily life, I often heard conversations about faith, life, and prayers between my mother and other Christian aunts. There was also the merriest event, Christmas, which was the children’s favorite.
When it came to my teenager, there was a heavier homework load on my shoulders and more thoughts in my head. Sometimes I would skim through my mother's Bible, but I found it difficult to understand. It was a time when I started to realize the emptiness and complexity of life, yet I didn’t believe faith was the answer.
At college, I joined the fellowship of the church, attended every Sunday worship, studied the Bible, even served in the church, and told everyone I was a Christian. However, I was not clear about the relationship between me and Jesus or that between Jesus and God, though I knew there is a God who loves me. I barely had knowledge about the basic doctrines, so I would have doubts about God’s love when confronted with things I couldn’t understand. I found my flesh to be weak in establishing a relationship with God, even though my spirit was willing.
Years later, a senior Christian told me that spiritual life is rooted in trusting God and knowing Jesus, which I had no idea how to do. Her answer was to know more about Jesus first. It occurred to me that I barely knew Jesus, regardless of claiming to be born as a Christian. I often forget about Jesus's love, despite being moved to tears by it.
Jesus, who was God's only child, arrived on earth to spread love, but the prepared rejected him. He came close to those at the bottom of society, presenting God’s infinite love and forgiveness towards the sinful. Confronted with the disciples’ weakness and betrayal, he loved them till the end; facing the cross, he finished the path of redemption. A pastor said that not only when Jesus was crucified, but his whole life was the path of the cross, which makes the cross the symbol of Christianity.
A pastor, who is also a second-generation Christian, mentioned that one benefit of attending church since childhood as the second generation is that they have had a fear of God. However, the issue is that many of them need to learn who Jesus is, and they need to establish a true relationship with him, under the cognition that Jesus is their parents' Lord. He exhorted the second generation to break free from the previous cognitive framework and “to know Jesus again.”
He proposed two approaches to understanding Jesus: one is through genuine personal experience, and the other is through a thorough grasp of salvation. After a day of staying with Jesus, disciples of John the Baptist confessed that Jesus was the Christ, as their focus was on the real life of Jesus. We have to realize that what saves us is the real Son of Man, a living person, instead of some theory or our parents’s Christian identity.
The process of truly knowing Jesus has been uneasy. There have been struggles, pains, and even thoughts of leaving Christianity when I reflect on my faith experience over these years. Yet, the Lord’s love has always been there for me, as he chose, protected, and guided me. Now I can confirm that Jesus is not only the Lord of my mother's life but also the Lord of mine.
- Translated by Poppy Chan
Confession of Second-Generation Believer: Discovering Jesus Beyond My Parents' Faith
