Going to church does not make you Christian, says Jinger Duggar

Jessa and Jinger with their sister Joy-Anna(Instagram/JessaSeewald)

19 Kids and Counting star Jinger Duggar grew up in a Christian home but it wasn't until she was 14 years old that she came to accept and know who God truly is.

Because of her journey towards Christ, Jinger said that going to church does not necessarily make people Christians. In a video testimony she created with brother-in-law Ben Seewald, Jinger is urging others to truly understand God and accept His forgiveness if they want to get to heaven.

Jinger said that when she was only six years old, she realised that she was a sinner just like everybody else and sought her Saviour. She prayed about it, but things did not change until she turned 14.

"I came into my parents, and I was like, 'I really need Jesus because I know that on my own self I won't be able to get into Heaven. I've done so many bad deeds against God, and I cannot save myself from my sin.'And so at that point, I was broken before God, and I said, 'God, the only thing I need right now is Your forgiveness, and that can only come from You, and give me the strength to do that. God saved me from my sins," she recalled.

Jinger found redemption in God, but at the same time, she became burdened by the thought of other lost souls who still have not met God. She developed a burning desire to bring them closer to their Saviour and so started passing Gospel tracts made by Living Water Ministries to strangers she meets on the street.

She starts conversations with them and asks about their religious backgrounds. "Sometimes I'll ask people if they have a church background...because even if they do, sometimes they don't realise that going to church doesn't make you a Christian," she said. "Or, I'll take them through the Ten Commandments and through God's Law."

Jinger stressed that no one can be saved all on their own. "We can't do it alone, and no one can without Jesus Christ." She also quoted Matthew 9:36, which said that: "When Jesus saw the crowds, He felt sorry for them. They were troubled and helpless like sheep without a shepherd."