I was born in 1924 in Quebec, Canada. My parents instilled in me a fear of God from my childhood, and I longed to serve God to the best of my ability and to dedicate myself completely to Him. I wanted to please Him, as the apostle Paul wrote, “For God is so merciful, I beseech you, brethren: offer your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God; it is your meaningful worship ”(Rom 12: 1). This longing to be pleasing to God led me to become a Roman Catholic priest.
As a missionary in Bolivia
After several years of study, I was ordained a priest in Rome. A year later, I was sent as a missionary to Bolivia and Chile, where I served as a missionary in the Congregation of the Oblate Fathers of Mary Immaculate for more than thirteen years. I loved this life very much and tried my best to fulfill my duties. I enjoyed the friendship of all my colleagues, and although they scoffed at my joy at studying the Bible, they showed me recognition by asking about the results of my studies.
When they nicknamed me “Biblical Joe,” I knew they envied me despite the sarcastic undertone. Members of my community appreciated my ministry at the word of God so much that they organized house Bible classes. With this, I was forced to devote myself to a serious study of the Bible, on the one hand because of the improvised house group, on the other because of the Sunday sermons.
Serious study of the Bible
Studying the Bible was a hobby for me until then, but now it has consciously become my duty. I quickly became aware of the clarity with which certain truths are taught in Scripture. And, on the other hand, I discovered that nothing at all was written about many dogmas that I had studied. My Bible study also revealed that I did not know the Bible.
So I suggested to my superior that I use my annual leave to study the Bible.
Meanwhile, the Jesuits from Antofagasta, Chile, invited me to teach the Bible at their high school of pedagogy. I don’t know how they knew about my interest in the Bible. Despite insufficient readiness, I accepted their invitation, realizing that this new assignment would require me to study God’s word even more seriously.
The gospel over the radio
Someone had given me a small transistor radio on which I could listen to beautiful background music as I studied. I spent many hours, days, and nights preparing lessons, homework, and sermons. To stay in good shape while reading and studying, I listened to music. The small transistor radio provided me with wonderful backing music and saved me the hassle of changing turntables.
One day I noticed religious songs and hymns penetrating my ears. While reading the Bible and commentaries, I kept hearing the word "Jesus" on the radio. Then someone read a passage from the Bible. In particular, the last line caught my attention, "For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor 5:21). Finally, someone preached on the subject. At first, it took me a while to change stations because it bothered me a lot while learning if someone was talking. In addition, I said to myself, “What am I supposed to learn from this sermon? With all my degrees, I could also teach something to this man! ”
After a short hesitation, I decided to listen to what the speaker had to say anyway. And really, I learned one of the most beautiful things about the person of Jesus Christ. I became ashamed when I realized that I myself would never know how to preach as well as this unknown speaker. It seemed to me as if Jesus Himself was speaking to me and was now standing before me. And how little I knew Him, this Jesus, who was the subject of my thoughts and studies. I felt that He was very far away from me. Now, for the first time, I perceived it that way. He seemed like a stranger to me. And there seemed to be a big void in me.
The beautiful buildings full of thoughtful principles and well-illustrated theological dogmas established nothing in me. They have neither touched my soul nor changed my nature. I felt a huge emptiness inside me. And even though I continued to study the Bible, continued to pray and meditate, this void was getting bigger every day. I tuned in to every program that I could and was very much touched by all that I heard.
I hear about salvation by grace
I still listened to this show and included this program as often as possible. I learned that the radio station is based in Quito, Ecuador and is known as HCJB. I have also heard that this radio station is dedicated exclusively to preaching the gospel throughout the world. Sometimes I was very touched by what I listened to. On such occasions, I immediately wrote to their address, thanked them for what they had taught, and asked them for any informative literature.
Of all the things I heard, I was most touched by the perseverance with which these people spoke of salvation by grace, emphasizing that all honor for the salvation of man belongs not to the saved but to the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior, and that man has nothing to boast because all his works are just dirty clothes; that eternal life can only be accepted into the heart as a free gift and is not a well-deserved reward, but an undeserved gift that God gives to anyone who repents of his sins and accepts Jesus Christ into his heart and life.
For me, all of this was new and contrary to the theology I had learned: that we deserve heaven and eternal life on the basis of our merits, fidelity, charity, and sacrifice. And that’s exactly what I’ve been trying all these years! But what was the result of all my efforts?
As I pondered this question, I said to myself, “I have made no progress. If I commit a mortal sin and die in such a state, I will go to hell. They taught me to get salvation by good works and sacrifice.
But the salvation the Bible speaks of is a free gift of God. I said to myself, “My theology gives me no assurance of salvation; the Bible offers me that assurance. I’m confused!” It would be best if I didn't listen to this gospel program at all.
My inner struggle intensified. I suffered in body and heart. I had headaches, I couldn’t sleep, I was afraid of hell. I had no joy in performing Mass or confessing. My own soul needed more urgent forgiveness and consolation than all the souls I had to deal with! I avoided contact with others.
But in the loneliness of my suffering heart, God continued to speak. So many questions arose in my spirit; so many thoughts touched my heart. Then the saving word of God came to me as a balm for my feverish feelings, " For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16) "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3: 23-24).
“The wages of sin is death; But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord ” (Rom 6:23).
Many other Bible verses that I now know came to my mind, as I had heard them often on the HCJB transmitter.
Holy Mother Church
I decided to talk to my superior, who was a very wise man and a real father to many. He already noticed my point of view. I have changed, he said, something is wrong. And he listened to me. At the end of my confession, I told him, “I want to not only read and study the Bible, but also try to regulate my life according to it and live as it is written, free from everything that people want to impose on me.”
His response was hesitant because he didn’t want to hurt me. He advised me to continue reading the Bible, but he also reminded me of my duty to remain faithful to the teaching of the Holy Mother of the Church and to submit to it even in things I do not understand. I listened to my superior with all due respect, but in my heart I lost faith in the church a long time ago because she does not have a clear doctrine of the certainty of salvation at all. Even my superior did not know if he was saved.
The light came into my heart the moment I least expected it. That Sunday it was my turn to preach during the masses of the day. The night before I had, as usual, listened to Billy Graham's “Decision Hour” on HCJB. This program had often been of great help to me in preparing for the next day's preaching.
I had chosen the topic: “Religious hypocrisy,” using these verses from the Bible: Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name? and in Your name have cast out devils? and in Your name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21 -23).
The Holy Spirit works
I knew a little about my parishioners. I wanted to draw their attention to this mania that everyone had for boasting about everything they did, surely forgetting that these good works concealed a rotten heart. I was going to remind them of that.
As I directed my message to the community, I noticed that the word of God came back to me like a table tennis ball flying back into a player’s face.
It is curious how the spirit of man can, in a few seconds, build a whole scaffold of ideas that would take hundreds of words and perhaps many hours to describe them. This is how, while I was preaching my sermon to the parishioners, another Person was speaking to my heart, giving me a sermon that I would never ever forget, a sermon adapted exactly to my situation, and to my case.
I thought that because I was a priest and a religious, I was better than all those who listened to me. However, I clearly heard the Word of God resound in my heart: "I never knew you, Joseph!"
I hastened to defend myself, providing several arguments, “How is it possible, my God, that You are not going to know me who am Your priest, Your religious? Look at all the sacrifices I have made to date: studies for years, separation from my dear relatives, from my homeland; the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, with which I offered You all my right to possess, to have a family, to direct my life ... and all that in order to serve You better ... How can You tell me You do not know me? - Consider then, I beg You, all the sufferings that I have endured over many years of my life as a missionary, the hunger, the misery, the tears; Those that I have baptized are counted by hundreds, by thousands those that I have absolved of their sins in Your name; There are countless souls consoled with the ministry of Your Word, those who were disheartened, humiliated and depressed… Me too, how many times have I suffered from the cold, from loneliness, from the ingratitude of men, from contempt and from threats! I was always ready to give my life for You! .. ”
And I wanted to keep adding more and more arguments before God. But it was useless. The more arguments I presented, the louder was the voice that screamed at me within my soul, “I never knew you! - Get away from Me, you evildoer! "
But despite all the arguments I made to God, a curse echoed in my ears: "I never knew you…".
I could not believe it! I felt empty, totally naked before God. This sin that I tried to hide from the eyes of God through my good works, God saw, dirty, stinking, and ugly. I also saw it that way now and understood why God was not going to know me. I didn't find any other argument to present; tears prevented me from continuing my sermon. Depressed in the face of this terrible frustration of all my life, I saw with all its ugliness my own sins and the condemnation of God.
The parishioners thought it was the best sermon of my life. They did not know that my tears came, not from what I was saying to them, but rather from what the Holy Spirit was saying to me within my heart.
I was about to break down and cry right there before the parishioners. Tears prevented me from continuing my sermon. I was confronted with a terrible frustration of my whole life purpose.
I was at the end of my arguments, at the end of power. I was close to breaking up and was afraid that I would break down in tears in front of the crowd that felt the storm. At the end of the sermon, I could not continue.
I escaped into my office. There, on my knees, I waited for the storm to subside a bit. Where was I going to take refuge now?
Maybe in my theology? Perhaps my theology would save me, if I returned to it and faithfully followed all its dogmas and precepts. But that theology to which I considered attaching myself once again had already begun to experience disorder, change, destruction.
Where would I go for comfort and strength? To my friends? But they were themselves in the same situation as mine: uncertain, restless, and fearful of hell.
Then I had to take refuge in myself. No! Impossible! I looked like a filthy rag, more dead than alive. This is how God Himself describes to me everything that I had tried to do to deserve heaven: Filthy rag! (Isaiah 64: 5).
The annihilation of man is God's opportunity.
The realization that I had built my whole life on false values and was rightly under God’s just condemnation was more than I was able to bear. In my office, I cursed, knelt, and waited until I was wrapped in complete silence. There was nothing else I could do. I found myself in a state of complete exhaustion, lethargy, and despair. It was a moment for God to give me grace. This was the moment God was waiting for–to offer me His grace.
Jesus stays at the door
It is in this state of complete annihilation, my God took the opportunity to apply to my soul all His Words that had come to me through the HCJB. “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one can boast ”(Ephesians 2: 8-9).
It is there that I understood why God had rejected me earlier. I wanted to save myself, by my works; while God wanted to save me by grace on the merits of His works. He had already taken care of my sins and of the judgment attached to them. It was for this that He died on the cross. God had provided me with Another to be punished in my place.
After confession - answer
God opened my eyes and I realized the significance of the death of Jesus Christ. I also understood the reason why God should discard my life so far. I tried to save myself with my works. But God wanted to save me by His grace. My sins and the judgment that followed were already borne by someone else: Jesus Christ. That was the meaning of the cross. Christ died for the sins of others, for He Himself never sinned. So for whose sins did He die? Maybe for mine? Yes, for mine too!
This Other had already taken care of all the cargo of my sins and had suffered the punishment deserved for my sins. This Other was the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who died on the Cross for my sins.
The words of Jesus came to my mind: “ Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28). I realized that I had to go to Jesus if I wanted to receive salvation and peace to my soul.
And like a blind man sensing someone's presence, I wanted to shout: "But Jesus, where are You?" But before this question got out of my mouth, another word from God came to mind: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me ”(Revelation 3:20). Now I knew where Jesus was. He was closer than I had thought.
I have opened the door.
And I hastened to invite Him inside: "Come, my Jesus, enter my heart, be the Master of my life, oh well-loved Savior!" And Jesus entered my heart. I am saved. It was from that moment that, not only had my sins been forgiven, but also that God had totally removed them from me; except by the grace of God, made His son forever, with this Eternal Life that He had communicated to me.
Without having to ask anyone for permission, I surrendered to His dominion. “Come in, Lord Jesus; come into my heart. Be its leader, its Master, O Beloved Saviour!”
Immediately I knew that I was freed from the punishment that had threatened me for so long. I was saved, I was forgiven, and I had eternal life. God started working in me. I now understood the words I had heard so many times, and from now on they became a reality in my life: “ He who knew no sin made sin for our sakes, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor 5:21). – the verse that had caught my attention in the first place.
My struggle - how to continue
What happened then? I continued my priestly service as best I could. But little by little, I began to feel like a stranger in that position. The grace that had saved me, that had made me a child of God, was going to enter into conflict with the “works” of the position in which I was trying to live. I have noticed: is the grace that saved me and made me a child of God contrary to the “works” that were expected of me as a priest? On the one hand, I was happy because I had the certainty of salvation, and on the other hand, I was suffocating in a system that required me to do good works in order to be saved.
All that interested me was Jesus Christ: Who He is and what He had done. As I was now aware of my salvation, all work became increasingly irrelevant. The only thing that interested me was Jesus Christ, who He was and what He did. Therefore, I neglected the topics prepared by the parish liturgical commission and dedicated my ministry of preaching to the person and work of my beloved Savior. I preached Jesus in greater detail to my amazed community and despite the uncertainty, they were building up.
Finally, I asked to be released from my functions as a parish priest and returned to Quebec. I wanted to avoid falling into another theological system so I began praying for the Lord to find me brothers and sisters to whom I could join myself, so I wouldn’t feel so alone.
Since I could no longer preach things that were contrary to God’s word, I asked to be relieved of my ministry as a priest in the parish. My superiors made my decision, even though they didn’t understand why I would want to leave. They treated me very well and served me in many ways. Either way you look at it, I wasn’t missing anything. Also when it comes to food, clothes, housing and the like. But now I realized what the church could not give me: the certainty of salvation. Christ was my savior, I no longer had to earn salvation. Another did it for me.
Christians visit me
In 1965 I returned to Quebec for a longer vacation. Shortly afterwards, I was visited by evangelical Christians who learned of my name from HCJB associates. Although I found the time spent socializing constructive, I didn’t fully open up to them. I didn’t want to fall back into some religious system after some system of oppression, in which I was born, grew up in, and lived for it for almost forty years. Nevertheless, I prayed to the Lord to show me the brothers and sisters to join so that I would no longer be so lonely.
Based on the accounts of the Acts of the Apostles, I knew of the experiences of the early Christians: " They were steadfast in the doctrine of the apostles and in the fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers " (Acts 2:42). Was it possible for Christians to still gather today to remember the Lord and await His return?
The God who took care of the salvation of my soul will continue to take care of me and show me where His children are.
New task
My superiors in Montreal invited me to replace some professor of theology at Rouyn High School. The subject I was given to teach was: “The Church.” They gave me access to all the possible books needed to prepare the lectures.
I began my preparations primarily by using the Bible. I explained to my students, based on biblical statements, what the church is. I have to admit that I myself had trouble understanding what I was teaching others. Everything was contrary to the hierarchical order of the church I was still in.
Studying this topic filled me with great joy. To spice things up somehow, I played on a tape recorder interviews I had recorded in various public places in the city.
One day I learned that an upcoming television program would be on the subject: “The Church.” I recorded it in order to use it in my classes, and discovered that the subject was treated from the point of view of what the Bible taught. I was so impressed with the consistency of this unknown preacher's statements with my lessons that I wrote him a letter of thanks and invited him over. He came and I judged him to be an evangelical Christian who knows the Lord Jesus Christ well. After a few visits, he invited me to his home to spend Sunday with him and his family. During this visit, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the community to which he belonged.
God answers the prayer
At this meeting I learned what is written in 1 Corinthians 11 and noticed that God answered my prayer and brought me to my brothers and sisters and that Christians still gather as a local community in memory of the Lord and await His coming, 1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death till He come.
Shortly afterwards, I wrote to my superiors in Montreal and informed them that I had found my religious family. I asked them to obtain for me a dispensation from all the vows I had made to the Roman Catholic Church since I no longer considered myself a member. My life now belonged to the Lord and its direction was henceforth under His control.
New life in the Lord
The Lord liberated me, not only from sin, not only from His condemnation, but also from every system of man which burdens and suppresses. What would happen now? I had no idea. But I knew that if God had become my Father, He would take care of me.
“Now therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made thee free from the law of sin and death ” (Rom 8: 1-2).
I was accused of having lost faith in the Pope, when I left the Church of Rome. I told my accusers: “You are right! The faith I had in the Pope was transferred to the real Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ!”
Friend, if you are not saved, YOU ARE LOST! But Jesus Christ, through His Word, is at the door of your heart asking you to let Him in (Revelation 3:20). Come to Him and be saved today!
Joseph Tremblay lived in Canada. He spoke fluent French, Spanish and English and evangelized in various countries. In 1995, he traveled to Ireland to preach the gospel, give his testimony, and explain the difference between the biblical faith and the Roman Catholic Church. In the spring of 2006, the Lord called him to his heavenly homeland.
[Source: bereanbeacon.org]
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