Jesus never said to worship him because he was God. He was God, but He gave people a choice, and that choice was to either have relationship with him or never find satisfaction. Jesus came to provide a way into Heaven, of which there was none for man before Jesus came. When he died on the cross he took away all the sin that had ever happened and experienced and forgave all that was yet to come. You should take comfort that Jesus already forgave you for sinning before you did it. We pray to ask forgiveness as a reminder that he cares about us. Jesus showed compassion and love towards every person he met in the bible, including murderers and prostitutes. The only time he got mad in the entire bible was when tax collectors had put up shop in the house of God and turned it into a house of greed. He cares. Getting baptized isn't a way to renew your soul. The water doesn't do anything. The act of getting baptized is a reminder that nothing but the blood that Jesus already spilt can save us. We should be humbled and joyed when we think of the security we were provided with thousands of years ago. I hope you know that I love you as a brother or sister of Christ and that you should try to remember that even Jesus loves the people you hate.
Cultural changes was one of the ways the Roman Empire changed over time. Culture changes included religious views. Christianity was introduced which went from prosecuting Christians to making it an official religion.
