Actor, comedian and new believer Russell Brand is reflecting on his “beautiful” first month as a Christian.
“I’ve been a Christian a month now, and it’s been a big change,” the Brand said in a new TikTok video. “Not that I’ve entirely changed as a person. Of course, I haven’t, but I’ve taken on a lot of new concepts, and it changes you to accept that it’s not like you’re in a game show, and by doing really, really good things, you can get redeemed.”
Over the last month, Brand shared that he’s been digging into the concept of repentance while wrestling with mercy.
“Repentance, to repent, means that you have to continually change and acknowledge that ‘I am in a battle against myself,’ that I need to surrender myself to an ever-present, internal and accessible Jesus, that mercy is something that’s given to me, been granted to me, that I live with through love, not something that I can sort of win or achieve by doing good deeds,” he said.
“I love the simplicity of the idea of God coming to earth as a man to experience what it is to be human and to sacrifice Himself because that’s the only sacrifice that could bring us home, that could give us the opportunity for redemption,” he continued. “I like the idea, when I’m in prayer and in communion, just alone, that there is a figure available, wounded and coronated, available to me. In my failings and my failures and in my fallibility, there is strength.”
He also shared that he’s been surrounded by strong leaders who have helped guide his spiritual journey.
“When I’m in doubt, I feel that instruction is there, accessible. I feel like I know what I’m supposed to do, and when I don’t do what I’m supposed to do, that’s even clearer,” he said. “When I feel myself being selfish or inconsiderate or putting myself first or not thinking about how I can be better to other people, it’s as if there is an inner illumination available to me now.”
Brand stated that this was only the beginning of his journey, and he’s aware there’s plenty more room to grow.
“It’s a beautiful journey to go on,” he said. “I know I’m just at the beginning. I know I’m just learning. I know there’s so much more to learn, and I’m so excited to learn more from you and for us to learn together.”
He concluded his video by encouraging his audience to share their own spiritual journeys with him and others.
“Let me know where your journey’s taking you. Can you remember your first month as a Christian, and let me know if since I’ve been talking about this publicly, it’s made you think about Christianity differently. We’re having lots of conversations about this stuff, and I’m so grateful to be having them with you. Stay free.”
Back in April, Brand shared a video of his baptism online with his followers and spoke candidly about the “profound experience.”
“Yesterday, I got baptized and it was an incredible, profound experience,” Brand shared on Instagram. “Many aspects of it were very intimate and personal. The truth is this: As a person that has in the past taken many, many substances and always been disappointed with the inability to deliver the kind of tranquility and peace and even transcendence that I’ve always felt I’ve been looking for, something occurred in the process of baptism that was incredible, overwhelming.”
During his 20s, Brand struggled with a heroin addiction. He’s been open about his recovery process, and in December 2023 he shared that he was 21 years sober. Back in 2017, he spoke with RELEVANT about he began his faith journey while in recovery for addiction.
“My route to spirituality comes through addiction, so it comes from desperation and fear and this sort of defeat, destruction, annihilation of self in a very humiliating way, I suppose,” he said. “So, I had no choice but to embrace spiritual life, but now I am grateful for this. It makes sense of my life.”
