Russell Brand Grapples with This Mystery of Faith

Published: December 5, 2024

Russell Brand Grapples with This Mystery of Faith

By Movieguide® Contributor

Actor Russell Brand shared his understanding of what James meant when he wrote “Faith without works is dead” and how it informs how he lives out his faith.

“What does it mean, ‘Faith without works is dead?’ Are we saved by faith or are we saved by grace? I think about this a lot, don’t you?” Brand said. “Like, we are saved by Him because He died for us. There’s nothing I can do; there’s nothing I can do to improve my condition in the eyes of God. His love is absolute, and His love is with me right now as surely and equally as it is with you, no better, no worse than you.”

“So then what does that mean, faith without works? Well, what I’ve understood from looking at James and where I am in the New Testament at the moment and by listening to people who know more than me — and Lord alone knows there’s a lot of them — is that when I feel His faith, when I live in faith, I will do good works, not because there’s anything to get but because I want to be like the triune God who lives in relational love,” he continued. “Because I want the living waters to flow through me.”

“I don’t want to create a cistern like in Jeremiah, I won’t want to horde God’s love for myself or I won’t want to horde the mana like the Israelites did in the desert, unbelieving that more mana will come tomorrow, so I want to be part of the living flow of His eternal love and act in accordance with it; bring God’s love, bring His kingdom here through my love and through His grace,” Brand added.

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The question of whether we are saved by grace or by faith is one of many that Brand has wrestled with and sought to understand since he became a Christian last spring. Though the actor knew very little about the nuances of faith and had many practices from other religions peppered throughout his daily schedule, Brand has quickly become a strong defender of the Christian faith, largely thanks to the strong leaders he has surrounded himself with to learn from.

Brand has documented his journey throughout the year and has helped millions of fans grapple with important questions of faith as well as he works to solidify his understanding of Christ and what it means to be His follower.