Bear Grylls on Christianity: Jesus ‘Changed Me from the Inside Out’
Bear Grylls, a prominent TV personality and adventurer, has shared how his Christian faith has profoundly impacted his life and wants to encourage others to likewise turn to Christ. In a recent column for the New York Times, Grylls,50, shared how his faith journey began as a teenager.
"When I was a young teenager, I heard a visiting vicar at my school say: 'Jesus Christ came to kill religion and bring life,'" he recalled. "On one hand, religion always seemed the source of war, division and conflict. On the other, whenever I came across stories about Jesus, he seemed to be about peace, kindness, sacrifice, freedom and affirmation."
He noted he "read up about this Jesus person," learning that "whoever [Christ] met — rich, poor, sick, healthy, preacher or prostitute, powerful leader or simple fisherman — no one ever seemed to walk away unchanged." Reflecting on his own life, Grylls how his relationship with Jesus would "truly change" him "from the inside out." He also likened explaining the Christian faith as "ice cream or swimming," meaning that "it has to be tried to be felt."
"[M]y Christian faith has strengthened me in so many battles I've faced in life," Grylls said.
"In years gone by, I have ignored my faith and tried to do life without it," he admitted. "I have tried to be strong only in myself. But I have found that my heart is restless until I open the door to Christ again. I have discovered that we lose our power when we try to live on our own strength alone. I really need His helping hand, His peace within and that quiet assurance."
Further in his column for the Times, Grylls encouraged readers "be brave" as well as "bend the knee, close your eyes and ask for help."
"It's a beautiful, humble, powerful thing to do. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” he asserted.
Grylls has previously been outspoken about his Christian faith, including releasing a 365-day devotional in 2019 called Soul Fuel. According to the book’s description, it features "the backstories behind many of his most daring expeditions and how his faith gave him the purpose and power to carry on" and "explores themes of hope, courage, risk, heaven, and more." He told The Christian Post in an interview last year that "Christ has been a light to a dark path and strength to a failing body."
"Through many valleys and summits, jungles and deserts, He's always there," Grylls said. "For me, it's not a Sunday thing. I really need Him every day. That's how I kind of approach life."
Grylls also assisted actor Russell Brand, whom he considers a friend, in his baptism in the River Thames last year.
Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Frazer Harrison/Staff
Originally published May 30, 2025.
