Message from Tim

Is sin a parasite?

In Romans Paul talks about sin as if it is an independent entity: in his eyes sin is not so much something I do; it is more like a power which rules over me, alienating me from other people and corrupting my desires. St. Augustine talked about evil as a privation of goodness, meaning that evil has no existence in itself: it subsists by distorting and corrupting what is good. This is how sin affects human nature: it takes human desires and distorts them. Thus, love is corrupted into lust; wanting to have enough is magnified into greed, pride becomes narcissism, our anger becomes disproportionately selfish; instead of enjoying goodness, we seek pleasure for its own sake; in the selfish pursuit of our desires, we lose control of who we are and how we live. As Jeremiah said, ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick’ (17:9). Sin is parasitic on goodness.

A parasite is an organism that survives by feeding off the host organism, and that is how sin operates: the stronger it grows, the unhealthier we become inside, to the detriment of our relationships with others and our own physical wellbeing. If our soul is diseased, every part of us suffers. When it comes to tackling parasitic organisms there is no vaccine available (despite the fact that malaria kills nearly one million people every year). This underscores the way in which scientists have developed COVID-19 vaccines in record time, and used some highly innovative techniques in the process. We have come a long way since the start of the epidemic, when researchers were wondering whether the key to finding an antidote might lie in isolating antibodies from the plasma taken from survivors. Over a hundred years ago, the practice developed of infusing patients with the antibody-laden blood of those who had survived an infection, and this ‘convalescent plasma’ approach was apparently used with some success in dealing with outbreaks of SARS and Ebola, although not with COVID-19.

Is there a cure for sin? The Bible says that Christ, who knew no sin, became sin for us, coming in the likeness of sinful flesh and dying for sin to condemn sin in the flesh, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3). Somehow, Christ’s identification with us in our sinfulness and his death for us deals with Sin. If we use a medical analogy to look at what Jesus has done, we can see him being infected with sin, succumbing to death and yet emerging the other side victorious, and as a survivor of sin generating within his human nature the antibody of the Holy Spirit, which is the ultimate means of our cure. Like every analogy, this one breaks down in all sorts of ways if you press it too hard. Yet nevertheless, I like the idea that Jesus is the one who pioneered the only known remedy for the human condition, so that by injecting his Holy Spirit into our lives he gives us the antibodies we need to fight the parasite of sin in our hearts. The good news is that there are no issues with supply for this antidote: The Holy Spirit of Christ is freely and readily available to everyone, irrespective of age, upon request. The question is, as with the COVID-19 vaccine: will you accept it?

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
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Planning your Visit

New to Church?

Here at Brighton Road Baptist Church, you will always be welcome. So it doesn’t matter whether you’ve never been to church before or have been going all your life and want to try something different.

No-one cares how you're dressed, what you believe (or don’t believe), whether you’re over 60 or under 6, or something in between - you're welcome to join us if you're searching or just browsing.

Whatever your circumstances BRBC is a safe place to discover God's love.

We are an extended family made of all ages and a variety of backgrounds. We are single, married, divorced, widowed, happy, sad, confused, motivated, those with time on their hands and those with no time at all. The one thing we have in common is that we want to know more about the God who welcomes us all into his family. We look forward to welcoming you.

What to expect on a Sunday morning:

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10.30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will offer you a copy of our weekly newsletter.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after the service. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10.30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. We share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. Following this we have a time of sung and spoken worship. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Often a person will pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. There is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

What about my kids?

For children under three, we have a Creche. Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
For kids from 4-11, we have our Kid's Club, BRBK. Activities vary but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. Part way through the service, the leader will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups.

Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

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Getting Connected

Housegroups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our housegroups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Housegroups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

If you want to get in touch, or have any further questions, please contact us!