Discussion Questions

The speaker frames 2 Peter 1 as Peter’s “farewell speech” (like Pablo Yoder’s), given with death approaching; how does that setting change what you expect Peter to emphasize, and what does it suggest about what God considers urgent for churches to remember? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If 2 Peter 1 is Peter’s “goodbye speech” knowing he will soon die, what would you expect him to focus on most? What does that show is most urgent for God’s churches to remember?

2 Peter 1:3 says God’s divine power has “granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness”; how does the speaker’s insistence on “intense commitment” and being “very intentional” fit with God already granting what’s needed, and what does that reveal about how God intends grace and human effort to work together? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If God has already given us everything we need for “life and godliness,” why does the speaker still call for intense, intentional effort? What does that say about how God’s grace and our effort work together?

The speaker says modern Christianity tends to think “we have faith, so that’s sufficient,” but Peter commands “make every effort” to add to faith; where do you see that “faith is sufficient” assumption shaping evangelical language about assurance, discipleship, and freedom, and what would have to change if Peter is taken at face value? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you hear Christians today act like “faith alone is enough,” even when Peter says “make every effort”? If we took Peter’s words seriously, what would need to change in how we talk about assurance, discipleship, and freedom?

Peter’s goal, according to the speaker, is church stability—“not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability”; what “lawless” or destabilizing influences today most tempt churches to drift, and how does the speaker connect stability specifically to adding virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What “lawless” or unstable influences today most pull churches off course? How does the speaker say real stability comes from adding virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love?

The speaker wonders why Peter lists the qualities in this particular sequence; how do you interpret the logic of the order (virtue → knowledge → self-control → steadfastness → godliness → brotherly affection → love), and what breaks in church life when people try to jump to “love” and “witness” without the earlier steps? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Why do you think Peter puts the qualities in this order: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love? What goes wrong in a church when people jump straight to “love” and “witness” without building the earlier qualities?

The teacher calls it “intriguing” that “godliness is in the middle,” almost like “Only now are you godly”; how does that confront common Christian expectations that godliness is immediate at conversion, and how might early Christians have assumed godliness develops through practiced obedience rather than a sudden spiritual status? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the idea that “godliness is in the middle” challenge the belief that you become godly the moment you convert? How might early Christians have expected godliness to grow through steady obedience over time?

The speaker connects brotherly affection to real church problems—people asking, “How are you guys getting along?” and churches getting “all crooked about everything”; what patterns of conflict in your church (or Christian circles you know) might actually be symptoms of missing virtue, self-control, steadfastness, or godliness rather than merely “personality clashes”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What conflicts in your church or Christian circles might really come from missing virtue, self-control, steadfastness, or godliness, not just “personality differences”? What examples come to mind?

In 2 Peter 1:8 the promise is that increasing in these qualities keeps you from being “ineffective and unfruitful,” and the speaker tells a church plant this is the path to being effective; how does that challenge modern outreach strategies that prioritize programs, charisma, or numbers, and what would “effectiveness” look like if it’s primarily character-based? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does Peter’s idea that growing in these qualities makes a church “effective and fruitful” challenge outreach that focuses on programs, personality, or numbers? If effectiveness is mostly about character, what would it look like?

Peter says lacking these qualities makes someone “so nearsighted that he is blind,” “having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins,” and the speaker links forgetting to arrogance and self-righteousness; what are concrete signs that a Christian community has “forgotten cleansing,” and how would remembering former sins reshape the way correction, disagreements, and leadership are handled? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What are clear signs a church has “forgotten” that it was cleansed from past sins? How would remembering past sins change how the church handles correction, disagreements, and leadership?

The speaker highlights Peter’s startling claim: “if you practice these qualities, you will never fall,” and ties it to being “richly provided… an entrance into the eternal kingdom” and being found “without spot or blemish and at peace”; how do you process the discomfort of those statements (especially alongside “once saved, always saved” instincts), and what specific practices could your group adopt to “make every effort” in a way that is measurable rather than vague? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How do you deal with Peter saying, “if you practice these qualities, you will never fall,” especially if you’re used to “once saved, always saved”? What specific, trackable habits could your group start so “make every effort” becomes real and not just a slogan?