Discussion Questions

Derek Webb describes faith as something a person “can’t reach out and grab,” comparing himself to “in the grave next to Lazarus…waiting to hear my name”; what picture of God is implied by that Lazarus analogy, and how does it shape a person’s posture toward repentance, prayer, and moral effort? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Derek compares himself to Lazarus in the grave waiting to be called, what does that say about what God is like? How might that change how someone approaches repentance, prayer, and trying to live right?

In the interview excerpt, Derek says, “Either my name is written in the book of life or it’s not,” and even wonders if God “fashioned me for destruction”; how does the teacher want listeners to respond to that “hard language,” and what does Ezekiel 18 contribute to whether that conclusion is faithful to God’s character? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the teacher want people to take Derek’s “book of life” and “made for destruction” comments? What does Ezekiel 18 say that helps us judge whether that idea matches God’s character?

The teacher admits that believing “we don’t have free will” produced apathy in him toward enslaving sins and a “once saved, always saved” comfort; what parts of that logic feel familiar in modern evangelical Christianity, and where does the teacher think that reasoning quietly gives “license” to stay the same? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can believing “we don’t have free will” lead to feeling lazy about sin or too secure in “once saved, always saved”? Where does the teacher think this thinking gives people a quiet excuse to not change?

The teacher argues that Old Testament “if/then” passages (Deut 11, Deut 30, Joshua 24, Isaiah 1) assume real human choice; how would early Christians—reading the same texts—have expected baptized believers to respond to these conditional warnings and promises? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The teacher says Old Testament “if you do this, then this happens” passages assume real choice. How do you think early Christians expected baptized believers to respond to those warnings and promises?

Multiple early Christian quotes are used to argue that free will is necessary for God’s judgment to be just (Justin: “without excuse,” Clement: “God is without blame,” Tertullian: law implies ability); which of these arguments most directly confronts common modern assumptions about God’s sovereignty, and what objections do you feel rising up as you hear them? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which early Christian argument best shows why real choice matters for God’s judgment to be fair? As you hear it, what pushback or questions come up for you about God’s sovereignty?

The teacher quotes 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:3–4 to say God “desires all men to be saved,” yet also says God “ultimately knows the number of those who will be saved”; how does the teaching hold God’s desire, foreknowledge, and human responsibility together without slipping into fatalism? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How can God truly want everyone to be saved, yet still know ahead of time who will be saved? How does the teaching keep human responsibility real without saying everything is fixed no matter what?

Ezekiel 18 includes the startling command: “Make a new heart and a new spirit for yourselves. Make it for yourselves”; how do you reconcile that command with the promise elsewhere of God giving a new heart, and what does this tension reveal about “synergy” (working together with God) in salvation? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Ezekiel 18 says, “Make a new heart and a new spirit for yourselves,” but other places say God gives a new heart. How can both be true, and what does that show about working together with God in salvation?

The teacher says a practical weapon in temptation is to tell yourself, “I have a choice,” even giving a concrete example (“somebody walking with really revealing clothes”); what would it look like to practice that moment-by-moment choice without denying weakness, and how might this reshape habits you currently treat as inevitable? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would it look like to tell yourself “I have a choice” in the middle of temptation while still admitting you’re weak? How could that change habits you usually act like you can’t help?

The teacher connects healing to faith through the woman with a 12-year flow of blood—she believed touching Christ’s robe would heal her; in what ways have you “spent all your living on physicians” (methods, routines, excuses, coping strategies) and become “none the better,” and what would “staggering faith” look like in your most persistent sin pattern? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What are some ways you’ve tried to fix yourself—plans, routines, excuses, coping habits—but still haven’t gotten better? What would bold, “staggering” faith look like in the sin you keep falling into?

When addressing failure, the teacher emphasizes ownership (“it is my fault”), immediate confession (1 John 1), confessing to one another (James), and Sirach’s warning not to get comfortable with repentance (“flee from sin as…a snake”); where do you see modern Christian culture training people to minimize ownership or privatize confession, and what concrete changes would build a “body with no secrets” in your community? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see Christians today avoiding full responsibility for sin or keeping confession private? What specific steps could help your church become a community where people confess honestly and don’t hide?