Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 6
Clement says “this chastity cannot be attained…except by God’s grace,” and ties it to “Ask and it shall be given,” while the speaker later argues grace in 1 Peter 5 is not merely “unmerited favor” because “God gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves”; where does this collide with your current theology of grace, and what fears does it raise?
Another way to ask: Clement says this kind of purity only comes by God’s grace, and the speaker says God gives grace to the humble. How does that fit or clash with your view of grace, and what worries does it bring up?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript sets grace as something God truly gives, yet something you can “direct” toward through humility—an “exchange” where humbling yourself leads to received grace. That can collide with a view that grace is only “nothing you do will incur it,” and it may raise fears of earning grace or turning humility into a work.
- Clement: “This chastity cannot be attained…except by God’s grace,” and “Ask and it shall be given to you.”
- The speaker says God’s grace can conquer “even our most carnal and basic desires.”
- He quotes 1 Peter 5 logic: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves.”
- He notes some think grace is purely unmerited so “you can’t do anything to get grace,” but says “not here in 1 Peter 5.”
- He summarizes the exchange: “You humble yourself, and I’ll give you grace…What do you do? Humble yourself. What do you get? Grace.”