Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 5
The speaker quotes 2 Peter 1 (“giving all diligence, add to your faith…”) and 1 Timothy 4 (“exercise yourself toward godliness”), then says our responsibility often gets “shoved under the rug”—what practices or teachings in your Christian environment have minimized “all diligence,” and what would repentance look like if that minimization has made you spiritually soft?
Another way to ask: In your church or Christian circles, what has downplayed effort and “giving all diligence” in growth? If that has made you spiritually lazy, what would real repentance look like?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the transcript, “all diligence” gets minimized when Christians treat growth as automatic at conversion or primarily God’s job, leaving little room for daily practice and effort. Repentance, in the speaker’s terms, would look like taking ownership and intentionally “exercising” toward godliness through concrete disciplines.
- He quotes 2 Peter 1:3,5-7: God gives what we need, but we must, “For this reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith…” a chain of virtues.
- He calls this “our job… daily practice.”
- He quotes 1 Timothy 4:7-8: “exercise yourself toward godliness,” comparing it to bodily exercise.
- He observes imbalance: “We hear a lot of talk about God’s responsibility, but often our responsibility gets shoved under the rug or ignored.”
- He critiques teaching that says we can only “pray… fast… go out in the woods,” and then God removes problems, which left him unchanged.