Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 7
The speaker defines evil as selfish, self-seeking, deceptive, and increasingly “entangled,” while good “seeks to bless” and “has no reason to lie because it gives”; what does this reveal about God’s nature and why God opposes the self-seeking person, and how does it confront common evangelical assumptions that God mainly exists to advance our plans?
Another way to ask: If evil is self-seeking but good tries to bless, what does that teach you about what God is like and why he opposes selfish people? How does that challenge the idea that God mainly exists to help our plans succeed?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s definitions, God aligns with goodness that blesses and gives, and stands against selfish, deceptive disruption; this challenges any mindset that treats God as a tool for our personal agenda rather than as King whose will must come first.
- He defines evil as “selfish, self-seeking… deceptive” and says it becomes “ever more entangled and convoluted,” like trying to follow a strand through a “wick.”
- He defines good as what “seeks to bless,” and says good “has no reason to lie or deceive… because it gives. It does not take.”
- He says God’s attention is toward the righteous: “God is all eyes and ears for those who pursue righteousness because righteousness is goodness… a peacemaker.”
- He contrasts that with self-seeking people: “self-seeking, schemers, and disruptive… [their] prayers… will make it no higher than the ceiling” apart from repentance.
- In sanctifying God, he insists “God is king,” “God does not change,” and “God gets first consideration,” warning against Christians who do their own will and “assume our own will as God’s purpose.”