Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 6
The Schleitheim warning says such people “do not serve our Father, but their father, the devil,” and then defines Christ’s people as those who “have crucified the flesh with its passions and lust”; what does this reveal about God’s expectations for holiness and the nature of saving faith, and how does it clash with contemporary evangelical instincts about assurance and “not being judged”?
Another way to ask: What does this warning say God expects when it comes to a holy life and real saving faith? How does that clash with today’s habits of saying “don’t judge me” and wanting quick assurance?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the transcript, Schleitheim assumes saving faith shows itself in a crucified-flesh lifestyle, and that tolerating fleshly indulgence is not a small mistake but alignment with the devil’s agenda. That clashes with instincts that separate assurance from obedience and treat calls to holiness as “judging.”
- The warning is blunt: such people “do not serve our Father, but their father, the devil.”
- The positive definition: “they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lust.”
- The instruction is separation and discernment: “Separate yourself from them, for they are perverted,” and “Guard yourselves and be warned.”
- The speaker paraphrases the modern slogan they reject: “Oh, it does not matter how you live. What matters is your heart.”
- He frames the desired community as one where believers refuse to “make an occasion for the flesh” and instead live patterned after “the example and teachings of Jesus and the apostles.”