Discussion Questions

The teacher says, “When it comes to knowledge about God, we have only one ultimate source, and that's the Bible,” and that sermons/commentaries are only valuable insofar as they “shine authentic light on the text”; what practical changes would this require in how your group listens to preaching, uses study Bibles, or evaluates favorite teachers? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the Bible is the only final source for knowing God, how should that change the way your group listens to sermons, uses study Bibles, and judges favorite teachers?

The teacher claims, “The Holy Spirit is never going to guide us to a different understanding of Scripture than He gave to the first-century Christians”; what does that reveal about God’s priorities in guiding the church, and how does it confront the modern assumption that the Spirit commonly gives “new” insights that overturn early Christian understanding? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the Holy Spirit won’t lead us to a new meaning of Scripture different from what early Christians believed, what does that say about how God guides the church today?

Using John 4:23–24, the teacher argues that if we aren’t “truth-oriented,” we will “quench the Spirit” because “the only thing He can guide us towards is truth”; where do you see the temptation to prefer spiritual comfort, identity, or loyalty over truth, and how would you recognize that you’re “brushing aside” the Spirit’s help? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where are you tempted to choose comfort, belonging, or loyalty over the truth, and how would you know you’re ignoring the Spirit’s guidance?

The teacher says the faith was “once for all delivered,” “didn’t develop over time,” and shouldn’t change to “keep up with the times” (Jude 1:3); what modern doctrines or moral shifts do you think Christians justify by “keeping up,” and how would you test whether those shifts are faithful development or unfaithful drift? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What beliefs or moral changes do Christians today defend as “keeping up with the times,” and how can you tell if they are faithful growth or drifting away from the faith?

The teacher uses 1 John 2:14 to argue that late first-century Christians “correctly understood the Christian faith,” so we “don’t have to figure out everything from scratch”; what early-Christian assumptions about authority, tradition, and continuity are implied here, and where might modern evangelical instincts resist that approach? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If first-century Christians understood the faith well and we don’t start from scratch, what does that assume about authority and church tradition, and why might some evangelicals push back?

The “blank slate” metaphor frames prior Christian instruction as normal and often mostly true, yet also “probably the biggest single obstacle to finding God's complete truth”; what parts of your theological “slate” feel untouchable, and what would it look like—concretely—to admit, “I might be wrong on some fundamentals or important matters”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What beliefs of yours feel “untouchable,” and what would it look like in real life to say, “I might be wrong about some important things”?

The teacher’s Jehovah’s Witness story critiques a mindset that “compares what all the churches teach” while already assuming “we have the truth”; where do you see similar dynamics inside Protestant or evangelical church cultures (even without an official “governing body”), and how do those dynamics practically shut down honest examination? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see churches acting like they already have the truth and only “compare” others, and how does that attitude stop honest questions?

After reading the Apostles’ Creed, the teacher says most Christians already share the early essentials, but “our problem isn’t that we don’t believe enough; it’s that we’re dogmatic about too many things”; if you compared your church’s statement of faith (or your personal list of “must-believes”) with the Creed, which extra items would you struggle to call “non-essentials,” and why? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When you compare your church’s “must-beliefs” to the Apostles’ Creed, what extra beliefs would you have a hard time calling non-essential, and why?

The teacher says what’s missing today is “the lifestyle teachings of the New Testament,” because many Christians have been taught they can “safely ignore many of the New Testament commandments”; what specific commandments of Jesus or the apostles do you most often hear minimized through claims of “hyperbole” or “that was cultural,” and what would obedience cost in real life? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which New Testament commands do you most often hear explained away as “just a figure of speech” or “only for that culture,” and what would it cost you to obey them?

In harmonizing “faith vs works,” the teacher argues Paul’s “not by works” often means “works of the Mosaic Law” or “no works precede initial salvation,” while Jesus/James address “ongoing” or “future” salvation; how does that framework challenge common evangelical slogans about grace, assurance, and obedience, and what fears or objections does it raise for you personally? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Paul is mostly talking about “works of the Mosaic Law” and Jesus and James focus on continued obedience, how does that challenge common grace-and-assurance slogans, and what worries does it raise for you?