Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
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?
Another 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?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript’s main point is that many Christians use “artful means” to minimize New Testament commands, so obedience requires taking commands seriously “for what [Scripture] says” rather than explaining them away. The speaker doesn’t provide a list of specific minimized commandments, but he does give common excuses and insists commandments “mean exactly what they say.”
- He says what’s missing is “the lifestyle teachings of the New Testament,” because many are taught they can “safely ignore many of the New Testament commandments.”
- Rule #1: “take Scripture at face value… read it for what it says. Don't try to read something into it.”
- He stresses commands: “when we are reading commandments, well, they mean exactly what they say.”
- He identifies two common minimizing moves: claiming Jesus/apostles used “hyperbole or exaggeration,” or saying commands were only “back there in that culture.”
- He warns people “minimize or skirt around the teachings of Jesus and the apostles by different very artful means.”