Discussion Questions

The teacher says the Bible is the Word of God but “not the complete Word of God,” because God also speaks today outside of Bible verses; how should a Christian distinguish between God speaking in daily life (neighbor, work) and personal impressions that might just be “fooling myself”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If God can speak today outside the Bible, how can you tell when it’s really God speaking through life and not just your own thoughts tricking you?

The teacher frames the Bible as “nonfiction autobiography” and insists, “It’s not about Adam…David. It’s about God”; how does reading the Bible primarily as God’s self-revelation change the way you read familiar narratives that you’ve usually treated as moral examples or character studies? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the Bible is mainly about God, not the people in it, how would that change how you read familiar stories you usually treat as life lessons or character examples?

The teacher argues that calling the Bible an “owner’s manual” can “sap the life out of it,” even though it “works” as guidance; where have you treated Scripture mainly as a problem-solving handbook, and what parts of God’s “story” did you miss as a result? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where have you used the Bible mostly to fix problems or get quick advice, and what parts of God’s bigger story did you miss because of that?

The teacher claims that because God is the author, “nothing in here is wrong,” and he adds that the Bible’s “science,” “history,” and “predictions” have been proven “over and over again”; how does that level of confidence shape (or strain) your approach to hard passages, and what do you do with doubts without quietly demoting Scripture’s authority? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If you believe nothing in the Bible is wrong, how does that affect the way you handle hard passages, and what do you do with doubts without treating the Bible as less important?

The teacher describes humans as “synergists” who can “hold” God’s energy (David, Jonathan and his armor-bearer) or hold the antagonist’s energy to amplify evil; how would early Christians—who expected spiritual conflict and the Spirit’s power—have heard that, and what modern Christian habits (comfort, control, self-reliance) resist this worldview? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If people can “carry” God’s power or help spread evil, how would early Christians have understood that, and what modern habits like comfort, control, or self-reliance make that hard to accept?

The teacher says the central conflict is “supernatural against supernatural,” but most people experience it as conflict with others or within themselves; how does his description of conversion as “settling that battle” challenge common evangelical ways of talking about salvation as mainly a decision, a moment, or assurance of heaven? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the real battle is spiritual, not just with people or inside you, how does that change the way you think about conversion compared to seeing salvation mainly as a one-time decision or ticket to heaven?

The teacher is visibly unsettled by God’s mercy to wicked kings like Ahab—calling Ahab’s repentance something he would dismiss as a “big show,” yet “not God”; what does this reveal about God’s priorities in redemption, and what does it expose about your instincts for justice, timing, and who “deserves” mercy? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does God showing mercy to someone like Ahab tell you about what God cares about, and what does it reveal about who you think deserves mercy and when?

The teacher states, “All of our destruction is our fault…We self-destruct,” and even frames Adam’s sin as Adam “going to kill himself”; where do you most naturally blame the devil, circumstances, or other people, and how would taking responsibility change your repentance, prayer life, and expectations of God? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you usually blame the devil, your situation, or other people for your sin, and how would owning your part change the way you repent, pray, and expect God to work?

The teacher contrasts Old Testament Israel’s violence in Canaan (“men, women…children”) with New Testament Christians as “the most peaceful people on earth,” explaining the plot change as moving from an unconverted nation to a converted family with changed nature; what assumptions does that force you to rethink about God’s consistency, the purpose of the law, and what it means to be God’s people now? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does the difference between Israel’s violence in the Old Testament and the peace Jesus calls Christians to in the New Testament make you rethink whether God stays consistent and what it means to be God’s people today?

Near the end the teacher says, “Knowledge doesn’t save us…Practice produces humility,” and “In the Last Judgment, God isn’t going to judge you on what you know…what you did”; what would have to change in your daily life if you truly believed God is measuring obedience and action more than Bible literacy, and which specific teachings of Jesus (like the Beatitudes, humility like a child, or doing good on the Sabbath) would immediately confront your routines? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If God will judge your actions more than what you know, what would need to change in your daily routines, and which teachings of Jesus would challenge you right away?