Jumpstarter 6 of 10

Ideas to help restart your discussion

Question 6

Tertullian defends Christian discipline by saying God gave written revelation so that people “finding believe and believing obey”; how does that sequence (seek ? find ? believe ? obey) confront modern evangelical instincts to separate faith from obedience or to treat obedience as optional?

Another way to ask: Tertullian says God gave Scripture so people would seek, find, believe, and then obey. How does that challenge the idea that faith can be separated from obedience or that obeying is optional?

Direct Answer Tertullian’s sequence assumes obedience is the intended outcome of genuine belief, not an optional “extra.” The transcript presents Scripture as given so that seekers move toward belief and then into obedience as the normal Christian response.

Support from Transcript:

He says God “has added a written revelation… that seeking they may find and finding believe and believing obey.”
Revelation is for those “whose heart is set on seeking Him,” implying a serious, responsive posture rather than curiosity alone.
He describes God sending “messengers… abundantly endowed with the Holy Spirit” to proclaim truth, suggesting a divine demand, not merely information.
He emphasizes authority: “a fuller and more authoritative knowledge of Him and of His counsels and will,” implying God’s will expects submission.
Even in Bercot’s introduction, he notes Tertullian’s Christianity is “right out of the Scriptures,” and it “dramatically impacted” him—suggesting Scripture-read obedience confronted modern patterns.

Discussion Follow-ups Where do we subtly redefine “believe” to mean mental agreement without life change? What practices would help a church expect “believing obey” as normal discipleship?

Jumpstarter 6 of 10

Add your phone number?

Thank you!

Jumpstarter 6 of 10