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Historical Theology I : MMT201  /  The Apostolic Quadrilateral (Intensive Week – Day 1b)  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
Clifton asks, “What if Jesus really meant every word he said?” and connects that to concrete teachings (enemy love, no lawsuits, radical money, permanent marriage, seeking the kingdom) and even his own Army experience; which specific teaching of Jesus do you most naturally treat as an ideal rather than an expectation, and what would obedience cost you in relationships, finances, career, or security if you stopped making that exception?
Another way to ask: Which teaching of Jesus do you tend to treat as a nice ideal instead of something you must actually do? If you took it seriously, what would obedience cost you in your relationships, money, job, or sense of safety?

Direct Answer Clifton presses that Jesus’ commands are not mere ideals but meant to be practiced, even when costly—he personally felt that tension in the Army when facing Jesus’ call to love enemies. The specific cost will differ by person, but the transcript highlights that obedience may demand real sacrifices in security, money, and social conflict.

Support from Transcript:

  • He asks the piercing question: “What if Jesus really meant every word he said?”
  • He shares a personal example: while he and his wife were “soldiers in the army,” he read the Sermon on the Mount and faced the question, “how do you love your enemies?”
  • He describes the decision point: “I had to make the choice that Jesus meant what he said.”
  • He lists concrete teachings that move from ‘ideal’ to demanding expectation: “marriage is permanent,” “lawsuits are wrong,” “a radical use of money,” “seek first the kingdom of God,” and “love our enemies.”
  • He ties this to Christ’s teaching as flowing from who he is (Logos), not last-minute advice: Jesus’ words “come from the logos of God,” so they should be “fundamental” for interpreting everything else.
Discussion Follow-ups Which of the teachings Clifton lists feels most costly in your current stage of life? If you treated it as an expectation, what practical step would you take first, and what kind of ‘security’ would you have to release?

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