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In God We Don't Trust  /  Chapter 34: What if they had trusted in God  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 8
The chapter uses Jesus’ words (Matt. 10:37) and Paul’s rebuke of Christian lawsuits (1 Cor. 6:6) to argue it is better to be defrauded than to harm a brother; what would obedience to “love your enemies” and “not resist evil” require from Christians when they face real injustice—taxation, property loss, discrimination, or violence—and what do we fear would happen if we lived that way?
Another way to ask: The chapter says it’s better to be cheated than to hurt a brother, and it points to loving enemies and not resisting evil. What would that kind of obedience require when Christians face real injustice (taxes, lost property, discrimination, violence), and what do we fear would happen if we lived that way?

Direct Answer According to Bercot, obedience would require Christians to accept personal loss rather than retaliate, and to refuse violent resistance even under injustice; the implied fear is that we will lose security, rights, or national goals if we don’t fight back.

Support from Transcript:

  • He applies Jesus directly: “Jesus commanded us to love our enemies and not to resist evil.”
  • He links this to Christian conflict: Paul taught believers shouldn’t even “take a fellow Christian to court,” and “it's better to be defrauded than for Christians to sue one another, let alone kill one another” (1 Cor. 6:6).
  • He argues that trusting God would have meant paying taxes: “they would have paid their taxes, and there would have been no revolution.”
  • He says doing God’s way might not match what we want: “Often things don't work out the way we want them to,” yet they serve “greater eternal good.”
  • He warns against prioritizing country: if we must love Jesus above family, “we certainly must love Him more than our country.”
Discussion Follow-ups Which “loss” feels most unbearable—money, freedom, reputation, safety? How might the church support believers who choose to be wronged rather than retaliate?

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