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Radical Christian Living  /  Gaining Victory Over Bitterness  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 8
He says when we’re born again we’re “handed” both a forgiveness certificate and a cross, and even claims, “If there’s no cross, then we’ve never been born again”; how would early Christians have heard that, and how does it expose differences between “normal Christian life” in the New Testament and “normal Christian life” in Western evangelical culture?
Another way to ask: He says being born again means you get both forgiveness and a cross, and that no cross means you were never born again. How might early Christians have understood that, and what does it reveal about differences between New Testament Christianity and Western evangelical culture today?

Direct Answer The transcript implies early Christians would have recognized the “cross” as normal discipleship—conflict, trials, and mistreatment—because Jesus promised it. Bercot uses this to challenge Western assumptions that Christian life should be easy, arguing that some measure of suffering and testing is part of genuine conversion.

Support from Transcript:

  • He says at new birth we receive a “certificate” of washed sins and also “a cross,” and calls both “very real.”
  • He quotes Jesus (Matthew 10): “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword… a man’s enemies will be those of his own household… he who does not take his cross… is not worthy of me.”
  • He concludes sharply: “if there’s no cross, then we’ve never been born again,” because “God promises us we’re going to have some conflict.”
  • He contrasts contexts: Western crosses are “so small compared to what other Christians have had… or… right now… in other parts of the earth.”
  • He says God uses trials to test faith (James 1:2–3) and promises a “crown of life” to those who remain steadfast (James 1:12).
Discussion Follow-ups What “crosses” do Christians in comfortable settings tend to overlook or reinterpret as abnormal? How might expecting trials help prevent bitterness when conflict comes from family, church, or opponents?

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