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Radical Christian Living  /  Obeying Christ is Not Legalism  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 5
Bercot says early Christians assumed obedience was necessary “to endure to the end,” then quotes Clement of Rome (“earnestly strive”), Second Clement (“confess Him…by doing what He says”), and Hermas (“those who…keep His commandments have life”); what do these quotes reveal about early Christian instincts concerning salvation, and what parts of that worldview feel most foreign—or most threatening—to modern Protestant instincts?
Another way to ask: What do these early Christian quotes show about how they thought obedience related to lasting to the end and being saved? Which parts feel most strange—or most upsetting—to modern Protestants?

Direct Answer The quotes show that early Christians instinctively connected salvation and “life with God” to persevering obedience—striving, doing what Christ says, and casting off unrighteousness. Bercot implies this feels threatening today because many Protestants are uneasy with language that sounds like effort, works, and conditionality.

Support from Transcript:

  • Bercot says early Christians believed obedience is necessary “to endure to the end to be saved,” not just “initial conversion.”
  • Clement of Rome (c. 96): “earnestly strive to be found in the number of those that wait for him” to “share in His promised gifts.”
  • Clement lists conditions: faith toward God, “earnestly seek” what pleases Him, do what harmonizes with His will, and “follow the way of truth, casting away…unrighteousness.”
  • Second Clement (c. 150): we confess Christ “by doing what He says, not transgressing His commandments,” not merely calling Him “Lord.”
  • Hermas: “Only those who fear the Lord and keep His commandments have life with God…those who do not…there is no life in them.”
  • Bercot notes modern readers feel “bothered” by “earnestly strive,” until comparing it with Jesus’ “Strive to enter.”
Discussion Follow-ups Which phrases trigger discomfort—“strive,” “reward,” “justified by works,” “no life in them”? How might Bercot respond to the fear that this undermines grace, given his repeated denial of “buying” salvation?

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