Discussion Questions

David Bercot says Paul’s “Point 6” is that after initial salvation “God requires us to walk faithfully with Christ… producing godly fruit,” and that “God does not require less of us under grace than He required under the Mosaic Law… He requires more.” Where do you feel resistance to that claim, and what picture of God (His holiness, expectations, and generosity in giving the Spirit) would have to be true for it to make sense? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says God expects even more faithfulness and good fruit under grace than under the Mosaic Law. What part of that do you push back on, and what would God have to be like for that to seem right?

The lesson insists that presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice is “not a suggestion… it is a command,” and also “not a one-time event” but something we do daily. What would “daily self-offering” look like in specific choices (time, money, entertainment, career, sexuality, speech), and what do you think keeps Christians from treating it as a real command? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If offering your body to God is a daily command, what would that change in your choices about time, money, entertainment, work, sex, and speech? What keeps Christians from treating this like a real command?

Bercot says this living sacrifice is not to atone for sin but is “out of love,” and that it means “allowing ourselves to be completely possessed by Him.” How does that challenge common modern instincts to protect “my autonomy,” and what fears surface when you consider being “completely possessed” by God? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If this sacrifice is done out of love and means letting God fully own your life, how does that challenge your desire to stay in control? What fears come up when you think about God fully possessing you?

The transcript quotes: “The body itself is not to be slain. Rather, it is to become dead to sin,” then adds, “if our bodies are not dead to sin… they are dead in sin,” and that offering a sinful body is offering “a dead sacrifice.” How does this early-Christian way of talking about sin and the body confront “grace” language that treats ongoing sin as normal and non-deadly? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The lesson says our bodies must be dead to sin, or else they are “dead in sin,” and a sinful life is like a dead sacrifice. How does that clash with ways people talk about grace that treat ongoing sin as normal and not dangerous?

Chrysostom’s examples make bodily sacrifice very concrete (eyes avoiding evil, tongue avoiding filth, hands doing no lawless deeds) and then insists that negative restraint “is not sufficient” without positive works (alms, blessing persecutors, delighting in Scripture). Which of his specifics feels most “impossible” or most neglected in your life, and what would repentance and change actually require this week? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Chrysostom lists concrete examples (what we look at, say, and do) and says we also need positive good works, not just self-control. Which part feels most impossible or most ignored in your life, and what would real repentance look like this week?

The lesson argues that being the Spirit’s temple “carries responsibility” and claims, “If we defile our bodies through ungodly conduct, the Holy Spirit will withdraw from us… Without the Spirit of God, we cannot be saved.” How does that square (or clash) with modern evangelical assurance frameworks, and what would it change about how you handle “private” sin? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The lesson says if we defile our bodies, the Holy Spirit may withdraw, and without the Spirit we can’t be saved. How does that fit or conflict with common evangelical “once saved, always saved” thinking, and how would it change how you handle private sin?

Origen is quoted saying “reasonable worship” is rational because it fits God’s nature, unlike offering animals to an incorporeal God. How does redefining “worship” as a consecrated life (not primarily singing or a service) reshape what you think God wants most from your week? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Origen says “reasonable worship” means living a life set apart for God, not mainly offering rituals like animals. If worship is mostly a consecrated life, what do you think God wants most from your week?

The discussion of “do not be fashioned after this world” stresses the temporary, trend-like nature of “fashion” and says Christians should “disdain” the world and live as “guests and strangers.” What are the most subtle ways Christians absorb the world’s “schema” (status, comfort, political identity, consumerism), and how would you recognize in yourself that you’ve begun to “gape at” it? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What are subtle ways Christians take on the world’s patterns (status, comfort, politics, shopping)? How could you tell when you’ve started to stare at and crave those things?

Bercot warns that rejecting the world isn’t enough (Essenes did that) because we must also be “transformed” into Christ’s image. What are examples of “world-rejection without Christ-transformation” you’ve seen (or lived), and what practices actually cultivate Christlike metamorphosis rather than mere withdrawal? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says avoiding the world isn’t enough; we must be changed into Christ’s likeness. What are examples of pulling away from the world without becoming more like Jesus, and what habits actually help real change?

The lesson argues Paul’s many commands imply real human freedom (not total inability, not exhaustive predestination), yet also insists “Apart from Me, you can do nothing,” concluding that salvation is a “joint project” requiring cooperation because “God conspires with willing souls.” Where do you personally drift—toward self-reliant moralism or passive “God will do it”—and what would cooperative grace look like in one area where you’ve been stuck? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The lesson says we must cooperate with God’s grace: not doing it all ourselves, but not sitting back either. Which way do you lean—trying to fix yourself or waiting for God to do everything—and what would working with God look like in one area where you feel stuck?