Discussion Questions

Paul commands, “Let love be without hypocrisy,” and the lesson connects this to Judas’s kiss; where do you see “Christian love” functioning as a mask today, and what would change if love included the hard work Origen describes—admonishing and correcting someone who is erring? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see “Christian love” being used to look good on the outside, like a mask? How would things change if love also meant doing the hard work of warning and correcting someone who is going the wrong way?

The lesson says genuine love “allows no flattery” and echoes Leviticus 19:17 (“surely rebuke your neighbor”); how does that challenge the modern instinct to equate niceness with love, and what boundaries would keep rebuke from becoming control or self-righteousness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If real love has no flattery and sometimes rebukes, how does that challenge the idea that love is just being nice? What limits should we set so rebuke doesn’t turn into control or pride?

Paul’s “abhor what is evil” is presented as stronger than hate (“utterly detest, loathe, abominate”); what sins have you learned to tolerate with mild dislike, and what practical steps would it look like to cultivate actual abhorrence without sliding into hatred of people? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What sins have you gotten used to and only dislike a little instead of truly hating as evil? What would help you grow a stronger disgust for sin without hating the people caught in it?

The teacher highlights that “cling” to what is good uses the same word as a husband “cleaving” to his wife (Genesis 2:24); what would it mean for your habits, entertainment, spending, and friendships if you were “cemented” to goodness with that kind of exclusivity? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If you “cling” to what is good like a husband clings to his wife, what would have to change in your habits, entertainment, spending, and friendships? What would it look like to be that strongly tied to goodness?

Chrysostom is quoted: “Do not wait to be loved… leap at it yourself”; in your relationships within the church, where have you been waiting to be pursued first, and what specific action would look like being the first to show “intense, warm, and glowing” affection? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In church relationships, where are you waiting for others to reach out to you first? What is one specific way you could be the first to show warm, real affection?

“In honor, give preference to one another” is explained as deferring to another’s viewpoint or way of doing things; where do you most resist deferring (home, church decisions, politics, ministry methods), and how do you discern when deference is humility versus when it becomes compromise or cowardice? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you most resist letting others lead or choosing their way (at home, church, politics, ministry methods)? How can you tell when giving in is true humility and when it’s wrong compromise or fear?

The lesson calls spiritual sloth incompatible with discipleship (“wicked and lazy servant,” “cursed…carelessly,” “lukewarm…vomit you out”); what forms of “careless” Christianity does your church culture normalize, and how do these warnings reshape the way you think about assurance, comfort, and “grace”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What kinds of lazy or careless Christianity does your church culture treat as normal? How do these strong warnings change how you think about assurance, comfort, and grace?

“Be fervent in spirit” is framed with fire imagery—God a consuming fire, angels burning fire, saints glowing, and love growing cold through lawlessness; what practices or compromises have cooled your love, and what would repentance look like if you took “glow in spirit” as a command rather than a temperament? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What choices or habits have cooled your love for God and others? If “be fervent in spirit” is a command, what would repentance look like for you?

Origen says serving the Lord means not serving money, lust, pleasure, or anything else, because God “demands exclusive devotion”; what rival “master” competes most for your obedience, and what concrete rearrangements (time, digital life, possessions, career goals) would demonstrate exclusive devotion? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What “master” competes most with God for your loyalty (money, pleasure, lust, success, or something else)? What clear changes to your time, digital habits, possessions, or goals would show God comes first?

The lesson claims early Christianity’s unity included rich/poor, master/slave fellowshipping as equals—“revolutionary”—and links unity to mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21); what social divisions do Christians today quietly preserve (class, race, education, politics), and what would “associate with the lowly” require of your friendships, church life, and sense of status? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What divisions do Christians today still keep, even quietly (class, race, education, politics)? What would it cost you to “associate with the lowly” in your friendships, church life, and sense of status?