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Jumpstarter 7 of 10

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Salvation: Mechanical or Relational?  /  Predestination and Free Will  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 7
Bercot calls Luther’s claim (“commandments don’t imply ability”) “convoluted logic” and compares it to telling a son to get groceries that aren’t in the car; what does this critique imply about God’s fatherhood, and where do you feel internal resistance to letting “commands imply ability” because of your theology of sin and weakness?
Another way to ask: If God’s commands mean we are able to obey, what does that say about God as a Father? Where do you struggle with that idea because of how you think about sin and weakness?

Direct Answer Bercot’s critique implies God’s fatherhood is not deceptive or cruel; a good Father gives meaningful commands that humans can truly respond to, especially with God’s empowering help. The internal resistance point is not fully developed in the transcript, but Bercot acknowledges human fallenness and need for the Holy Spirit while still insisting commands assume real choice.

Support from Transcript:

  • He summarizes Luther/Augustine/Calvin: after the fall, humans “no longer have the power to choose to obey or to even have faith.”
  • Bercot replies from Genesis 4: God tells Cain, “If you do well… you should rule over it,” implying Cain had ability.
  • He argues Scripture’s many commands show humans “were capable of obeying God,” pointing to “Abel… righteous” and “Job… blameless.”
  • He ridicules Luther’s move: commands don’t mean ability—like telling a son to bring in groceries when “there are no groceries in the car.”
  • He calls the alternative view “morbid… twisted,” imagining God punishing people for what they “can’t possibly obey.”
  • Yet he clarifies limits: we “can’t live a sinless life” and need “the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Discussion Follow-ups The transcript doesn’t spell out psychological resistance, but you could ask: do you confuse “unable without grace” with “unable in principle,” and how does that shape your view of God as Father?

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