Discussion Questions

David Bercot ties 2 Corinthians 13:5 (“Examine yourselves…Test yourselves”) to Jesus’ warning to “count the cost” in Luke 14; what does this combination suggest about God’s expectations for discipleship—especially regarding finishing what we start? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot connects “examine yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5) with Jesus’ command to “count the cost” (Luke 14). What does that say about what God expects from a disciple, especially about finishing what we start?

The chapter contrasts “count the cost” with being “merely invited to ask Jesus to come into our hearts”; where have you seen that modern approach shape conversions, and what kinds of “unfinished towers” does it tend to produce? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How have you seen the idea of “just ask Jesus into your heart” shape the way people convert today? What kinds of half-finished lives of faith (“unfinished towers”) does it often lead to?

In the P-Trap illustration, Bercot describes avoiding the mess by trying “every other possible remedy”; what are the spiritual equivalents of “baking soda and vinegar” fixes, and why do we prefer them over a “no-holds-barred dissection” of the soul? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What are the spiritual versions of quick fixes like “baking soda and vinegar”? Why do we choose those instead of doing a deep, honest look at our hearts?

Bercot lists specific “gunk” (selfishness, envy, greed, vanity, ambition, lust, hatred, anger, prejudice, dishonesty, unforgiveness, complaining, self-pity, bitterness, pride); which of these does your church culture tend to excuse or rename, and what does that reveal about what we fear losing? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which sins on Bercot’s list does your church culture tend to excuse or give nicer names to? What does that show about what we’re afraid of giving up?

The chapter says we should “scrutinize our memory banks” for disobedience and for times we “hurt and wronged others”; how does that push against common evangelical instincts about assurance, repentance, and “not living in the past”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What does it mean to search your memories for times you disobeyed God or hurt others? How does that go against common ideas about assurance, repentance, and “not living in the past”?

Bercot insists on letting others help examine us—spouse, mature friends, church leaders; what would it practically look like to invite that kind of feedback, and what does our resistance reveal about pride, privacy, or control? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would it look like to ask your spouse, close mature friends, or church leaders to help examine your life? Why do we resist that kind of input—pride, privacy, or wanting control?

He recommends reading the entire New Testament specifically to learn “everything we can about the kingdom life” and compare it to our lives; if early Christians assumed disciples would shape life directly by Jesus’ commands and apostolic exhortations, how does that challenge how many Christians today use the New Testament? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If you read the whole New Testament to learn how to live in God’s kingdom and compare it to your life, what might you need to change? How does this challenge the way many Christians today use the New Testament?

Bercot says God “absolutely detests sin, but not the sinner,” and quotes William Law that a sinner is “carrying on the devil’s work against God”; how does that framing confront modern comfort with entertainment built on sin (shows, jokes, novels), and what might “hating the deeds” (Revelation 2:6) require in practice? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If God hates sin but loves the sinner, how should that affect our comfort with entertainment that makes sin look funny or normal? What would it look like in real life to “hate the deeds” (Rev. 2:6)?

Using Philippians 4:8, Bercot asks what we “meditate on”; if your thought-life and media diet were treated as a spiritual diagnostic, what would it reveal about whether you’re moving toward godliness or worldliness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Based on Philippians 4:8, what do you spend most of your time thinking about and watching? If that was a spiritual check-up, would it show you becoming more godly or more like the world?

The chapter says an “evil and awful” something remains after conversion (carnal mind/old man/flesh) yet urges refusing discouragement because Christ can overcome; how do you hold together brutal honesty about remaining sin with confident faith—without sliding into either despair or complacency? JumpstartAnother way to ask: After conversion, we still have sinful desires (the flesh/old man). How can you be very honest about your ongoing sin while still trusting Christ to help you change—without giving up or getting lazy?