Discussion Questions

In the story, most students assumed Dr. Weiss was “trying to trick us,” so they looked “past the answers” and invented “real answers”; what specific modern Christian teachings does Bercot think function the same way with Jesus’ words about Judgment Day? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The students thought Dr. Weiss was tricking them, so they ignored the plain answers. What modern Christian teachings does Bercot say do the same thing with Jesus’ clear warnings about Judgment Day?

Susan’s turning point was, “Is that what I really think of Dr. Weiss… Can I really believe that he wants to flunk us?”—what does this chapter imply about how our view of God’s character shapes whether we take Jesus’ warnings seriously? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Susan changed when she asked if Dr. Weiss really wanted to fail them. What does this chapter say about how your picture of God affects whether you take Jesus’ warnings seriously?

Bercot says Jesus has already told us the Judgment Day “exam questions” (feeding the hungry, etc.) and that Jesus will already know the answers before we stand before Him; how does that picture of judgment challenge common evangelical ideas about assurance, “no fear,” and what gets evaluated at the end? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says Jesus already told us what He will judge (like feeding the hungry) and already knows our answers. How does that challenge common evangelical ideas about being “assured,” having “no fear,” and what matters at the end?

The chapter quotes a pamphlet: “there is nothing we can do to get into heaven,” then qualifies it: salvation is a gift “to those with a living faith who produce godly fruit”; where do you personally feel the tension between “gift” and “fruit,” and what do you fear losing on either side of that tension? JumpstartAnother way to ask: The pamphlet says we can’t do anything to get into heaven, but then says salvation is a gift to people with living faith that shows fruit. Where do you feel the pull between “gift” and “fruit,” and what do you fear losing by leaning too far to either side?

Bercot insists that “a faith that produces no fruit is not saving faith”; what concrete “fruit” does the chapter keep returning to, and how does that narrow focus confront a more internal or doctrinal definition of faith? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says faith with no fruit is not saving faith. What specific kinds of “fruit” does the chapter keep pointing to, and how does that challenge a view of faith that is mostly about beliefs or inner feelings?

Jesus’ words are quoted, “When you do a charitable deed, not if you do one”; what does that assumption suggest about what Jesus expected as normal discipleship, and how would an early Christian community likely have organized life if they took “when” literally? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Jesus says, “When you do a charitable deed,” not “if.” What does that show Jesus expected to be normal for His followers, and what might an early Christian church have done differently if they took “when” as a real rule for daily life?

Luke 12:33 is cited: “Sell what you have and give alms… treasure in the heavens”; how should a serious Christian interpret commands like this without explaining them away—and what would obedience realistically cost in a middle-class Western lifestyle? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Luke 12:33 says, “Sell what you have and give to the poor.” How should a serious Christian take commands like this without talking them away, and what would obeying it likely cost in a middle-class Western life?

Luke 19:8–9 connects Zacchaeus’s generosity and restitution with Jesus saying, “Today, salvation has come to this house”; what does that storyline suggest about the relationship between repentance, money, and salvation that makes modern Christians uncomfortable? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Zacchaeus gives money back and helps the poor, and Jesus says salvation came to his house. What does that story say about repentance, money, and salvation that makes many modern Christians uneasy?

James 2:15–16 is used to define “dead faith” as refusing material help to the needy; what are the most common religious-sounding ways Christians (including us) say “be warmed and filled” today, and what would James call that? JumpstartAnother way to ask: James calls faith “dead” if we refuse to help needy people in real ways. What are some religious-sounding things Christians say today that really mean “good luck,” and what would James call that kind of response?

Bercot claims Paul is often misread as teaching “once-and-done faith,” then quotes 1 Timothy 6:17–19 about the rich being “ready to give… storing up… that they may lay hold on eternal life”; how does that passage reshape the way you think about wealth, giving, and “laying hold” of eternal life, and what specific changes would follow if you believed Paul meant it plainly? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Bercot says Paul is often taken to mean “believe once and you’re done,” but 1 Timothy 6 says the rich should be generous and “lay hold on eternal life.” How does that change how you think about money and giving, and what would you do differently if you took Paul’s words in the plainest way?