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The Historic Faith Podcast  /  "The Balance of Faith and Works"  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 6
Clement’s warning—“Shall we become slothful in well-doing…? God forbid… let us hasten with all energy… to perform every good work”—treats the danger of becoming spiritually lazy as real; what habits, comforts, or doctrines today tend to produce the “slothful in well-doing” posture Clement fears, and what would “all energy and readiness of mind” look like in your week?
Another way to ask: Clement warns that becoming lazy in doing good is a real danger. What habits, comforts, or teachings today make people spiritually lazy, and what would it look like for you to live this week with “all energy” to do good?

Direct Answer The transcript doesn’t list modern habits in detail, but it clearly warns that believers can become “slothful” and must actively pursue “every good work.” Based on The Historic Faith’s framing, anything that makes obedience feel unnecessary—especially treating salvation as finished regardless of how we live—can feed spiritual laziness, while “all energy” means deliberate, urgent follow-through in love and good works.

Support from Transcript:

  • Dean quotes Clement: “Shall we become slothful in well-doing…? God forbid… let us hasten with all energy and readiness of mind to perform every good work.”
  • David describes Clement’s message: grace doesn’t cancel obedience; “he does require obedience… there are some conditions attached to it.”
  • David explicitly contrasts Clement with “unconditional eternal security”: “if we act wickedly, we have a lot to fear.”
  • Dean notes Clement’s overall context is a Corinthian schism; his call to good works and love is meant to heal division, not win abstract debates.
  • Clement also stresses self-control and conduct: “being justified by our works and not our words,” which implies action, not mere talk.
Discussion Follow-ups What weekly patterns most tempt you to replace love-in-action with “words” and opinions? How might you plan one concrete act of peace-making or service that reflects Clement’s urgency?

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