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Jumpstarter 9 of 10

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The Kingdom that Turned the World Upside Down  /  Chapter 32, The New Zion in Geneva  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 9
The chapter argues Rome made Kingdom teachings “optional” for the “perfect,” but Calvin made them “wholly irrelevant” because predestination means obedience cannot affect destiny; where do you see modern evangelical versions of that same practical outcome (Kingdom teachings sidelined), and what would have to change in our preaching and discipleship to make Jesus’ commands matter again?
Another way to ask: The chapter says Calvin’s view of predestination can make obedience seem pointless, so Jesus’ teachings get pushed aside. Where do you see something like that today, and what would need to change so Jesus’ commands become central again?

Direct Answer Bercot’s main point is that theology can sideline Jesus’ commands either by treating them as “extra” (Rome) or as irrelevant to salvation outcomes (Calvin’s predestination). The transcript doesn’t address modern evangelical examples directly, but a reasonable inference is that preaching and discipleship would need to bring Jesus’ kingdom teachings back as central and binding rather than optional or unrelated to Christian life.

Support from Transcript:

  • Bercot says Rome “relegated Jesus' Kingdom teachings to the realm of the perfect,” as an “extra step” toward perfection.
  • He contrasts Calvin: “Calvin made the Kingdom teachings of Christ wholly irrelevant.”
  • Under predestination, “it makes no difference whether a person lives by Jesus' teachings or not,” because nothing affects the destiny already determined.
  • Bercot adds Calvin denied Jesus introduced “any new moral or lifestyle teachings beyond the Old Testament.”
  • He concludes the Swiss Reformers “did nothing to further the Kingdom teachings of Jesus.”
Discussion Follow-ups What would it look like if sermons consistently trained believers to obey Jesus’ teachings as the normal Christian life? How might churches measure faithfulness by discipleship rather than mere doctrinal agreement?

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