Skip to content

Add your phone number?

Optional. Nothing is sent unless you choose it.
The Historic Faith
Sign in

Jumpstarter 5 of 10

Ideas to help restart your discussion
Will the Theologians Please Sit Down  /  Chapter 6: But wasn't Paul a theologian  /  Discussion Questions
All Questions
Question 5
Bercot points out that Jesus focused on “the kingdom and living the kingdom life” and “so little about theological doctrines”; what does that emphasis suggest about God’s priorities for forming disciples, and what does it confront in how you measure “spiritual maturity”?
Another way to ask: Jesus focused on the kingdom and how to live it more than on detailed doctrines. What does that show about what God cares most about in making disciples, and how does it challenge how you judge “spiritual maturity”?

Direct Answer Based on Bercot’s argument, God’s priority for forming disciples centers on entering and living the kingdom life Jesus taught, not on becoming advanced in theological speculation; this confronts measuring maturity mainly by how much doctrine someone can explain.

Support from Transcript:

  • He asks why, if epistles are supposedly theology-heavy, “why aren’t Jesus’ teachings?”
  • He answers by observation: Jesus “primarily talk[s] about the kingdom and living the kingdom life, and so little about theological doctrines.”
  • He connects understanding to humility: God “has hidden these things from the wise and prudent and has revealed them to babes.”
  • He later reinforces that Jesus remains the final teacher: “his teachings are final,” not needing reinterpretation.
  • He concludes that the “foolish and ignorant” (in the world’s eyes) have “best understood the kingdom of God,” while the “brilliant” often struggle with Jesus’ simple truths.
Discussion Follow-ups What would it look like to define “maturity” more by obedience and kingdom practices than by theological vocabulary or the ability to win arguments?

Jumpstarter 5 of 10
Back Questions Next