thekissofchaos asked: In your recent post about Bell's book, you said 'at worst he’s an inclusivist or someone who upholds a doctrine of universal reconciliation'.
Really? Worst? You know what the best is? And universalism is the most extreme worst?
I did say that however it was in the context of a Christian response to Rob Bell’s book. There are set paradigms for such a discussion, at one end of the scale you have orthodox Christian beliefs and at the other end you have universalism. On that scale, universalism would be as far from orthodox Christian beliefs as you could get. In actuality there are many other worldviews which are further from Christianity than Universalism but Universalism is relevant here because that has been the accusation against Bell. Also, I believe I said he is not a Universalist despite the charges brought against him, universal reconciliation is different than Universalism.
Regarding your question, “You know what the best is?” The answers is yes I think I do, otherwise I wouldn’t believe it unless I thought it was best. No one believes in something they think is second best.
At last I’ve finished the book and my reflections on it. Maybe its 30 seconds of fame are over but I think there are some valuable thoughts that come from discussing it so here it goes…
In short its not as bad as you’ve heard but its not as good as it could or should be.
It’s hard to know where to begin with comments as I want to keep this short and avoid a chapter by chapter, line by line commentary on it and just go over the basics so I’ve broken it down into a few categories.
Use of Scripture
As this is a crucial issue for any Christian author I want to address this first. I’ll start with the positives. There are positives but they are small compared to the scope of the negatives but I want to give credit where credit is due.
Positives
- Bell using a great breadth of scripture and connects big ideas throughout all of Jesus teaching and scripture.
- Bell faithfully cites every verse in the Bible that references hell.
- Bell has a great gift for determining what is not in scripture, he debunks many myths about heaven, hell and life on earth that are assumptions built over time rather than scripturally asserted truths.
Negatives
- Bell subscribes to and is even a proponent of Narrative Theology. This school of thinking (of which Bell is somewhat of an extremist) doesn’t extract propositional knowledge from scripture. He is correct in not treating scripture as a list of propositions but incorrect in assuming that the Bible does not teach anything in an outright manner.
- Almost every parable or story told by Jesus is misused and misinterpreted. Ex. Luke 18 - If you go back a few blog entries you can find my interpretation of this, Bell uses both of those stories to draw conclusions that are basically non-conclusive. He thinks Jesus doesn’t really assert much in those teachings but rather just tears down people’s current conceptions. I agree that Jesus confronts the wrong thinking of the day but I think he clearly asserts a new teaching.
- While Bell cites every verse about hell he uses language to imply that hell is basically a footnote in the Bible. He says its only mentioned this many times but what he fails to mention is that Jesus taught more often about hell then he did about heaven.
Asking Questions
I like Rob Bell. I’ve always liked Rob Bell. He asks hard questions and doesn’t back down from any challenging, hard, difficult or uncomfortable question. However in this book its hard for me to tell if he is asking questions the way he does because he’s trying to connect with his followers who struggle with these questions or if he is just as vexed by them as the are. After reading the book I tend towards the latter…
Goodness, Justice and Love
Rob asks questions about the nature, character, will and power of God. All important questions and ones that need something more than casual consideration. He does however fall into the tendency that a lot of people do. Instead of looking to God for the definition and standard of goodness, justice and love he comes up with his own human (arbitrary) abstraction of goodness, justice and love and then puts God on trial according to those standards… That is not a biblical approach to God. Instead the Christian understanding should be that goodness, justice, love and beauty are universal principles, standards and forms that flow from God’s nature and character, they are not human inventions, conventions or abstractions that may be used to critique God. That is a hard truth but its a true truth.
Universal Reconciliation/Redemption
This is what all the stink is about. The immediate claim against his book is that Rob Bell is a unitarian or a universalist. Most of those claims were speculative from the video released about the book and not the book itself. He is not a unitarian or a universalist as far as I can tell, at worst he’s an inclusivist or someone who upholds a doctrine of universal reconciliation.
Bell asserts that there is heaven, there is hell, people goto both. HOWEVER he thinks that God works through eternity and beyond the scope of biblical revelation. That doesn’t seem out of the question given our understanding of who God is but it is all speculative and not scriptural. The question that needs to be answered is, what can we gain from speculating on this? You cannot embrace a dogmatic speculative teaching and neglect the clear teaching of the gospel on this earth. Speculation is fine but we must uphold biblical truths, mandates and find our mission and purpose on this earth from the scripture.
Slander
By my estimation there are two accounts (at least) of slander surrounding this book. The first account is Rob Bell subtly slandering the character of God by framing his questions that misrepresent the God of scripture. Questions that assume God tortures people in hell (and several other questions he poses) are not representative of the God in scripture.
The second account of slander is against Rob Bell, he is being thrown under the bus because he wrestles with hard questions. This is wrong, he is responsible for what he says but there are many false conclusions being drawn. He dances on the lines of heresies as much as he ever has but no more. My primary concern is whether or not he (or anyone) gets the gospel right. In this book alone I can’t say he clearly articulates the gospel according to scripture.
Holiness of God and Sinfulness of Man
I think this is a foundational issue of the gospel and one that is lost much of the time. It is a huge point of confusion and one that needs some clarification. If you assume Ghandi is or isn’t in heaven based on any criteria other than grace by faith then you’re misunderstanding something huge. If you say that Ghandi (or anyone) was so great in their merit that God would be unjust to not let them into heaven then you have misunderstood the absolute holiness of God and the perfection of his standard AND you have misunderstood the sinfulness of man.
Sin in the New Testament isn’t defined as action but rather thought, heart and motive. This means that action, inaction, thought, motivation and anything else can qualify as sin. Lets say I want to go do good work and earn favor with God and I decide to go build a house for a homeless family. In the course of doing this labor I think to myself
“Wow I’m a great guy, I’m really doing the work of God”
“I can’t believe my friends who call themselves Christians aren’t out here with me”
“God must be so grateful for me being so good”
“These people are so lucky that I’m such a good person”
“I hope people walk by and see what a great person I am”
“I wonder if they’ll let me speak about this at church so I can share my experience.”
“I need to get some pictures here to put on Facebook so people can see how great this thing I’m doing is”.
Right there are a handful of impure, unholy and unjust thoughts and that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a million things that go through my mind in a day and many of them include envy, slander, lust, etc. To think that my one action could not only negate all of my impure motives, actions and inaction but furthermore put God in debt to me is simply absurd. But thats what people do, they think some actions or lifestyles are so great, so pure and so perfect that God owes them heaven or owes them favor. This has been a small tangent but shows the lack of understanding in the perfect standards of God and the constant violation of those standards by men, even men as great as Ghandi.
Conclusion
I have nothing against Rob Bell as a Christian brother and I think his book is valuable. I wish his book were written in an academic environment or had a stronger conclusion that aligned with the gospel. I think it is dangerous for a pastor of thousands (or even a few) to open up all these questions without then concluding with clear biblical truth. Not everyone is equipped enough to answer these questions in a biblical way, which is why we have pastors. If pastors are the ones opening up questions and then not pointing people back to the actual truth then there is a problem of responsibility.
My word for you:
If the questions he asks pique your interest then read the book. Check it against scripture, don’t assume his interpretations are right (thats a good rule for any Christian book, not just Rob Bell). This is not a particularly edifying book but there are question in this book that need to be answered, just not in the way he answers them.
My word for Rob Bell:
“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” - James 3:1 (ESV)
I love Chandler and the style of preaching/teaching that he’s talking about seems all too common from my experience. I’d like to hear thoughts from my friends who goto Crossroads or the Vineyard etc.
What does the Bible say about dating? Let’s get this out quick, nothing. The bible doesn’t say anything about dating especially as we know it. It’s a modern concept so the Bible doesn’t speak about it simply because it didn’t exist. Some people take the silence to be a prohibition to which I say let’s stop and think about it for a minute… Like in past weeks where scripture is silent on a particular issue we have to apply the principles that surround the issue. Here are some basic Biblical principles which we’ll be applying…
Sexual Sin – 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, we are too all sin but especially sexual sin because it harms our own bodies which are temples for the Holy Spirit. Those who know me, know that I don’t uphold any type of stratification of sin however the Bible says that in some sense sexual sin is worse than others because it is a sin against you and not just other people.
Be careful who you associate with - 1 Corinthians 15:33 (bad company ruins good morals) and 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. This doesn’t mean that all people who calls themselves “Christians” are safe to date but we should exercise discernment in all our relationships especially those who will become close to us and have great influence over us.
Control Yourself - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 pretty straightforward and consistent with the last few passages. For now I’m just laying out the principles that relate to dating and we’ll apply them a little later.
Sexual Relations are for Marriage - 1 Corinthians 7:1-25 Pretty clear meaning here and some interesting teaching on relationships with non-Christians.
Guard your heart – Proverbs chapter 4 (especially verse 23)
So those are the principles we’re working with and we need to look at the point/counterpoint here. I recommend reading Joshua Harris’s “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” it is his book that prescribes courtship as the way for Christians to live. On the other side of the fence I’d recommend, “I Gave Dating a Chance” by Jeramy Clark. Both authors are biblical and offer valuable perspectives, I side more with Jeramy Clark. Part of being a Christian is avoiding sin, dating itself is not a sin but dating opens up many doors to sin that could be avoided by abstaining from dating. However that is true of every area of life, however I do not believe it is the Christian calling to remove ourselves so far from worldly things that we have no temptations but instead to conform to the image of Christ and be in the world and rise above these temptations. Here are some healthy guidelines for practicing dating and avoiding areas of sin.
Be Healthy – It is important to be mentally and spiritually healthy before entering a relationship. If you don’t then you’re putting an incredible burden on the other person and asking them to fix you, it’s unfair to ask that of another person especially in a dating relationship and it’s impossible to achieve. Do look for a relationship because you’re feeling depressed, needy or anything else. On the same token don’t enter a relationship for someone if you’re looking for a mission project. Dating-evangelism doesn’t work and neither does dating-counseling. One or both parties will get burnt badly in these scenarios, make sure you are both mentally and spiritually healthy before looking to enter a relationship.
In short try to avoid desperation, dependence, depression and detachment.
Define your boundaries – It’s an awkward and uncomfortable conversation to have but you need to define your physical boundaries before you start crossing them. Don’t assume the other person shares the same boundaries as you and don’t try to talk about your boundaries when you’re in an intimate situation. Determine your personal physical boundaries before talking to the person you’re dating and share them with that person before they have a chance to break them.
Many people want to ask how far is too far, that is the wrong question. The mindset behind that question is one that is already looking to push the limits. We’re called to God’s standard of holiness and if you actually seek God’s standard then I believe the standard for personal purity will become pretty clear.
Take it slow and keep it light – Some Christians believe the only purpose of dating is for marriage. I certainly see the benefit of this approach but there is also a danger associated with it because if you become marriage-minded too soon it can lead to great temptations or even rushing a relationship. Instead if you keep it light and let it slowly develop over time then you’ll avoid getting in too deep too quickly and possibly ending up in a bad situation that seems irreversible.
Have standards and discernment – It is always better to be thought of as the person with too high of standards than the opposite. Establish good biblical standards for the person you want to date. Once you’re dating someone it can be hard to discern much about their character, look at these things… How do they act in tough times? Who are they when no one else is looking? Who do they hang out with? How do they treat others? Especially for girls look at how a guy treats the women that God has already placed in his life (sister, mother, grandmother) you can expect them to treat you in the same way as they treat the other women that are important to them.
Seek the truly beautiful not just the merely pretty – I think often as modern people or maybe as American we are captivated by things that are merely pretty and not actually beautiful. The Bible describes beauty in several ways yet our minds are distracted by that which merely looks pretty. Often we’re blinded by the physical, it is important that you be physically attracted to the other person but this is only the surface of the criteria. Proverbs 31:30 , 1 Timothy 2:9, 1 Peter 3:4, 1 Samuel 16:7
Dating can be valuable for developing you as a person; it reveals a lot about you. You will learn things you didn’t know about yourself and assumptions you have about the nature of the world, relationships, etc. You develop many beliefs about the world, people and life from your family and everyone’s beliefs are slightly different. You will have areas of tension with anyone you get close to. This is part of the fun of dating relationships is you get to learn how weird you really are and you get to refine yourself while helping the other person grow. This is one of the many positive benefits from dating and at times it doesn’t feel like a benefit but it can make you a better person.
Here are some distinction I borrowed from a fellow youth pastor between “romantic love” and “real love”. Tumblr won’t let me use an html table so I listed the 4 symptoms of romantic loves and the 4 real loves the two lists correspond to one another so read them like that.
Romantic Love
Based on emotions - Passion, lust, desire, whimsy, happiness, etc…
Falling in love with “being in love” – the idea or notion
The TV/Movie illusion – “love at first sight”, or the “rescued princess”
Asks, “What can I get?”
Real Love
Involves your heart AND your head
The decision to seek the good of another, (based on genuine concern and caring)
Based in the reality of true friendship
Asks, “What can I give?”
I may try to post some of the questions I answered but
What a ridiculously huge topic and convoluted title…these were all separate questions that I grouped together not because they don’t each deserve their own week but we cover the same principles in discussing all of them.Really the question is, what does it mean to be a Christian in a non-Christian society?Do we abstain from society?Do we embrace society?Is it ok for Christians to listen to secular music, watch R-rated movies, read fictional books about witches, wizards and vampires?Is it ok to dance?These are the flavor of the questions I got so I’ll try to do them all justice.
The Bible seems to take two different stances on this so we’ll have to examine carefully to figure out what the lesson actually is.On one hand you have verses that say we need to abstain from worldly things but in other places it tells us to embrace truth, beauty, justice and anything excellent wherever it may be found.
Dancing
Let’s start with the easiest one first… I’m not clear on what the grounds are for condemning dancing and I couldn’t find an argument against it that was even worth quoting but go look it up on Google if you’d like to hear a fundamentalist rant.Not only does David (a man after God’s own heart) dance like a fool in public but the Bible says that there are times for dancing, “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” - Ecclesiastes 3:4 (ESV).All this being said I would assume that while dancing is not unbiblical certain forms of it are however I really think you can figure that out for yourself especially after our next few topics here.
Music
This one is a little more complicated.First let me say that I believe God is the author and creator of all things. Historically when we look at music its original purpose was made for worship.Music is played in scripture and in certain Psalms it demands music, even specific entrustments.The Bible asks for percussion, trumpets and to play skillfully and LOUD.I think music is a language of sorts that speaks to all people at some level and is pleasing to God. However…
The question of secular music especially in the modern era raises new questions.I found it amusing that while gathering the populace opinion on this subject I stumbled across the verse, “It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.” - Ecclesiastes 7:5 (ESV) I really don’t believe this verse is about music but it’s amazing what people can come up with when they’re proof-texting isn’t it? ;)
I realize I’m talking comprehensively about music in general which obviously the Bible doesn’t condemn and the real question is what does the Bible say about listening to modern pop, rap, rock and country?
Well on one hand you have 1 Thessalonians 5:22 which tells us to “Abstain from every form of evil.”Can music be a form of evil?Probably but that can get into a case by case basis.On the other hand however, “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” - 1 Corinthians 9:22-23.What Paul meant by this is that he would take up the practices or interests of whomever he was ministering to so that he may be able to build common ground and build into them.If you’ve read the Bible for more than 5 minutes you should be used to and even expect this kind of tension from a passage.
So what do we do?If music is using blatant profanities, crude references or worse isn’t that something to be avoided?Ephesians 5 says, “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”This is the closest thing to dogma I can come up with for this subject:It is acceptable for Christians to listen to questionable music if their heart is in the right place and they can avoid the temptation to live in unbiblical ways.Paul says, “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.” - 1 Corinthians 10:23 (ESV). Simply put, we are allowed to do anything but not everything is good for us. While engaging and enjoying secular music can be valuable in the way that music itself praises God and we can connect to those who are different from us through common ground like music, we must have our loves rightly ordered and our lives, hearts and minds in the correct place.
The last thing I have to say is that I find it to be the ultimate form of irony if people communicate hate or disbelief towards God using God’s gift of music.Essentially you are taking a language and form of expression that God gave you as a gift then using that gift to tell God you don’t believe in him.I find this to be funny; I think God would share in my sense of humor but maybe with more disappointment and frustration.
Movies
Our discussion about the Biblical perspective on movies will be strikingly similar to the one on music.The same basic principles apply but with a few additions…
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”- Philippians 4:8 This verse is my defining principle when discussing these types of things.Christians are to embrace truth, honor, justice, purity, loveliness and excellence wherever they may be found.
This requires some extra effort on our part though; we must carefully discern the meaning and value in our movies, music and books.Many Christians rule out Harry Potter because it contains witchcraft, that’s fair I suppose although Lord of the Rings and Narnia have the same types of characters.But when you explore the Harry Potter series I believe the deepest message in them is true sacrificial friendship.Once again we must weigh the scale, I believe there are Christians values of friendship that are exemplified by the Harry Potter movies but there are also potentially harmful or confusing elements to them.And on the same token most parents assume Disney cartoon movies are always a safe bet but if not properly handled they can offer distorted, warped and overly-romanticized views on love and marriage.
Christian responsibility and discernment must be used with everything that is why there is no easy answer or dogma for these issues.God judges our heart, our thoughts and intentions; our actions are a reflection of those things.I think it is better to watch something questionable but with good intentions and discernment than to watch something “safe” with your blinders on.
Syncretism
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? - 2 Corinthians 6:14
The primary issue for God’s people through all of history has been syncretism which means God’s people conforming to, yoking with and borrowing from surrounding cultures.We have to be carefully that in our efforts to engage culture we don’t go so far as to embrace our surrounding culture and create a synthesis with the church. This means we can enjoy and appreciate the music, movies and culture of the world especially in areas where they affirm Christian truths but we ought not inject those things into the vital parts of our faith. Its a subtle distinction but an important one.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:1-2
Here it is by popular demand… I didn’t do much to make it readable for you but feel free to ask questions if it doesn’t make sense at any point…
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What does Jesus say the Gospel is?
Introduction:
The basic message of Jesus, at least in the gospel of Mark, was “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” – Mark 1:15.
That seems like such a simple and plain statement but there is so much in it.
1) The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand implies that there is an unbroken chain or succession that has led to this moment.
What does that statement tell us about the upcoming message?
2) There is the question of what is “the gospel” that Jesus is referring to.
And there is the implication that whatever this gospel is:
We must believe it
We must repent in order to believe it
The word for repent is “Metanoeo” which literally means “to change one’s mind”. This means our minds are not naturally inclined towards whatever this message is.
The task, mission, purpose and point of the gospel is justification.
Justification = Being made righteous before God.
Justification is the issue of the gospel and Paul teaches that we are justified by our faith alone.
The question we’re going to look at tonight is, does Jesus agree with Paul that we are justified by our faith alone?
Luke 18:9-14
This is one of the few passages where Jesus explicitly speaks of justification. It is a common theme with Jesus but for one reason or another he rarely uses the words “just”, “justified” or Justification”
Luke is clever when he writes this because he subtly chips away at the contents of Jesus message with his description of the audience. He says that Jesus told this parable to those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous AND treated others with contempt.
His audience trusts in themselves
They believe they’re inherently righteous (that’s where their trust is)
They treat others with contempt (which is not the fruit of righteousness)
In the parable itself Jesus describes two men who go to the temple to pray. One is a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee prayed to God as if he were righteous but the tax collector would not even look up to heaven, he beat his breast and said “God be merciful to me a sinner”. Jesus then said that it was this man and not the Pharisee who went home justified.
The question for us is “why?” Why was the tax collector deemed just before God and not the religious leader? The answer goes back to Luke’s introduction; it is a matter of where one’s trust is placed.
The Pharisee
The Pharisee placed his trust in three things (we’ll look in reverse order):
1) “I give tithes of all I get”
The Pharisee puts his trust and makes his case for righteousness because he is a good steward of his money
2)”I fast twice a week”
The Pharisee puts his trust in his spiritual or religious disciplines. He believes he is righteous because of his religious practices and devotion.
3) “I am not like other men”
This is the trickiest one to understand, he is thanking God that he is not like other men. Where is his trust placed?
He believes that he is morally righteous; he believes that God made him that way and he is thankful for it but his trust is in his own inherent righteousness.
His confidence was that he was NOT like…
Extortioners: He doesn’t cheat at work.
Unjust: He keeps the law in his life.
Adulterers: He is faithful to his wife and doesn’t cheat on her.
Tax Collectors: He is not like the man standing next to him at the temple, tax collectors who were infamous for cheating others.
4) Therefore his trust is placed in himself and his own natural inclination, ability and works towards, for and of righteousness.
He believed in his own moral and religious achievements.
Jesus does not call into question these things, the Pharisee could have been correct in his assessment of his moral and religious achievement, but Jesus doesn’t seem to care about that (with regards to justification).
What the Pharisee is doing is confusing the root of salvation with the fruit of salvation. The root of salvation is in placing your faith and trusting in God for righteousness. The fruit of salvation is living in accordance with God’s law and conforming to the image of Christ.
The Tax Collector
Now that we’ve looked at what Jesus thought of the Pharisee let’s examine the tax collector and what Jesus claimed was the source of justification. The tax collector prayed a simple prayer, “God be merciful to me a sinner”. Although simple this prayer was profound because it recognizes a few things.
1) He realized his fallen and sinful condition; he realized he was incapable of righteousness on his own and that if he had any hope at righteousness it had to come from God. He didn’t consider himself worthy to be in the audience of God, he beat his chest and would not look up to heaven.
2) He realized God’s place in all this. The tax collector understood the holiness of God, the perfection that is required of God and the presumable anger of God towards such a lowly sinner.
So the tax collector understood his condition (not inherently, morally or religiously righteous like the Pharisee) and he understood God’s holiness. So where did he place his trust for justification? The answer is in God! He knew that he could not make himself righteous and if he had any shot at righteousness then it has to be by the mercy of God which is what he appeals to and trusts in.
The tax collector realized that if he was going to be righteous that it would be, what Martin Luther referred to as, “alien righteousness”. Righteousness not from himself but from God.
Jesus said this man went home justified RATHER than the Pharisee who trusted in himself and his ability.
Luke 18:18-26
Let’s look for just a minute right down the page at one of the next passages. The story of the rich young ruler is a popular story and not necessarily one used for justification but I think it confirms the teaching of 18:9-14.
The rich young man comes to Jesus and asks how to inherit eternal life, so he is seeking justification or righteousness. Although I think the point of the story is that he is looking for confirmation of his righteousness as he already sees himself as righteous.
Jesus tells this man what he wants to hear at first, he tells him to obey the law. The man said that he had kept the law from his youth. Let’s stop for a second… At this point, where is this man placing his trust? He is placing it in his own ability and past record in keeping of the law. Furthermore, Jesus does not question this man’s record with the law. He brushes it off just as he did with the Pharisee’s claims about his morality in the passage before.
Here is a classic Jesus move; Jesus says that there is ONE thing he still lacks.
Sell all that you have
Distribute it to the poor
Come and follow me
Jesus says the man only lacks one thing but then lists off three things, what are we to do with this? Which one of those three is the one thing he lacks? The answer is none of them, the man lacks Jesus. His trust needs to be in Jesus rather than his own ability to perform the works required of him.
The man was looking for a checklist of more things to do so that he could be confident in his own righteousness but Jesus makes it clear that he cannot be the source of his own righteousness.
Conclusion:
So what do we do with all of this?
The point of our time here tonight was to explore what Jesus said about how a person can be seen as justified and righteous before God. I think these passages (along with many others) make it very clear that people who trust in their own ability to keep the law or trust that they are moral or righteous etc. are truly confused about the message of Jesus. This confused gospel shows a lack of understanding about the human condition, the holiness of God, the source of righteousness and the difference between the root of justification and the fruit of salvation.
Small Group Discussion Questions:
1) What is the gospel that Jesus taught?
2) Before the cross ever happens Jesus teaches that we are made righteous by what?
3) In modern culture, what correlations (if any) do you think there is between the behavior of people who are justified and the image of the church in our country?
4) Do Christians nowadays tend to take the attitude of the tax collector or the Pharisee? What about your life? Does your life reflect that you truly understand the gospel and where your righteousness comes from?
5) What does true righteousness look like in our lives? Or how does someone behave if they’re truly justified (hint: Luke 18:9)?
6) How might Luke 17:7-10 tie into the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector?
lovelylaces-deactivated20110524 asked: I love your post about depression in the bible. It's become my biggest struggle and I often wonder where does such a struggle come up in the bible. Now I know and thank you very much!
Excellent I’m glad it helped… all I really did was compile the work of great minds though. If you look in the comment section I posted the list of books I used.
