GOD WITHOUT RELIGION ANDREW FARLEY THE EXTORTIONIST 1. In what ways do you feel that religion robs us of our freedom and joy in the Christian life? 2. How does religion seek to offer it all back at a price? PART 1: MENNONITE MOTORBOAT 1. Why do you think we Christians are always looking for a compromised mix of the old way of religion and God s new way of grace? 2. Had you ever thought about God using murderers Moses, David, and Paul to write a majority of the Bible? How does this impact your view of your sins and God s ability to use you? 3. What do you believe God is trying to tell us by having Jesus born into the tribe of Judah rather than into the Old Testament priestly tribe of Levi? 4. You may have heard that God hates divorce, but had you thought about what that means for your spiritual marriage to 1
Christ? Do you believe God would divorce you? Why or why not? 5. How does your understanding of God s new contract (God swearing by himself) affect your view of eternal security? 6. According to Scripture, what place should the law have in the life of a Christian? Make sure to rely on God s Word as you formulate your answer. 7. Galatians tells us that the law is a tutor for the unbeliever. How does the law tutor us before we come to salvation? 8. In light of 2 Corinthians 3:7 9 and Romans 7:5 8, should the Ten Commandments be treated differently from the rest of the law? Are Christians to be guided daily by the Ten Commandments? 9. Review the personalized I statements at the end of chapter 4. Despite the clarity of the Scriptures, why do you think it s so hard for us Christians to make a clean break from the law? 10. Read Titus 2:11 12. How do you think the freedom of grace actually motivates us to live upright lives? 11. In light of our freedom from the law, how do you think we should view passages on behavior in the New Testament? 2
PART 2: DIVINE $LOT MACHINE? 1. Have you encountered pressure to give more money to a church? Share your personal experience and how you reacted in the situation. 2. How do you feel about the idea that if we give money to church, God will bless us monetarily in return? 3. You may have heard that tithing 10 percent is still in effect today, because Abraham tithed to Melchizedek before the law. How many times did Abraham tithe? What exactly did he give? What would it mean for us if Abraham s tithe were really our model to follow? 4. How would you summarize the good, scriptural motivation to give toward God s work today? 5. Why do you think some churches teach our freedom from law but still say we need to give a specific percentage of our income? What effect do you believe this is having in churches today? PART 3: THE TWO MINISTRIES OF CHRIST 1. Read Hebrews 9:16 17. How does seeing Jesus s death (not his birth) as the beginning of the New Testament era affect your perspective on New Testament living? 3
2. Read Galatians 4:4 5. How does knowing that Jesus and his audience were both born under law affect your perspective on Jesus s harsh teachings? 3. Had you ever thought about Jesus s harsh teachings as being an expansion on the law, showing its true spirit? What does this mean for our chances at keeping those harsh teachings? 4. Why do you think Jesus would tell people to sever body parts, sell everything, and be perfect? Did Jesus s audience seem to think he was only exaggerating? What was the reaction of the Pharisees and the rich man to Jesus s harsh teachings? PART 4: GOD S BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 1. Why do you think the idea of predestination has become so divisive in the church today? 2. This section of the book treats several chapters of Ephesians and Romans, in order. With predestination, why do you think it s important for us to return to Scriptural context if our discussions devolve into a Plato-Socrates style philosophical debate? 3. Predestined is a term only found in two of Paul s letters, both written to Gentile churches. Why is this important to factor in? 4
4. In Ephesians, Paul uses a you plural to address the Ephesians and discuss God s predestined plan to bring the gospel to them. Why is this you plural also important to factor in? 5. Romans 9:30 (NASB) says that Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness. How does verse 30 help us understand what Paul meant by it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy (v. 16)? Which group was running toward righteousness? Which group wasn t pursuing it? Which group received God s mercy anyway? How does this historical and Scriptural context serve to dispel the popular interpretation of Romans 9 as individual selection by God? 6. Some say we can t understand predestination fully until Heaven. But how is this simple, Scriptural perspective on predestination truly compatible with everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Rom. 10:13)? PART 5: FRANK LLOYD WRONG 1. Are you late to your own spiritual funeral? In your own words, what does it mean to you personally to have been crucified with Christ? 5
2. Why is it even more important to understand that after our death with Christ, we were raised with him? How might this affect your view of yourself? 3. Everyone is somewhere, spiritually. What does it mean to you to know that you are already seated with Christ in heavenly places? Do you believe there is any practical application of this truth for your daily life? 4. Examine 1 Corinthians 15:30 32. How does the context of this passage shed light on the common misunderstanding that Christians still need to die daily? 5. Read Romans 6:6 and Galatians 2:20, which talk about what happened to us at salvation. How do these passages help us understand what Jesus meant when he told us to take up our cross? How is this different from Christians trying to say no to ourselves all the time? 6. What trouble can Christians encounter if they believe they have a sinful nature? Why is the term flesh more accurate and more liberating? 7. Romans 6:12 says, Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts (NASB). Notice to whom the lusts belong. How does realizing there s a power called sin within help you reinterpret your thought life? 8. Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. Are you comfortable calling yourself the righteousness of God? How does 6
understanding our literal, actual new birth in Jesus Christ help us see our righteousness differently? 9. How has baptism been misunderstood and led to divisions in the church? How would you describe the true meaning of baptism? PART 6: GOVERNMENT BAILOUT 1. Why is God s blood-based economy for forgiveness so difficult for us to grasp? What type of forgiveness are we accustomed to in our interpersonal relationships? 2. What s the problem with believing we Christians are forgiven of our sins only if we confess them or ask for forgiveness? 3. Read Hebrews 7:27. How might understanding your once for all forgiveness from God revolutionize your relationship with him? 4. Read Hebrews 10:14. How is the truth in this passage a help to someone who struggles with perfectionist flesh? 5. Now that you ve read chapter 22, who do you believe 1 John 1:9 is directed toward? How does a contextualized understanding of 1 John 1:9 make other passages on our total, unconditional forgiveness shine more brightly? 7
6. What problem was the Corinthian communion passage (1 Cor. 11:18 34) really addressing? So do you think we are supposed to examine ourselves before every communion in order to assess whether we qualify? Why or why not? 7. If we don t have to ask for forgiveness, what should a Christian do when they sin? What are the benefits of confessing our sins to one another? PART 7: THEATER OF LIFE 1. If our sins are forgiven and forgotten, why do you think so many Christians think we ll be judged for our sins? 2. How is the Great White Throne judgment (Rev. 20 21) a black-and-white event? How does Jesus s parable about sheep and goats (Matt. 25:31 46) also tell a black-and-white story? 3. Although the term rewards (plural) is not found in the Bible, many Christians believe we are collecting rewards in heaven. Why do you think this assumption is so prevalent? 4. When bad things happen to Christians, can it be punishment from God? How does your understanding of the true wages of sin and Jesus s death factor in to your answer? 5. Hebrews 10:15 17 says the Holy Spirit also testifies about the truth of new covenant freedom and forgiveness. How 8
does the work of God s Son affect the attitude of God s Spirit toward us? What does it mean to you personally to know that the entire Trinity agrees that your sins have been forgiven and forgotten? PART 8: THE SPIRIT OF GRETZKY 1. The true meaning of eternal life is life with no beginning and no end. If you have eternal life, whose life do you have? How does this affect your understanding of what it means to be saved? 2. How is Christianity different from the world s religions that have a historical founder and teacher(s), a set of doctrines, and a general code of conduct? 3. How important do you think it is that Christians understand their spiritual union with Jesus Christ? Why? 4. How would you explain to someone else in simple terms what it means to allow Christ to express his life through us, moment by moment? 5. Do you feel better equipped now to ignore the sales pitch of religion? In what ways do you feel you can better enjoy God without religion? 9