Simply Disciples Podcast

1. Prior to this podcast, if someone asked you why Jesus died on the cross, what would your answer have been? Did your answer change at all as a result of this podcast?

2. How does the Old Testament give us insight on the purpose of the cross? (Isaiah 6:1-8; Ps 7:11-12; other passages?)

3. How do God’s commandments reveal our guilt before a holy and just God? (Ex 20:1-17; Mt 22:37-40; Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28; Mk 7:14-23)

4. If left to ourselves, apart from God’s grace, what is our human condition before a holy and just God? (Rom 3:23, Rom 6:23; Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46; Rev 20:11-15)

5. Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and discuss how this prophecy points to a Savior who was a Substitute.

6. Back to Question 1 and the purpose of the cross - how would you define or explain “Penal Substitutionary Atonement” to a non-Christian? (2 Cor 5:21)

1. Where would you go in Scripture to make the case that Jesus was truly man? (John 1, Rom 1, Phil 2:5-8; Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 3, etc.)

2. What is the incarnation of Christ and why is it crucial for our salvation? Why did the Son of God need to become man? (Heb 2:14-18)

3. We often hear Jesus died for in our place, but why was it crucial that Jesus also lived a perfect life in our place?

4. What in this podcast was most helpful for you to learn or be reminded of?

1. Why are the views of Arius, Mormons, Jehovah Witness, etc. so dangerous to our understanding of who Jesus is?

2. What’s the connection between Exodus 3 and John 8:56-59?

3. Read and discuss Heb 1:1-3; John 1:1-3; Col 1:15-20; Phil 2:5-6 regarding the deity of Christ. What similarities do we find in these passages?

4. Read and discuss the significance of the statements about Jesus in the Nicene Creed. Why were those particular statements included?

5. What are other ways that the Scriptures press us to answer the question - who is Jesus?

1. How were you taught to read the Bible? (fragmented? a book of morals? a book of heros)? Specifically, how does Jesus’ conversation in Luke 24:13-35, 44-47 help us understand how to read the Bible?

2. How does the Old Testament trace God’s promise to send a Deliverer through a family? (Gen 3:15; Gen 12:1-3, Jacob, Joseph… David… Gal 3:7-9, 14)

3. How does the Old Testament trace God’s promise to send a Deliverer throughout the time of the law? The podcast discussed that the law showed people their sin, but the law also showed the answer of the Messiah for sin (lamb of God, temple and tabernacle, High Priest, Passover, etc.)

4. How does the Old Testament trace God’s promise to send a Deliverer throughout the time of the prophets? (Isaiah 42, 49, 52-53)

5. How does all of this matter for how we read and teach the Bible?

1. Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Do you hear the versions of Jesus that were mentioned in the podcast? What other versions of Jesus do you hear outside of the church?

2. Why do we need to be careful how we portray Jesus?

3. How should the 2nd commandment in Exodus 20:3-5 shape how we portray Jesus?

4. How are you tempted to shape Jesus in your own image and make him look like you rather than you conforming more to him?

5. God has given us two ways to think about Jesus - the Scriptures and the sacraments. How is the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper helpful in shaping our view of Jesus?

1. How is the covenant of grace different from the covenant of works? Specifically, what is different about the elements (parties, conditions, penalties, promises)?

2. What is significant about Genesis 3:15? And how do we see the promise of Gen 3:15 played out in Gen 12:1-3; 15:1-21; 17:1-14?

3. What elements do we find in the covenant with Moses?

4. What elements do we find in the covenant with David (2 Samuel 7)?

5. What elements do we find in Jeremiah 31:31-34? And how does Jesus fulfill this covenant (Luke 22:19-20)?

6. Genealogies are often skipped over, but what is significant about the Matthew 1:1-17?

7. In what ways are you tempted to live in the covenant of works rather than the covenant of grace?

1. Prior to this podcast, how would you have answered the question, “How does the Bible fit together?" Has your answer changed?

2. How has this podcast helped you to understand the concept of covenant? What is a biblical covenant? What are the elements (or parts) of a covenant?

3. In Genesis 1-3 we have the “covenant of works” - what are the elements (parties, conditions, promises, penalties)?

4. Did Adam keep the covenant? (Gen 1-3, Hosea 6:7, Romans 5:12-20)

5. What’s the difference between Karma and Covenant?

6. Why is it important to understand the covenant of works? How should we respond?

1. Why is the topic and question of human free will so controversial?

2. In the podcast we defined “libertarian free will” as the belief in human ability/power to choose moral goodness apart from God’s grace (meaning, sin does not affect our ability to choose moral goodness); whereas “compatible free will” acknowledges that humans have the capacity to choose moral goodness, but that capacity is affected by sin and in need of God’s grace”. What’s the difference between these two views and why does it matter?

3. What does the Bible say about our free will if we are left to ourselves apart from God’s grace? (Eph 2:1-3; Jn 15:5,16, Phil 2:13; Rom 3:10-20)

4. Read Eph 1:3-10 and Eph 2:1-9 and discuss what the grace of God does to our free will.

5. In light of God’s amazing grace, how should we respond?

1. Regarding the question, “Are humans basically good?“, what answers do you hear in the culture?

2. How does the Bible speak to the question “are we basically good?”(Gen 1-3, Rom 3:10-18, Rom 5, Eph 2, etc.)?

3. How did the podcast define and explain “original sin”, and why does it matter?

4. Do you struggle to think of yourself as a sinner and to think of sin as a big deal?

5. At the end of this podcast we addressed the question “what’s the big deal? why does this matter?” - what answers were helpful to you?

1. Everyone has an answer to the question, “What’s wrong with the world?” What answers do you hear from non-Christians?

2. How does Genesis 3 answer the question? What effects of sin do we see throughout the whole chapter of Genesis 3?

3. How does the New Testament speak to the sin that took place in Genesis 3 (i.e. Rom 5:12, Rom 8:20-22, Mark 7:14-23)?

4. What is the Bible’s solution to “what’s wrong with the world?”

5. What was most helpful about this podcast?