Group Guide
This Week's City 7:
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
Ice-Breaker:
- Ever been in trouble with the po-po?
Scripture
1 Peter 2
13 For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.
15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.
13 For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.
15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.
Discussion Questions:
- In 1 Peter 2 verse 13, Peter explains the role of government and how we should interact with it as Christians. The government exists, according to scripture, to punish evil and promote what is right. And we are to submit to authority and realize that we have a deeper purpose than what is best for us. It really boils down to this... your HEAVENLY citizenship dictates your EARTHLY citizenship. In other words, your FAITH should inform your POLITICS and PLATFORMS. Can you say this is true of where you line up politically? Are you weighing where you stand on different social issues against what is clearly taught in the Bible? Are you open to the fact that you could be in error scripturally?
- We need to learn to live as gospel-centered citizens. What does this look like? Gospel-centered citizenship leverages earthly citizenship for heavenly purposes. But let's also look at what gospel-centered citizenship is NOT. It doesn't mean government should push religion, but it also shouldn't exclude religion. It doesn't mean that Christians should avoid politics, but they also shouldn't abandon evangelism for politics. Basically, we should guard against two errors when it comes to politics: Overplaying and punting. Which error are you most inclined to commit? How can you bring balance to your views of and involvement in our political system?
- Politics is one place that culture tells us we must all be on either one extreme or the other. It says there is no middle ground. The problem with that is that if we are faithfully weighing our political stances against what scripture teaches, there will be tension with both political parties. What are some ways that we can keep political differences from causing division within the church? How have you seen politics damage relationships, and how do we avoid this?
- If we are going to be faithful Christ-followers who are engaged politically, we must have balance. Gospel-centered CITIZENSHIP means we can disagree POLITICALLY but still love UNCONDITIONALLY and be united MISSIONALLY. This is what spiritual maturity looks like in a politically charged world. This looks like listening with the intention of understanding someone else's point of view instead of making assumptions about that person or jumping to negative conclusions. Why is this so difficult for us to do? How can we have softer hearts towards other believers when it comes to political differences?
- At the end of the day, we must submit ourselves fully to the mission God has for us and to His Word. But, at the same time, we must recognize the political tension that exists. We must live IN the world but not be OF it. We must live AS the city of God while longing FOR the city of God that is to come. Only then will the government, led by Jesus Himself, be perfect and uncorrupt. What is God asking you to do with all of this information? What attitudes need to shift? How can you apply this to your life in your day to day?
Prayer Topics:
- That we would live for HIS Kingdom first.
- That we would love people unconditionally.
- That we would stay aligned missionally.
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