Christian spirituality is both overwhelmingly communal and intensely personal. As you read slowly and carefully through this book, we encourage you to think deeply about the questions and ideas presented. Following are some questions for discussion in a group, personal reflection, or both.
Chapter 10 - The Death and Resurrection of Christ
* Having identified some of the problems of having ME at the center of our spirituality, what are some ways in which we can go about re-centering our faith?
* How do you perceive the movement of a Christian from the reign of sin to the reign of grace? How does this work to transform identity?
* Read Ephesians 1:15-23. Does this statement about the power at work within/for us change your vision of the Christian life? If so, how? If not, why not?
* We have seen that within the tension of Christian spirituality, we are reckoned dead to sin on the one hand, and yet sin in our lives is still a present reality. What does this mean to you? How does one go about continually reckoning oneself dead to sin? What are ways in which this truth draws us into “dynamic community with the living God and his people?”
* It is suggested here that discipline alone cannot realign us out of an orientation to sin and into grace. How does this gel with the contemporary worldview that tells us that we can have/accomplish anything if only we work hard enough? How would you critique this worldview?
* It is not always easy (and sometimes impossible!) to know our own motives. Given this reality, how do we determine when we are obeying from the heart and when we are performing? What are the roles of feelings here?
* What are some ways in which the biblical notion of freedom is related to/distinct from our cultural ideas regarding freedom?
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
-- Hebrews 13:20-21
Suggested Map Reading:
For Further Study:
Risen Indeed: Making Sense of the Resurrection, S. Davis
Living the Resurrection: The Risen Christ in an Everyday Life, E. Peterson
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