Basic Christianity by John Stott
Week 9: Part Four — Man's Response (Counting the Cost & The New Life)
Read Part Four, Chapters 8 and 9 of Basic Christianity by John Stott. Key passages: Luke 14:25-33; John 1:12; Romans 12:1-2.
Previewing Week 9 of Basic Christianity
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 10-week guide when you’re ready.
Christianity is not simply a set of truths to be believed, but a life to be entered — and Stott insists that the terms of entry must be understood honestly before anyone crosses the threshold.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Stott is emphatic that people must count the cost before committing to Christ — he does not want superficial or sentimental decisions. What, specifically, does he identify as the cost of following Jesus? Why do you think he takes such care to be honest about difficulty rather than making the appeal as attractive as possible?
2.Stott describes what he calls 'nominal Christianity' — the widespread phenomenon of people who call themselves Christians but have never genuinely committed their lives to Christ. What distinguishes nominal Christianity from the real thing? Is this distinction fair, or does it risk producing unhelpful anxiety?
3.Stott calls for repentance and faith as the two sides of a genuine response to Christ — repentance meaning a genuine turning from self-rule, and faith meaning an active trust in and commitment to Christ. How are these two different from simply feeling sorry for past mistakes, or simply believing facts about Jesus?
a.Can you have one without the other? What would that look like?
b.Stott compares faith to the act of sitting in a chair — not just believing the chair will hold you, but actually trusting your weight to it. How does this image help clarify what saving faith is?