Week 1: Introduction — The Most Important Question

1.Comer opens with the claim that what you believe about God sets the foundation for the person you will become. Do you find that claim compelling? Can you think of a specific way your understanding of God has shaped your character — for good or ill?

2.He suggests that many of our ideas about God are not completely wrong, but "wrong enough to mess up how we relate to him." What's the difference between being totally wrong about God and being wrong enough to cause damage? Why might partial distortions be especially dangerous?

3.Comer introduces the concept of God as a projection — the idea that we unconsciously remake God in our own image, reflecting our own identity, desires, and experiences back at us. Where do you think those projections come from?

4.The scene in Exodus 34 — Moses hiding in the cleft of a rock while God's glory passes by — is the backdrop for the entire book. Read Exodus 34:1–9 aloud together. What strikes you as surprising or unexpected about this scene?

5.Comer describes this moment as God's self-revelation: God defines himself, in his own words, on his own terms. Why does it matter that we let God name himself rather than us naming him? What changes practically when we approach God this way?

6.The author writes that the gap many people feel between themselves and God may not be a distance problem — it may be an accuracy problem. They're seeking a God who doesn't exist. Have you ever experienced that kind of gap? What did it feel like?

7.How does the promise that the real God is "far better than we could ever imagine" function as an invitation rather than just a theological claim? What would it take for you to genuinely believe that?