7-Week Study & Discussion Guide

The Divine Conspiracy

by Dallas Willard·56 discussion questions

Lead your group with the discussion already prepared: a reading plan, thoughtful questions, and printable handouts for everyone.

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Week 1 — FreeRead the Introduction and Chapter 1 of The Divine Conspiracy. Key passages: Matthew 4:17; Matthew 5:3; Luke 17:20–21.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Willard opens with the provocative image of two bumper stickers — one that says "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven" and another that represents a moralistic, rule-keeping religion — and suggests both represent a failure of the gospel. What does he mean, and which of the two tendencies do you think is more common in your own experience of church life?

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 7-week study and discussion guide for The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard, with 56 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy is one of the most important and challenging books on Christian discipleship written in the twentieth century. Its central thesis is both simple and revolutionary: the gospel is not merely a message about how to get into heaven after death, but an invitation to live now, in the present, as an apprentice of Jesus Christ — participating in the life and rule of God that Jesus called "the kingdom of the heavens." Willard argues that the church has largely exchanged genuine discipleship for what he calls "bar code Christianity" — the idea that salvation is a transaction that gains us entry to eternal life while leaving our actual lives essentially unchanged. Against this thin version of the faith, Willard calls readers back to Jesus's own vision: a life so thoroughly transformed by love, character, and the presence of God that it overflows into every corner of our existence.

This study guide is designed for six weeks of small-group or individual reflection, corresponding to the six sessions of Willard's study. Each week, you are encouraged to read the assigned material slowly and prayerfully before your group meets. Keep a journal nearby — Willard's ideas are dense and rewarding, and writing down what strikes you, what confuses you, and what convicts you will make your discussions richer. Come ready not just to exchange information but to be changed. Some of Willard's arguments will feel unfamiliar, even unsettling; that is part of the point. Let the questions lead you past the surface of the text into honest self-examination and genuine conversation.

By the end of this guide, you should expect to have a clearer and more demanding picture of what it means to follow Jesus — not as a religious identity but as a way of life. You will be invited to examine the Beatitudes with fresh eyes, to reconsider what the Sermon on the Mount actually demands, to think carefully about spiritual disciplines as the means of soul-transformation, and to ask honestly whether the life you are living looks like the life Jesus described. The goal is not guilt but freedom: the freedom of a life genuinely hidden with Christ in God, receiving his kingdom as a present reality rather than a future reward.

Week 1: Introduction — The Ruined and Restored Gospel

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Read the Introduction and Chapter 1 of The Divine Conspiracy. Key passages: Matthew 4:17; Matthew 5:3; Luke 17:20–21.

Before diving into Willard's vision of discipleship, it helps to understand the problem he believes we have created — a gospel so reduced that Jesus himself would barely recognize it.

1.Willard opens with the provocative image of two bumper stickers — one that says "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven" and another that represents a moralistic, rule-keeping religion — and suggests both represent a failure of the gospel. What does he mean, and which of the two tendencies do you think is more common in your own experience of church life?

2.Willard describes what he calls "bar code Christianity" — the idea that what matters about a Christian is simply that they have been "scanned" by God as saved, regardless of how they actually live. Have you encountered this view? How does it differ from what you believe discipleship should look like?

3.The book's title, *The Divine Conspiracy*, refers to God's hidden, persistent, and joyful plan to reclaim all of reality through the redemption of human beings. In what ways does this framing — conspiracy rather than, say, "plan" or "program" — change how you picture God's work in the world?

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Group handout: The Divine Conspiracy

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7-Week Schedule

  1. Week 1Introduction — The Ruined and Restored Gospel8 questions
  2. Week 2The Beatitudes — A Different Kind of Blessed8 questions
  3. Week 3The Sermon on the Mount — Beyond the Letter of the Law8 questions
  4. Week 4The Cost of Discipleship — What It Means to Follow Jesus8 questions
  5. Week 5Spiritual Disciplines and Soul Transformation8 questions
  6. Week 6The Kingdom Come — Living as Agents of God's Reign8 questions
  7. Week 7Review & Reflection — The Whole Argument8 questions

Week 2: The Beatitudes — A Different Kind of Blessed

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Read Chapter 2 (or Session 2) of The Divine Conspiracy. Key passages: Matthew 5:3–12; Luke 6:20–26.

1.Willard argues that the Beatitudes are not a list of requirements for entry into God's kingdom, nor a list of virtues to aspire to, but rather a series of announcements that the kingdom is available even to those we would least expect. How does this reading differ from how you have traditionally heard the Beatitudes taught?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: The Sermon on the Mount — Beyond the Letter of the Law

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Read Chapter 3 (or Session 3) of The Divine Conspiracy. Key passages: Matthew 5:17–48; Matthew 6:1–18.

1.Willard argues that Jesus's "but I say to you" statements (Matthew 5:21–48) are not making the law harder — they are going deeper, to the level of the heart and character where the law was always aimed. How does this reframe what Jesus means when he says he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: The Cost of Discipleship — What It Means to Follow Jesus

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Read Chapter 4 (or Session 4) of The Divine Conspiracy. Key passages: Matthew 7:13–27; Luke 9:23–26; John 15:1–17.

1.Willard defines a disciple as someone who is with Jesus, learning from Jesus, and becoming like Jesus — in the specific rhythms of ordinary life. How does this definition compare to how your church or tradition has used the word "disciple"?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Spiritual Disciplines and Soul Transformation

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Read Chapter 5 (or Session 5) of The Divine Conspiracy. Key passages: Romans 12:1–2; Colossians 3:1–17; 1 Timothy 4:7–8.

1.Willard draws a sharp distinction between "trying" and "training." A person who tries to run a marathon without training will fail; a person who trains will find that what seemed impossible becomes natural. How does this analogy reshape your understanding of the role of spiritual disciplines in the Christian life?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: The Kingdom Come — Living as Agents of God's Reign

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Read Chapter 6 (or Session 6) of The Divine Conspiracy. Key passages: Matthew 28:18–20; John 17:15–18; Revelation 21:1–5.

1.Willard argues that the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20) is not primarily a command to get people to make a decision for Christ, but to "make disciples" — people who are actually learning to live as Jesus lived. How does this reframing change your sense of what evangelism or mission should look like?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Review & Reflection — The Whole Argument

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Review your notes, journals, and underlined passages from all six sessions of The Divine Conspiracy.

1.Which session or chapter had the most significant impact on you? Was it a new idea, a challenging claim, or something that confirmed what you already believed but gave you better words for it?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide
Book Club QuestionsMore by Dallas WillardSpiritual Growth & DisciplinesChristian LivingFaith & TheologyFor Small GroupsFor Individual StudyFor Pastors & Sermon SeriesFree Question GeneratorMake a reading schedule for this book

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About the The Divine Conspiracy guide

How many weeks is the The Divine Conspiracy study guide?

This study guide covers The Divine Conspiracy in 7 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

How many discussion questions are included?

The complete guide includes 56 discussion questions across 7 weeks — an average of 8 questions per week, designed for group conversation.

Can I use this guide for a book club?

Yes — the questions are written for group discussion and work well for small groups, book clubs, church studies, and couples reading together.

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