After reading the assigned chapters in Everyday Bible Study (Chapters 6-11), identify the following items;
Squares: 4 ideas that, in general, square (fit) with your thinking
Triangles: 3 angles you have never considered before
Circles: 2 questions that are circling in your mind
Hearts: 1 idea that you loved.
DISCUSSION EXAMPLE
The following examples are based on the book Reading Romans with Luther by R.J. Grunewald.
Even though you may not be familiar with this book, you should be able to get a general idea of
what is expected from each of our discussion board assignments based on these answers as they
relate to the content of this book.
A. Module 1: Week 1
Thread: Learning Log
“Jesus turns our inward curve out toward our neighbors. When selfishness has made us
worship only what pleases us. Jesus is at work in us making us forget ourselves. Jesus
gives us new sight as we see our neighbors the way He sees our neighbors” (Grunewald, p.
124).
This quote is a reminder that our actions after salvation should be directed towards others
rather than singularly towards ourselves. Since we are Christ’s ambassadors, we carry His
message with both our words and our actions. If we are confused as to what that looks like,
we only need to familiarize ourselves with the example of Christ.
Continue with 9 other quotes and interactions from the assigned reading
B. Module 3: Week 3
Thread: Squares, Triangles, Circles, and Hearts
Squares:
1. Because of sin, our nature (human nature) is curved in upon itself. This is what is
theologically known as original sin. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah understood this
and wrote, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
2. The heart is co corrupted by sin that it will fear, love, and trust anything and anyone
but God. Therefore, culture ideas like “trust your heart” or “follow your heart” should not
be heeded. This kind of advice will only lead away from God.
3. “God always meets us when rock meets bottom. He promises to meet us in the place of
despair” (Grunewald, p.101). Thus, it is in places of lowliness, weakness, and brokenness
that we are must likely to find God. It is in these places that we will find the presence of
God and not the absence of God.
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4. Christians love their neighbor not out of obligation but out of a heart overflowing with
the love of Jesus. This is the heart of a servant. This is also the heart of Jesus who
demonstrated through his actions what being a servant looked like.
Triangles:
1. Sin is ultimately the worship of self and therefore a worship problem.
2. According to Luther, one reason that people leave the church is because sin is
downplayed and good works is promoted making people think they are already good
enough or righteous enough for God’s acceptance.
3. “Christian growth is not primarily about sinning less. Christian growth is a war within
us that is won by the Spirit through the Gospel…As you grow you will realize more and
more how big the problem of sin is…Growth isn’t about needing the cross less, it’s about
the cross doing its work daily. As we become acutely aware of what need to be put to
death our daily lives transform” (Grunewald, p. 96).
Circles:
1. How else does Paul describe the difference between the carnal and the spiritual man in
his other letters and does Luther’s understanding in Romans fit with these descriiptions?
2. How does Luther’s understanding of the gifts listed in Romans (Prophecy, Service,
Teaching, Exhortation, Generosity, Leadership, and Mercy) fit with the other places Paul
talks about gifts in his letters?
Hearts:
1. “Grace is the pronouncement of your relationship to the Father, and it has nothing to
do with whether you are a well-behaved child of the Father” (Grunewald, p. 39).
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C. Module 6: Week 6
Thread: 3-2-1
3 concepts that improved, clarified, or adjusted my knowledge from this week’s reading.
There is a definite link between justification and sanctification. Grunewald expresses it
this way, “Justification always effects our sanctification. In other words, the grace that
saves us also changes us” (Grunewald, p. 105). This connection is rooted in Jesus Christ
who is at work within us re-creating us to be people who love the people around us.
The gifts and opportunities God gives us are so that we can serve the people around us.
They are not because “He” needs something. We are given them because “they” needs
something. Grunewald writes, “Our neighbors need our good works. Jesus doesn’t need
our love and service by our neighbors do. Jesus doesn’t need our food in order to survive,
but our neighbors might. Jesus doesn’t need us to protects Him and care for Him but our
children do need care and protection” (Grunewald, p. 110). Thus, we are blessed to be a
blessing. We have received good things so that we can share those good things with our
neighbors.
The transformation in the believer is being orchestrated by Jesus and it turns our curved
inward bend to an outward bend. In other words, we are being reshaped so that instead of
an inward gaze at our own life we have an outward look to the needs of our neighbor.
Grunewald notes, “Jesus turns our inward curves out toward our neighbors. When
selfishness has made us worship only what pleases us, Jesus is at work in us making us
forget ourselves. Jesus gives us new sight as we see our neighbors the way He sees our
neighbors” (Grunewald, p. 124). One practical outgrowth of sanctification is that we
begin to see the needs of others and the way in which God has gifted us to meet those
needs.
2 ideas that are crucial from this week’s reading.
Concupiscence: This theological word is not something we hear used frequently today.
However, its definition is one that describes the human condition. To that end,
“Concupiscence is the desire and the lusting of the heart towards sin” (Grunewald, p. 25)
Luther’s interpretation of Deuteronomy 6:6: This is an understanding of this passage that
I was not aware of nor had been previously exposed to. Luther sees the terms in this verse
as more practical rather than religious. To that end, “‘between your eyes’ means all our
thoughts must be directed by these words, and the phases to write them on the doorposts
of your house and on your gates’ means that all our senses and particularly our tongue
must be directed and applied according to these words” (Grunewald, p. 112).
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1 way I can use what you have read.
Grunewald talks about hiding in chapter 1. More specifically, he talks about the way we
have learned to hide things as it relates to social media. He writes, “We’ve become
experts at hiding. We filter our lives and crop out the sadness so that everybody sees a
version of us that has everything together…This is the unwritten law of social media:
show the best version of your life and hide the mess (Grunewald, p.12). With this in
mind, I will focus on personal contentment rather than personal dissatisfaction as I
consume information on social media. I will remind myself that what I am looking at is a
highlight reel with all of the sadness cropped out.
D. Module 8: Week 8
Thread: $12 Summaries
Chapter 2: Human Condition (120 words)
Sin is the disease that has infected every human being. The proper theological term for
this is “original sin.” The viciousness of original sin has altered our nature that it is “so
deeply curved in upon itself” (Grunewald, p. 21). The implications of this for our human
condition is that “sin is not simply something we choose to do or not do; sin is our nature.
We aren’t sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners” (Grunewald, p.26).
The answer to our human condition is found in the Gospel, or more correctly, the person
of the Gospel. Rather than being plagued by a “me first” spirit, Jesus selflessly gives
himself to rescue those under the curse of sin.
