THEOLOGY IV
Discussion Questions on the Doctrine of the Church1
1. When you think of the church as the invisible fellowship of all true believers throughout all
time, how does it affect the way you think of yourself as an individual Christian? In the
community in which you live, is there much visible unity among genuine believers (that is, is
there much visible evidence of the true nature of the invisible church)? Does the New
Testament say anything about the ideal size for an individual church?
2. Would you consider the church that you are now in to be a true church? Have you ever been
a member of a church that you would think to be a false church? Do you think there is any
harm done when evangelical Christians continue to give the impression that they think liberal
Protestant churches are true Christian churches? Viewed from the perspective of the final
judgment, what good and what harm might come from our failure to state that we think
unbelieving churches are false churches?
3. Did any of the metaphors for the church give you a new appreciation for the church that you
currently attend?
4. To which purpose of the church do you think you can most effectively contribute? Which
purpose has God placed in your heart a strong desire to fulfill?
5. In what areas is your own church “more pure”? In what areas do you think it is “less pure”?
6. On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 equals less pure; 10 equals more pure), where would you rank your
church in each of the categories that mark a more-pure church?
7. What do you think that you should be doing in order to work for greater purity in your own
church? Does the fact that you recognize a specific need in the church mean that God is
calling you (rather than someone else) to meet that need?
8. Do you know of other churches in your area that you would consider more pure than your
own? What are the reasons that you might think it right to stay in your own church even
though it may not be the most pure church you know of?
9. Are there marks of a more-pure church that evangelicals generally in this century have been
negligent in emphasizing?
10. Since the first century, do you think that by and large the church has continued to increase in
purity over time? Can you give specific reasons to support your answer?
11. In your lifetime, what encouraging signs do you see that the church is increasing in purity?
What signs do you see that the church is increasing in unity?
12. In what ways do you think your own local church could grow in unity among its members?
13. In what ways could your church demonstrate greater unity with other true churches in the
same geographical area? What do you think are the barriers to that unity (if any)? In what
ways could that unity be expressed? What might be the benefits of such expressions of unity?
14. Are you in a church where you have wondered if God would have you leave and join another
church? After reading this chapter, do you now think that you should stay in your present
church or leave it? Has there been significant change for the better in your church in the last
ten years? If you knew that the church was to remain substantially the same for the next ten
years, would you decide to stay now or to leave it?
1
Grudem’s chapters 44-46
Professor Christopher Ullman – Christian Life College -- 1
THEOLOGY IV
15. What are some ways in which the worldwide unity of true believers is already being
expressed and demonstrated? What would the church around the world look like if there were
much greater demonstration of the unity of the church? What would be the result in the world
as a whole?
16. If a community already has several active and effective evangelical churches, is there any
justification for another evangelical denomination to attempt to plant its own church in that
community?
17. Do you think it hinders evangelism and witness to society generally when the popular culture
thinks of unbelieving or false churches and believing churches both as “Christians”? Can
anything be done to change that impression?
18. What kinds of unity and cooperation can appropriately be demonstrated with believers within
the Roman Catholic Church today? What are the limits to such cooperation?
19. Have you previously thought of the church as rather weak or rather strong in its influence on
the affairs of the world? How has your thinking changed as a result of this chapter? Do you
now think there is any hope for transforming society apart from the strong redemptive
influence of the church?
20. Have you previously thought of yourself as holding any of the “keys of the kingdom of
heaven”? Do you in fact have some of those keys now? What are you doing with them?
21. In what ways could your church exercise its spiritual power against the forces of the enemy
more effectively? In what ways could you use this power more effectively yourself?
22. What is the strongest enemy to the effective proclamation of the gospel in your community
now? How might the power of the church be used against that enemy?
23. If you accept the principles that the church should not rule the state and the state should not
rule over or restrict the freedom of the church, are these principles being played out
effectively in your own country or local situation? What could be done to increase
conformity to these principles? (Do you agree with these principles?)
24. Are you aware of situations where a gentle word of admonition has resulted in a positive
change in your own behavior or the behavior of another Christian? Are you aware of
situations where church discipline has gone a step or two further than this and has resulted in
restoration of the erring person? If you are aware of situations where the practice of church
discipline has not brought a good result, what could have been done differently to bring about
a better result?
25. If a church refuses to carry out church discipline at all for a number of years, even though
there is an evident need for it, what will be the harmful results in the church? Are you aware
of situations where those harmful results have occurred?
26. Have there been times when you wished that someone would have come to you earlier with a
word of admonition or counsel concerning an area of sin that you were unaware of or that
you were uncertain about? If so, why didn’t that happen?
27. Are there now any relationships in your life where Matthew 5:23 and Matthew 18:15
combine to tell you that you have an obligation to go to another person and seek to make the
situation right?
Professor Christopher Ullman – Christian Life College -- 2