WILLIAM WILBERFORCE – REAL CHRISTIANITY, WEEK 7

Adult Class, Abbe Church, Sunday, March 12, 2023, 11:30 AM

I. Opening Prayer

II. Chapter 7: Practical Hints About Authentic Faith, Part II

III. Review from Chapter 7, Part II:

A. WW highlights problems with cultural Christianity.

B. WW says the difference between real and cultural Christianity is

not

a matter of different opinion; the former is Christianity, the

latter is not.

C. The visible and the invisible Church.

D. WW highlights sources of deception within cultural Christianity.

E. WW calls the Church and Christians to “wake up!”

IV. Chapter 7, Part II, Pages 176-198

A. Section Two: Some Advice to Those Who Believe

1. This is a problem that is particularly problematic for those who

legitimately have received Christ and believe all that the Bible

teaches. Their belief system is intact, but their lives do not bear the

evidence that they have actually had a real encounter with Christ.

They regard their faith as something that has been taken care of and

then proceed to live as if Christ were not really their Lord. True

Christian grace has become cheap grace. They have affirmed and

repented from sin. They have some level of desire for holiness. But

they take the path of least resistance in their approach to Christian

living. They neglect a vigilant and zealous pursuit of God’s will for

their lives. They practice some resistance to sin and exercise some

measure of discipline in dealing with the flaws of their character that

God desires to change. But their approach to spiritual growth is not

serious.

a. What are some of the practical causes for this problem?

b. What is “cheap grace” according to WW? How do you define it?

c. Can you recall a time in your Christian walk, that what WW

describes was true for you? Are you willing to share a piece of your

story?

2. Let me warn those who are in this position. You are in danger of

deceiving yourselves. Beware that you do not become nominal

Christians of another sort. There are no shortcuts to authentic

spirituality. It takes all we have to give and is the main task to which

we are called. …If you are serious about being a follower of Jesus

Christ, keep a close watch over your behavior and your heart.

a. Do you agree with WW there is a danger of deceiving ourselves?

b. Do you agree with his advice as what to do?

c. What would you say to a friend or family member who is living

with “cheap grace” and “nominal Christianity”?

B. Section Three: Brief Comments to Various Kinds of Skeptics

(Absolute Unbelievers)

1. In my own investigations, I have found that unbelief is rarely a

matter of examining the evidence and reaching a negative verdict. It

is usually the outcome of a life that is careless and irreligious. It is

usually much more of a moral issue than an intellectual one. Some

people do not want to believe, even if the bulk of the evidence

supports the truth of faith. …It is therefore accurate to conclude that

unbelief is in general a disease of the heart more than of the

understanding.

a. Do you agree with WW interpretation of his own investigations?

b. What have you gleaned from the “absolute unbelievers” you have

encountered?

2. In short, there are no shortcuts to spirituality. If you are going to

reject Christianity on the basis that its belief system is unsound, you

will find no middle ground between orthodoxy and unbelief that

makes any more sense. It would be good if those who find themselves

defending historic, orthodox Christian faith took such an approach to

these things. By pushing these other systems to their logical

conclusions, any individual who is on the fence might be led to

understand that apart from authentic faith, atheism is the only logical

alternative.

a. WW made this claim in the 18-19th centuries; is it just as true in

the 20th-21st centuries?

b. WW last sentence is bold. Do you agree? Is historic, orthodox

Christianity built on solid ground?

3. We live at a time when there is no excuse for living in spiritual

ignorance. Never before in all of human history have we had at our

disposal more evidence in favor of the truth of Christianity. …It is

hard to be an intelligent and informed unbeliever these days.

a. If WW stated this in 19th century England, what would we say

about 21st century America?

b. Why would WW make this final statement? We have all met

“intelligent and informed unbelievers.”

C. Section Four: Advice for Those Who Possess Authentic Faith

1. If change is to come, it must start with true Christians living out

their faith. It is imperative that men and women of authentic faith live

out their relationship with Christ in such a way that the Church in our

country again regains the respect of the culture and the allegiance of

its membership. It is going to take passion to change things, and only

those who truly believe are capable of having it. True believers are

going to have to go the distance. …Be bold to proclaim the name of

Christ in this time when many who call themselves Christian are

ashamed to speak the name.

a. Do you agree with WW? Could this be true for churches in

America, for Abbe Church, or is this WW idealism?

b. Why are Christians “ashamed to speak the name” of Christ?

V. Closing Prayer: WW Concluding Paragraph (page 198)