The review’s main concern
Living Biblically follows Chip Curry, a non-religious man who decides to obey the Bible as literally as he can for a year. GotQuestions.org sees the premise as a comic experiment, but says it misunderstands what the Bible is and how Christians read it.
The show highlights unusual commands and turns them into situations for laughs. That can make Scripture seem like a confusing set of arbitrary restrictions. Yet the Bible is a library of history, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, letters, and gospel accounts, all pointing readers towards God’s rescue of people through Christ. Jesus told religious leaders that the Scriptures testify of him, not merely of a checklist to perform (John 5:39).
Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Rules cannot make someone right with God
A central point in the review is that trying harder to keep biblical commands cannot make a person right with God. The law reveals sin and shows humanity’s need, but it does not provide the power to change a sinful heart (Romans 3:20).
That does not mean God’s commands are silly or unhelpful. They reveal his goodness and teach his people how to love God and neighbour. But the Christian message starts with God’s grace. Paul explains that people are saved by grace through faith, not by works they can boast about (Ephesians 2:8-9).
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The gospel is missing
GotQuestions.org’s strongest criticism is that the series leaves Jesus and the gospel at the edges of the story. Christianity is not mainly about becoming a nicer, more disciplined version of yourself. It is about God meeting sinners in Christ, who died for sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
This is why a person can obey religious practices outwardly yet still miss the heart of faith. Jesus challenged the Pharisees because they carefully observed external details while neglecting weightier matters such as justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23). Real obedience grows from knowing God, not from performing for him.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
A wiser way to approach the show
The series may prompt useful conversations about difficult Bible passages, and humour can expose how strange isolated commands may look to modern readers. Still, GotQuestions.org advises viewers not to take its approach as a guide to Christianity.
When reading a biblical command, ask who received it, what covenant and setting it belongs to, and how it connects to Jesus. Christians disagree on some matters of practice, but they agree that love for God and love for others belong at the centre of faithful living (Matthew 22:37-39). Read the passages for yourself, in context, and let the whole story of Scripture shape the question.