Chapter Three

Gospel Enemy #1: Self-Righteousness

1. Describe in your own words what it means to be self-righteous?

2. What is the difference between self-righteousness toward God and self-righteousness toward others? Which is worse, and why? (41-42)

3. Read Galatians 2:21. How does the belief that we have earned (merited) God’s blessings “nullify grace” and set us up for committing self-righteousness toward God? (42-43)

4. Read Galatians 1:6-9.

1. Why was Paul “astonished” with the Galatians?

2. Explain in your own words what Paul meant by a different gospel?

5. Read Galatians 2:16 and fill in the blanks. “Yet we know that a person is not justified by _________, but through _______ in _________.”

1. In Chapter One we discussed that being justified means that we are declared righteous (in right standing) with God. According Gal 2:16, how are we justified?

2. Are we justified (declared righteous) by our own works?

6. The second paragraph on page 44 describes the basis most people give for their belief that God will accept them into heaven.

1. Why is this approach considered to be self-righteous?

2. Read Matthew 7:21-23. What does Jesus indicate his response will be to this large group of people who base their acceptance from God on their own works?

7. Many people bank on the hope that God will consider their good deeds to have enough redeeming value to offset the guilt of their bad deeds. Why is this a dangerous assumption? (45)

8. Think about your recent prayer times. Are you confident in your underlying assumptions and attitudes about why God should favorably answer your prayers?

9. Read Luke 18:9-14. Why was this Pharisee thankful that he was not like the “other men?”

1. On what was the Pharisee basing his righteousness?

2. On what was the tax collector basing his appeal to God?

3. According to Jesus (verse 14) why was the tax collector justified, rather than the Pharisee?

10. Describe the self-righteous moralistic believer (47-49). Based on your answers to the ten questions on page 49, do you tend to fit in this category?

11. Why is persistent guilt actually a form of self-righteousness toward God? (50-51)

12. Do you agree that most believers vacillate between moralistic, performance-based self-righteousness on one hand, and persistent guilt on the other? Which category do you lean toward more, and why? (50-51)

13. Explain the last sentence on page 51.

14. From everything you’ve read in chapters 1-3, how does leaning on the first bookend slay Gospel Enemy #1?