To prepare for this Bible study, please read the women in Christ commentary, Upright in the Sight of God.

1. Luke 1:5-6 What standard of conduct did Zechariah and Elizabeth choose to live by? Where do you think they found it?

2. Luke 1:18-20 Since neither Zechariah nor anyone else except Jesus ever lived a life in perfect agreement with God’s standard of conduct, why do you think God called them “upright?” What would make you “upright in the sight of God?” [Optional: Find other examples of people in the Bible who were righteous in God’s sight and what made them righteous.]

3. Romans 3:20-26; 6:1-12 Why can’t God’s law make us righteous? Can we be “upright in God’s sight” if we flagrantly disregard obedience to his law? Explain your answer. [Helpful references: I John 3:4-10; James 2:14-26; Romans 7:4-12]

4. Luke 5:31-32 What comparison did Jesus make to explain why he came to earth to live among men? What illnesses or infirmities can you think of that are a direct result of disobedience to some of the commandments written in the Bible?

5. Luke 18:9-14; I John 1:8-2:1-6; Isaiah 66:1-4 Why was one prayer accepted and the other rejected? What does this parable teach us about the righteousness God accepts?

6. Hebrews 2:1-4; 6:4-8 Why is it important to pay attention to and sustain our salvation? How do we sustain our salvation?

7. II Peter 1:5-11 How does adding “goodness” (right conduct) to our faith “make your calling and election sure?”

1. Acts 2:38-39 What do we need to do to start our journey of faith? What is God’s promise once we choose his way over our own?

2. Philippians 2:12-13 What does God provide to make our obedience possible? What do you think your part in this is?

3. Galatians 5:16-26 What does it mean to “live by the Spirit?”

4. Titus 2:11-14 How does God’s grace teach us “to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives?”

5. Romans 6:23; I John 1:9; 5:11-12 When we realize we have failed in some way to live up to God’s standard of right conduct, what can we do to restore our relationship with God?

6. Hebrews 6:9-12; II Peter 1:3-4; Jude 24-25; I John 4:13-18 How can we know that we are “upright in God’s sight” and that we will be welcomed into God’s everlasting kingdom?