People & Traits
This group emphasized outward holiness but were often full of greed and wickedness inside.
Pharisees (they focused on outward holiness but were inwardly full of greed and wickedness).
True or False: The Pharisees always approved when Jesus healed on the Sabbath. (Answer and brief reason.)
False — the Pharisees often disapproved when Jesus healed on the Sabbath.
Complete: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us ______ together with Christ—by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4–5).”
“alive”
Define: Grace (short answer).
Grace: God’s undeserved goodness toward us and active power within us.
Fill in the blank: People were designed to seek God with all their ______, soul, and ______.
heart; mind.
The term that means pretending to be someone you are not, especially when pretending to be righteous.
Hypocrisy.
Why did the Pharisees disapprove of Jesus healing the man with dropsy on the Sabbath? (1–2 sentences)
They considered healing to be “work,” which they believed broke the Sabbath command.
Complete: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of ______.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)
“works”
Define: Legalism (short answer).
Legalism: focusing only on rituals and rules rather than inward change.
What is sincerity? (Short definition)
Sincerity means being honest and free from hypocrisy.
Give one example of how the Pharisees burdened other people with rules (answer in one sentence).
Example: They added rules that made worship difficult and refused to help those burdened by rules.
Explain how the Pharisees’ interpretation of Sabbath rules led to conflict with Jesus (2–3 sentences).
Their strict rules about Sabbath prevented showing mercy and led to judging Jesus for doing good on the Sabbath.
What is the main idea of Ephesians 2:4–5 in one sentence?
(Sample) That God shows mercy and makes us alive with Christ even when we were dead in sin.
Define: Freedom in Christ (one sentence).
Freedom in Christ: grace that lets believers serve God freely, no longer enslaved to sin or the law.
Why is the Pharisees’ attitude of legalism wrong according to the study guide? Give one clear reason (1–2 sentences).
(Sample) Because salvation is by grace through faith, not by earning favor through works.
Why did Jesus’ actions at a Pharisee’s dinner astonish the Pharisee? (1–2 sentences)
Because Jesus did not follow their expected ritual (he did not wash) or he accepted the Pharisee’s invitation but acted in a way that exposed their hypocrisy; the guide notes Jesus’ behavior at the meal astonished the Pharisee.
What was Jesus asking the Pharisees when He questioned whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath? (Answer in one sentence.)
He asked whether it was lawful to do good (heal) on the Sabbath.
Explain in one sentence what Ephesians 2:8–10 teaches about good works and grace.
(Sample) It teaches that salvation is a gift of grace, not earned by works, though we are created for good works.
Define: License as used in the unit (one sentence).
License: choosing to disregard God’s holy standards.
How does God’s grace affect believers after they are saved? (1–2 sentences)
(Sample) Believers continue to rely on God’s grace to grow in holiness and perform good works.
Describe, in two sentences, how viewing obedience as simply rule-following differs from viewing obedience as a response to God’s love.
(Sample) Rule-following treats obedience as a way to earn favor; obedience as response to love sees actions as grateful response to God’s grace.
Use the healing-of-dropsy story to explain one biblical principle about mercy versus ritual (2–3 sentences).
(Sample) The story shows that mercy and care for people’s needs take priority over merely following rituals.
Recite or write from memory the first full line of Ephesians 2:4–5 provided in the study guide.
(Student’s recital — teacher checks accuracy.)
Compare legalism and license in one paragraph (2–3 sentences): how are they similar and how are they different?
(Sample) Both focus wrongly on rules: legalism insists on rules to earn favor; license ignores rules and abuses grace.
In 3–4 sentences, explain how treating God’s standards as either legalism or license harms a person’s relationship with God.
(Sample) Both extremes remove proper understanding of grace: legalism tries to earn God’s favor; license rejects God’s standards. Both damage relationship with God by misusing grace.