15-Week Study & Discussion Guide

The Imitation of Christ

by Thomas à Kempis·105 discussion questions

Lead your group with the discussion already prepared: a reading plan, thoughtful questions, and printable handouts for everyone.

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Week 1 — FreeRead the Introductory Note of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: John 8:12; Philippians 3:8.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.The introductory note describes Thomas as spending the last seventy years of his life at Mount St. Agnes, occupied with 'copying manuscripts, reading, and composing, and in the peaceful routine of monastic piety.' What is your initial reaction to a life shaped so entirely by hiddenness and repetition? Does it attract you, repel you, or both?

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 15-week study and discussion guide for The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis, with 105 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis is one of the most widely read Christian devotional works ever written, second only to the Bible in its influence across five centuries and countless traditions. Written in Latin in the early fifteenth century, most likely by Thomas Haemmerlein (à Kempis), a monk who spent seventy years in quiet Augustinian monasteries near the Rhine, the book makes a single, urgent argument: that a life of intellectual achievement, worldly success, or even religious busyness means nothing unless it is rooted in humble union with Jesus Christ. "What doth it profit thee to enter into deep discussion concerning the Holy Trinity," Thomas asks, "if thou lack humility, and be thus displeasing to the Trinity?" The work is divided into four books — practical admonitions for the spiritual life, counsel on the inner life, a sustained dialogue of the soul with Christ on inward consolation, and a meditation on the Eucharist — each pressing the reader deeper inward, away from self and toward God.

This study guide moves through the book's four books over fifteen weeks, with one introductory week and a final week of review and reflection. The suggested rhythm for each week is: read the assigned chapters (many are very short), journal your honest responses to one or two questions before your group meets, and then pray or discuss together. Because Thomas writes in short, aphoristic chapters, you may find it useful to read slowly and let a single sentence sit with you before moving on. The questions below are designed to help you do exactly that — to notice which lines land hardest, to probe whether you believe what Thomas is saying, and to ask what obedience to that truth would actually look like in your own life.

By the end of this guide you will have spent extended time with one of history's most searching calls to self-denial and Christlikeness. You should expect to be challenged — Thomas does not flatter his readers — but also to find unexpected sweetness. His recurring conviction is that the narrow way is lighter than it looks from the outside, and that the soul which stops chasing created things discovers a rest it never found while chasing them. Bring honesty, patience with yourself, and a willingness to be changed.

Week 1: Introductory Note — Who Was Thomas à Kempis?

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Read the Introductory Note of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: John 8:12; Philippians 3:8.

Before entering Thomas's world, it is worth pausing to consider the man and the tradition that produced this book — because the life behind the words is itself part of the argument.

1.The introductory note describes Thomas as spending the last seventy years of his life at Mount St. Agnes, occupied with 'copying manuscripts, reading, and composing, and in the peaceful routine of monastic piety.' What is your initial reaction to a life shaped so entirely by hiddenness and repetition? Does it attract you, repel you, or both?

2.The note observes that The Imitation of Christ 'is hardly an original work at all' — its ideas and phrases are drawn from the Bible and the Church Fathers, woven together with 'delicate skill and a religious feeling at once so ardent and so sound.' How does knowing this shape the way you approach the book? What might Thomas be modeling by preferring received wisdom over originality?

3.The note records genuine scholarly uncertainty about whether Thomas actually wrote this book. Why do you think the identity of the author has mattered so much to readers over five centuries? And why might Thomas himself — given what the book argues — not have minded the ambiguity?

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15-Week Schedule

  1. Week 1Introductory Note — Who Was Thomas à Kempis?6 questions
  2. Week 2Book One, Chapters I–V — Vanity and the Knowledge of Truth7 questions
  3. Week 3Book One, Chapters VI–XII — Peace, Adversity, and the Uses of Trouble7 questions
  4. Week 4Book One, Chapters XIII–XIX — Judgment, Charity, and the Religious Life7 questions
  5. Week 5Book One, Chapters XX–XXV — Solitude, Death, and the Amendment of Life7 questions
  6. Week 6Book Two, Chapters I–VI — The Inward Life and the Joy of a Good Conscience7 questions
  7. Week 7Book Two, Chapters VII–XII — Loving Jesus, Bearing the Cross7 questions
  8. Week 8Book Three, Chapters I–IX — The Inward Voice and Walking in Truth7 questions
  9. Week 9Book Three, Chapters X–XIX — Patience, Obedience, and Bearing Injuries7 questions
  10. Week 10Book Three, Chapters XX–XXX — Consolation, Desolation, and Casting Care on God7 questions
  11. Week 11Book Three, Chapters XXXI–XLI — Self-Denial, Nature, and Grace7 questions
  12. Week 12Book Three, Chapters XLII–LIX — Hope in God Alone7 questions
  13. Week 13Book Four, Chapters I–VI — The Sacrament of the Altar: Reverence and Charity7 questions
  14. Week 14Book Four, Chapters VII–XVIII — Preparation, Desire, and the Humble Imitator7 questions
  15. Week 15Review & Reflection — The Whole Journey8 questions

Week 2: Book One, Chapters I–V — Vanity and the Knowledge of Truth

All 7 questions →

Read Book One, Chapters I–V of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: John 8:12; Ecclesiastes 1:2, 8; Psalm 94:12.

1.Thomas opens with Christ's words from John 8: 'He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness.' He then writes, 'What doth it profit thee to enter into deep discussion concerning the Holy Trinity, if thou lack humility, and be thus displeasing to the Trinity?' What is Thomas's actual argument here? Is he against theology and learning, or is he making a more careful point?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 3: Book One, Chapters VI–XII — Peace, Adversity, and the Uses of Trouble

All 7 questions →

Read Book One, Chapters VI–XII of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: Job 7:1; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Romans 5:3–4.

1.In Chapter VI, Thomas makes a sharp observation: the man who yields to inordinate desire finds that 'immediately he is weighed down by the condemnation of his conscience, because he hath followed his own desire, and yet in no way attained the peace which he hoped for.' Have you experienced this pattern — getting what you wanted and finding it did not deliver the peace you anticipated? What does Thomas say is the true source of peace?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Book One, Chapters XIII–XIX — Judgment, Charity, and the Religious Life

All 7 questions →

Read Book One, Chapters XIII–XIX of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: Matthew 7:1–5; Galatians 6:2; Luke 12:43–44.

1.Chapter XIV opens: 'Look well unto thyself, and beware that thou judge not the doings of others. In judging others a man laboureth in vain; he often erreth, and easily falleth into sin; but in judging and examining himself he always laboureth to good purpose.' What practical difference would it make to your relationships if you redirected your judgmental energy entirely inward?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Book One, Chapters XX–XXV — Solitude, Death, and the Amendment of Life

All 7 questions →

Read Book One, Chapters XX–XXV of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: Psalm 4:4; Matthew 24:44; Hebrews 13:14.

1.Chapter XX opens with a famous line: 'As oft as I have gone among men, so oft have I returned less a man.' Thomas is not counseling misanthropy, but he is diagnosing something real about how excessive socializing can thin the inner life. Is this honest with your own experience? What happens to your interior life after long stretches of busyness and noise?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Book Two, Chapters I–VI — The Inward Life and the Joy of a Good Conscience

All 7 questions →

Read Book Two, Chapters I–VI of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: Luke 17:21; John 14:23; Isaiah 57:21.

1.Chapter I opens Book Two with Christ's words, 'The kingdom of God is within you,' and Thomas draws the implication: 'Christ will come to thee, and show thee His consolation, if thou prepare a worthy mansion for Him within thee.' What does it mean practically to prepare your interior life as a dwelling for Christ? What would need to be cleared out or rearranged?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Book Two, Chapters VII–XII — Loving Jesus, Bearing the Cross

All 7 questions →

Read Book Two, Chapters VII–XII of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: Matthew 16:24; Luke 9:23; Romans 8:18.

1.Chapter VII opens with one of Thomas's most beloved lines: 'He who cleaveth to created things will fall with their slipperiness; but he who embraceth Jesus will stand upright for ever.' He then says that if we seek ourselves in others, we find ourselves to our own hurt — but if we seek Jesus in all things, we find Jesus. Where are you currently looking for the stability that only Jesus can give?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 8: Book Three, Chapters I–IX — The Inward Voice and Walking in Truth

All 7 questions →

Read Book Three, Chapters I–IX of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:9; Psalm 85:8; John 14:6.

1.Chapter I opens: 'Blessed is the soul which heareth the Lord speaking within it, and receiveth the word of consolation from His mouth.' Thomas describes an inward hearing that is distinct from reading or being taught. What does it mean to 'hear' God in this interior sense? How do you distinguish the inward voice of Christ from your own thoughts or wishes?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Book Three, Chapters X–XIX — Patience, Obedience, and Bearing Injuries

All 7 questions →

Read Book Three, Chapters X–XIX of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: Hebrews 12:4; Romans 5:3–5; Luke 17:10.

1.Chapter X opens with a long, lyrical prayer of gratitude: 'O Fountain of perpetual love, what shall I say concerning Thee? How shall I be unmindful of Thee, who didst vouchsafe to remember me?' Thomas is modeling a practice of recalling and celebrating God's initiatives toward us. Take a moment: what are two or three specific ways God has pursued you that you tend to forget?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 10: Book Three, Chapters XX–XXX — Consolation, Desolation, and Casting Care on God

All 7 questions →

Read Book Three, Chapters XX–XXX of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: Psalm 37:3–4; John 14:27; James 1:17.

1.Chapter XXI contains Thomas's great prayer: 'Grant me, most sweet and loving Jesus, to rest in Thee above every creature... above all hope and promise, above all merit and desire, above all gifts and rewards.' He is describing a rest that lies beyond even spiritual experiences and gifts. Have you ever tasted rest that was not dependent on circumstances, feelings, or outcomes? What was it like?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 11: Book Three, Chapters XXXI–XLI — Self-Denial, Nature, and Grace

All 7 questions →

Read Book Three, Chapters XXXI–XLI of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: Romans 7:12–25; Philippians 4:13; John 15:9.

1.Chapter XXXII has Christ say: 'Hold fast the short and complete saying, Renounce all things, and thou shalt find all things; give up thy lust, and thou shalt find rest.' Thomas calls this 'enclosed all the perfection of the religious.' Does renunciation feel like loss or like finding? Have you ever experienced the paradox that giving something up opened a larger life?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 12: Book Three, Chapters XLII–LIX — Hope in God Alone

All 7 questions →

Read Book Three, Chapters XLII–LIX of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: John 14:27; Romans 8:17–18; Psalm 141:8.

1.Chapter XLVII has Christ promise: 'An hour shall come when all labour and confusion shall cease. Little and short is all that passeth away with time.' Thomas keeps returning to eternity as the lens that reframes present suffering. How does the promise of eternal glory change — or should it change — the way you endure present difficulty? Is it a live hope for you, or does it feel abstract?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 13: Book Four, Chapters I–VI — The Sacrament of the Altar: Reverence and Charity

All 7 questions →

Read Book Four, Chapters I–VI of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: Matthew 11:28; John 6:51–63; 1 Corinthians 11:27–29.

1.Chapter I opens with the 'voice of Christ': 'Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.' Thomas meditates on the astonishing condescension of this invitation: 'Angels and Archangels stand in awe of Thee, the Saints and just men fear Thee, and Thou sayest, Come unto Me!' How does the radical accessibility of Christ in the Lord's Supper — or in prayer — strike you? Does it produce wonder, or have you grown accustomed to it?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 14: Book Four, Chapters VII–XVIII — Preparation, Desire, and the Humble Imitator

All 7 questions →

Read Book Four, Chapters VII–XVIII of The Imitation of Christ. Primary Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:28; John 14:21; Hebrews 12:4.

1.Chapter VII calls for 'examination of conscience and purpose of amendment' before receiving Communion. Thomas suggests examining our relationships, our secret sins, and our dominant failures. This is not meant to produce paralysis but honesty. What would honest self-examination before a serious reception of Communion actually look like for you right now? What would you confess?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 15: Review & Reflection — The Whole Journey

All 8 questions →

Review your notes from Weeks 1–14. Re-read any chapter that most marked you. Primary Scripture: John 8:12; Matthew 16:24; Philippians 3:8.

1.Looking back over the four books: which single chapter, image, or sentence from The Imitation of Christ has stayed with you most persistently? What is it about that passage that has lodged in you?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide
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About the The Imitation of Christ guide

How many weeks is the The Imitation of Christ study guide?

This study guide covers The Imitation of Christ in 15 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

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The complete guide includes 105 discussion questions across 15 weeks — an average of 7 questions per week, designed for group conversation.

Can I use this guide for a book club?

Yes — the questions are written for group discussion and work well for small groups, book clubs, church studies, and couples reading together.

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