12-Week Study & Discussion Guide

The Pursuit of Holiness

by Jerry Bridges·86 discussion questions

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

Last updated August 16, 2026

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Week 1 — FreeRead the Preface and Chapter 1 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: 1 Peter 1:14–16; Hebrews 12:14.

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Bridges opens by observing that Christians often tolerate in themselves sins they would be appalled to see in others. Does that ring true in your own experience? What sins do you tend to minimize or excuse in yourself?

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 12-week study and discussion guide for The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, with 86 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

Jerry Bridges' The Pursuit of Holiness is a clarion call to take personal holiness as seriously as God does. Written in 1978 and still transforming lives decades later, the book builds its case around a deceptively simple conviction: holiness is not optional for the Christian. Drawing on the repeated biblical command — "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16) — Bridges argues that most believers have accepted a dangerously low standard for their own moral and spiritual lives, drifting along with the current of culture rather than swimming upstream toward Christlikeness. The book's great contribution is holding two truths in careful tension: holiness is entirely God's work in us, and it requires the deliberate, disciplined effort of the believer. Neither passive mysticism nor white-knuckled willpower, but a cooperative pursuit.

This study guide is designed for use over twelve weeks, whether in a small group or as a personal devotional companion. Each week, read the assigned chapter (or chapters) before your group meets or before you sit down with the guide. After reading, take time to journal your honest responses to a few questions before discussing them with others — you will get far more from the material if you think on paper before you speak out loud. The questions move from comprehension (what did Bridges actually say?) to application (where does this show up in my life?) to reflection (how does this connect to the gospel and to God's character?). Don't rush through the questions; it is better to linger over three questions well than to skim ten quickly.

By the end of this guide, you should have a clearer picture of what holiness is and is not, a more honest assessment of where you are genuinely pursuing it and where you have been making excuses, and a renewed sense that the pursuit is both your responsibility and, by God's grace, genuinely possible. Bridges is not trying to heap condemnation on the reader — he is trying to awaken a holy ambition that God himself has placed within every believer. Come to each week ready to be challenged, comforted, and ultimately sent back into daily life with fresh resolve to "make every effort to be holy" (Hebrews 12:14).

Week 1: Introduction — The Call to Holiness

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Read the Preface and Chapter 1 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: 1 Peter 1:14–16; Hebrews 12:14.

Bridges opens by forcing a question most of us quietly avoid: do we actually want to be holy, or do we merely want to be forgiven? Let these questions help you answer honestly.

2.The book's central command — 'Be holy, because I am holy' — appears repeatedly in both Testaments. What strikes you about the fact that God grounds the command in his own character rather than in our benefit or moral obligation?

3.Bridges distinguishes between holiness as a positional reality (what God declares us to be in Christ) and holiness as a practical pursuit (how we actually live). How would you explain that distinction in your own words, and why does it matter?

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12-Week Schedule

Week 2: Chapter 2 — The Holiness of God

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Read Chapter 2 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: Isaiah 6:1–8; Revelation 4:8.

1.Bridges grounds the call to human holiness in the holiness of God himself. Why is it essential to start there rather than starting with rules, disciplines, or human effort?

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Week 3: Chapter 3 — Holiness Is for You

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Read Chapter 3 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:3–7; 2 Corinthians 7:1.

1.Bridges titles this chapter 'Holiness Is for You' — emphasizing the personal, ordinary nature of the call. Who did you grow up thinking holiness was really for? How has that assumption shaped your own pursuit of it?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 4: Chapter 4 — The Requirement of Holiness

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Read Chapter 4 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: Romans 8:12–13; Galatians 5:16–17.

1.Bridges argues that the Christian life involves a genuine moral requirement — that we are obligated to live holy lives. How does that sit with you? Does 'obligation' feel like a threat to grace, or is it something else?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 5: Chapter 5 — Obedience: The Path of Holiness

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Read Chapter 5 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: John 14:15, 21; 1 John 2:3–6.

1.Bridges makes the straightforward claim that obedience is the path to holiness — not feelings, not experiences, not intensity of devotion, but actual compliance with what God commands. Does that feel reductive to you, or clarifying? Why?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 6: Chapter 6 — Putting Sin to Death

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Read Chapter 6 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5.

1.The chapter title comes from Romans 8:13 — 'put to death the deeds of the body.' That is violent language. Why do you think Paul (and Bridges) insist on that kind of language rather than softer alternatives like 'manage' or 'resist' or 'reduce'?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 7: Chapter 7 — The Place of Personal Discipline

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Read Chapter 7 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; 1 Timothy 4:7–8.

1.Paul uses the athletic metaphors of running a race and boxing — disciplines requiring rigorous training and self-denial. How seriously do you take spiritual training compared to other forms of training or self-improvement in your life?

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Week 8: Chapter 8 — Holiness in Body and Spirit

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Read Chapter 8 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:18–20; Romans 12:1–2.

1.Bridges pushes back against any tendency to separate 'spiritual' holiness from bodily behavior. Why is it important that holiness encompasses what we do with our bodies, not just our minds or hearts?

+ 6 more questions in the full guide

Week 9: Chapter 9 — Holiness and Our Wills

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Read Chapter 9 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: Philippians 2:12–13; Romans 6:12–14.

1.Bridges cites Philippians 2:12–13 as the key passage: 'Work out your salvation... for it is God who works in you.' How do you hold together the 'work out' of verse 12 and the 'God who works' of verse 13? Where does your thinking tend to overemphasize one at the expense of the other?

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Week 10: Chapter 10 — Holiness in an Unholy World

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Read Chapter 10 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: John 17:15–17; Romans 12:2.

1.Jesus prayed not that the Father would take his disciples out of the world, but that he would protect them from the evil one and sanctify them through the truth. How does that prayer shape the way you think about your engagement with the surrounding culture?

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Week 11: Chapter 11 — Holiness and Faith

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Read Chapter 11 of The Pursuit of Holiness. Primary Scripture: Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 11:6.

1.Bridges argues that faith is not just the entry point of the Christian life but its ongoing engine — we pursue holiness by faith, just as we were justified by faith. How does that connect to your actual daily experience of pursuing holiness?

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Week 12: Review & Reflection

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Review your notes and journal entries from the entire study. Suggested Scripture for final reflection: Hebrews 12:1–14; 1 Peter 1:13–16.

1.Looking back over the whole book, which chapter or concept had the single greatest impact on you? Why did that particular idea land so hard? Had you encountered it before, or was it genuinely new?

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Book Club Questions More by Jerry Bridges Spiritual Growth & Disciplines Christian Living For Small Groups For Individual Study For Pastors & Sermon Series Free Question Generator Make a reading schedule for this book

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About the The Pursuit of Holiness guide

How many weeks is the The Pursuit of Holiness study guide?

This study guide covers The Pursuit of Holiness in 12 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

How many discussion questions are included?

The complete guide includes 86 discussion questions across 12 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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