Quotes to Consider “ And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and H im crucified.” -1 Corinthians 2:1-2 “ Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” -Galatians 6:12-14 “Because of God’s amazingly gracious heart toward those who thoroughly deserve only H is wrath, He both planned for and provided this mediator to resolve the divine dilemma— a mediator who, through H is blood, would accomplish a unique assignment utterly unlike any other work of mediation. In the mystery of H is mercy, God the innocent, offended party—offers up to death H is own Son, to satisfy H is righteous wrath and save the guilty party from it.” -C .J. Mahaney When God justifies sinners, he is not declaring bad people to be good, or saying they are not sinners after all; he is pronouncing them legally righteous, free from any liability to the broken law, because he himself in his Son has borne the penalty of their law breaking. -John Stott “Leave out the cross, and you have killed the religion of Jesus. A tonement by the blood of Jesus is not an arm of Christian truth; it is the heart of it.” -C .H . Spurgeon “ The gospel of Christ crucified and risen is meant to be preached to our soul–both in corporate worship where we hear it week after week, and from hour to hour as we preach it to ourselves in the daily fight for joy…The cross must be central in the fight for joy. We must put ourselves under is preaching on the Lord’s day, and we must preach it to ourselves all day every day” -John Piper

L I V I N G T H E

C R O S S C E N T E R E D

L I F E

B Y C J M A H A N E Y

S T U D Y G U I D E

G R A C E G R O U P S T O G E T H E R P U R S U I N G C H R I S T

Scripture to Study This Week: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Philippians 3:1-11

IN TRO D U C TIO N : A T T HE C ORE

1. How do you answer the author’s opening question? What’s really the main thing in your life? What is it that defines you?

2. What is “the cross” and “the gospel”? What exactly are we to keep

at the center of our thinking? 3. Which one of the dangerous tendencies that Mahaney lists are you

most susceptible to? Describe how you are led away by this dangerous tendency from a central focus on the cross of Christ?

4. What would you say to someone who claimed that once a person is

saved the cross becomes a rather unimportant part of our past?

5. How does the gospel relate to our access to God in prayer? How can you make this a more consistent part of your prayer life?

6. How should the gospel affect us when we are wronged in a relationship? Explain.

7. In what ways might your relationships improve if you were to consistently apply and live out the gospel in them? Be specific.

8. What is the most significant change in your thinking or living that has taken place as a result of this book? G ive details.

C H APTER 14: N EVER M O VE O N

1. Think of your conversion? How has your first love for and focus on the cross fared? Explain.

2. Do we need more than the cross? Explain how the answer can be both yes and no at the same time.

3. What has been your view of and attitude towards the O ld Testament in the past? How might seeing it through the lens of the cross assist someone in their study of it?

4. Why is it that the cross is so important in relation to the end times? What would the end times be like without the cross?

Scripture to Study This Week: Ephesians 4:17-24, Hebrews 10:1-18, Revelation 5:6-14

5. What areas in your understanding of the cross need to deepen? How will this take place and what do you think will be the effect?

6. Do you think the author promises too much in this book? Why or

why not? 7. Why should we be amazed by the power of the gospel over and

over? What about the gospel is amazing to you? 8. What do you hope to gain by God’s grace from this study and

discussion? What goals do you have for your growth and development with regards to the next 14 weeks?

Scripture to Study This Week: Psalm 32, 2 T imothy 1:8-14

C H APTER 1: T HE CLIM A X A N D T HE KEY

1. Why was Paul still fixated on the cross as he came to the end of his life? What practical implications did the cross have on his life as he came to the end?

2. How does one pursue a balance between holding on to one old truth and yet growing in the knowledge of Christ and maturing in our understanding? How do these fit?

3. Why is forgetting our sinfulness so dangerous? Why is it so easy?

4. Is it important to remember our past? If so, how do we remember it in a proper and helpful way?

5. What were you formerly? Explain how God has miraculously saved and changed you?

6. What does the author mean by study? Is study important in the Christian life? If so, why?

7. Which one of the practices listed by Mahaney do you think would be particularly helpful and strategic for you? A t what points in your daily routine can you find the time to establish this habit?

8. What will be the result of seeking to form cross-centered days if the Spirit is not assisting us? How might your dependence on the Spirit take form practically?

C H APTER 13: T HE CROSS CEN TERED D AY 1. How often do you currently think about and treasure the gospel

throughout a given week? What other habits besides the one’s listed by Mahaney are helpful to you?

2. Why does Scripture memory often seem so difficult? Does its benefit outweigh the difficulty? Explain.

3. Should the gospel be the center of our prayers? Why? How?

4. Take time right now to sing a gospel-centered song you know. Why do you think singing particularly helpful in focusing our minds and affections on the gospel?

Scripture to Study This Week: Romans 5:6-11, T itus 3:1-11

5. Is the gospel consistently on your lips? Are you seeking to share it

and teach it to those around you and particularly those under your care?

6. How keep seeing the gospel and its application to us personally help keep it at the forefront of our minds?

7. Are you aware of God’s wrath towards you in your sinfulness apart from Christ? How can one grow to be convinced that God’s wrath towards sin is indeed real?

8. The gospel is the one essential thing. How well do you know the gospel? How clear is the gospel in your mind? How can you cultivate growth in this realm?

C H APTER 2: T HE DIVINE ORDER

1. Why do you think we are so easily guided and directed by our

subjective feelings? Why do we trust them?

2. How does seeing one’s feelings as the final authority exhibit pride and defiance towards God?

3. Does your spiritual life and pursuit of God tend to rise and fall based on your emotional state and experiences? What signs can tip us off to the existence of this tendency?

4. Do you agree with the statement, “most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself”? What practical difference might this statement make in your life?

Scripture to Study This Week: Psalm 42, 1 Peter 1:3-9

5. How is wallowing in condemnation dishonoring and displeasing to God?

6. In what ways do we attempt to atone for ourselves and unload our condemnation through personal effort? What is wrong with this?

7. Should believers grieve over their sin? How does one balance a sincere grief, confession, and repentance with what is covered in this chapter?

8. How has understanding condemnation more accurately helped to transform your thinking about yourself and your relation to God? How has this chapter helped you?

C H APTER 12: U NLO A DIN G C O N DEMN A TIO N 1. Are you weighed down with the luggage of condemnation at times?

What specific pieces of luggage- sins and failures- do you struggle with the most?

2. Why do you think condemnation and guilt is sometimes seen as normal or even pleasing to God?

3. Do you see traces of condemnation in your life? How can the truth of the gospel set you completely free from this condemnation?

4. What made the woman in Luke 7 so incredibly joyful and grateful? How can we learn from her example?

Scripture to Study This Week: Luke 7:36-50, Romans 8:31-39

5. How is the outward, unchanging truth of the gospel comforting and stabilizing to you?

6. Have you seen the practice of letting feelings rule lead you into sin? Explain how this process works and why it is so powerful.

7. Are feelings important? Do they have a place in our lives? If so, how would you explain the place of feelings and affections?

8. Why is understanding our feelings and the divine order important in our study of the cross throughout the rest of this book?

Scripture to Study This Week: Isaiah 52:13-53:12, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

C H APTER 3: SE ARC HIN G T HE MYSTERY

1. Why is it that no film or picture can portray the most important aspects of the cross? Why do you think God designed H is gospel to be proclaimed and written in words rather than portrayed in pictures and film?

2. Why is it that many believers know the words “Jesus died for our sins,” but know little of what it all truly means? How can this be remedied?

3. Could you explain clearly to someone both how and why Jesus died? W ith whom are you or will you seek an opportunity to do so?

4. What is surprising about the way and form in which Jesus came? What is beautiful and strategic about God’s purposes in this?

5. Do you find that spiritual ups and downs, highs and lows characterize your spiritual life? How might this reveal the presence of legalism? How might a right understanding of the gospel repair this?

6. Define justification. Define sanctification. How is confusing the two a sure path to legalism?

7. What can you do practically and specifically to battle legalism in your own life? What habits or practices can you develop that will assist you in this?

C H APTER 11: BRE A KIN G T HE RULE O F LEG ALISM 1. What has been your understanding of legalism in the past? How

was your understanding of it clarified or adjusted in this chapter?

2. In what sense is legalism self-worship? G ive an example.

3. Why should we take legalism seriously? What keeps you personally from doing so?

4. How does a legalist view spiritual disciplines? What is a right way to view spiritual disciplines? How can your view be adjusted?

Scripture to Study This Week: Luke 18:9-14, Galatians 3:1-9

5. What does the word substitution mean? How is it central to the reality of what the cross means?

6. Is there any human illustration that can compare to the work of Christ on the cross for us? What is so unique and mind-blowing about the substitutionary work of Christ?

7. How did the death and suffering of Jesus Christ fit into God’s design? How does the fact that the Father was actively involved in this affect you?

8. Why is the cross the ultimate display of God’s love? What can we do to become more overwhelmed by the depth of God’s love?

C H APTER 4: T HE DIVINE DILEMM A 1. How are you doing? Is it better or worse than you deserve?

Explain.

2. The author quotes R.C . Sproul saying, “the most perplexing theological question in the world is not why there’s suffering in the world, but why God tolerates us in our sinfulness.” Explain how and why this statement is true.

3. Is it surprising to you that God loves you? Why is it so easy to assume that God should love us?

4. What does holiness mean? How holy is God?

Scripture to Study This Week: Romans 3:19-26, 1 T imothy 1:8-17

4. How often is the gospel on your mind? Do you consistently recognize and confess sin? Do you flee to the cross at the sight of your sin? What needs to change in your life personally in these matters?

5. How can a preoccupation with pursuing godliness be disastrous if done apart from a focus on the cross?

6. Is your life characterized by joy? Ask the people who know you best. In the times you do seem joyful what is the source of your joy?

7. What will you do this week by God’s grace to seek to obey the command to rejoice in the Lord and your salvation?

C H APTER 10: A SSURA N CE A N D JOY 1. What truths can bring a person to rejoice in the Lord even in the

midst of immense suffering and seemingly hopeless circumstances?

2. In your own times of severe distress, which are you more aware of—your suffering or your salvation? How can feeling the weight of your sin assist you in this?

3. Why is an assurance of Christ’s personal love and sacrifice on your behalf important?

Scripture to Study This Week: Habakkuk 3:16-19, Galatians 2:15-21

5. Why doesn’t God just forgive people or overlook sin? Imagine if He did. What would be the implications of such an act?

6. What is mediation? Why do we need it? How is what we need different from normal mediation?

7. What adjustments do you need to make to your thinking about yourself and about God in light of the objective truths discussed in this chapter?

C H APTER 5: T HE DIVINE RESCUE 1. Why is blood important to God when it comes to the remission of

sins? What is significant about blood?

2. In what sense is God the offended party? How is He the one we need to be saved from? In what way is He the one who saves us?

3. Explain how 1 T imothy 2:5-6 is an appropriate summary for the main theme and essence of the entirety of Scripture.

4. Why is it important for Jesus’ work of mediation that He is fully God and fully man?

Scripture to Study This Week: 1 T imothy 2:1-8, Hebrews 9:11-15

4. How is Jesus sufficient for us in the midst of our suffering? What does this mean? How does this look in real life?

5. Think about suffering. Think about the gospel. How does the gospel inform and transform the way we think about suffering?

6. How would you go about using the gospel to encourage someone experiencing suffering without seeming flippant or callous towards their suffering?

7. What is most astonishing to you about the reality and extent of the suffering that Christ experienced?

C H APTER 9: W H A T G O D U N DERST A N DS 1. How do you reconcile the suffering described in this chapter with

the truths of God’s perfection, self-sufficiency, and independence?

2. Describe the greatest suffering you have experienced or witnessed. How is this suffering minimal compared to the suffering of Jesus Christ?

3. How does the fall relate to human suffering that we see in the world around us? How does it relate to Christ’s suffering on the cross?

Scripture to Study This Week: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, 1 Peter 4:12-19

5. In what ways was Christ unlike us as a mediator? Why was this important?

6. What comes to your mind when you think of standing before God? How can thinking of that moment shed light on your understanding of grace?

7. How can understanding the gospel and taking it to heart help us to share it accurately and passionately with others? How can you prove the truth of this in your response to this study?

8. What would you say to someone who claims that there are many ways to God and that there are many other religions and great religious leaders who can give you access to God?

C H APTER 6: ST ARING IN T O T HE C UP 1. Think about your impressions of the life and ministry of Jesus.

What events stand out to you the most? How do they compare to this moment in Gethsemane?

2. How much does it seem Jesus understood about the cross leading up to it? What is astounding and impressive about this?

3. When you think about the agony of the cross do you consider all aspects of Christ’s suffering or mostly the physical? How might this chapter adjust your perspective in this regard?

4. How much did Christ suffer? Why is it so difficult for us to comprehend the depth of Christ’s suffering?

Scripture to Study This Week: Matthew 26:36-46, Galatians 3:10-14

5. What makes Jesus’ cry shocking? What makes it mysterious?

6. Have you ever felt truly alone? Why can loneliness be so painful? What was unique about Christ’s experience of agonizing loneliness?

7. In what sense is your freedom from condemnation and forgiveness miraculous? Do you see it that way? Why or why not?

8. What practical difference can the truths in this chapter make in the way you react to difficulties you face this coming week?

C H APTER 8: T HE SCREA M O F T HE D A MNED

1. Think of a time you have been mocked. What is your initial response to being mocked? What is surprising about Jesus’ response?

2. Explain what Mahaney means when he says, “Jesus cannot both save H imself and save you and me.”

3. What was the significance of the darkness that came over the land at Jesus’ crucifixion? How did it connect to what Jesus was going through?

4. What caused Christ to be in such agony? Describe what pushed him to scream out as He did?

Scripture to Study This Week: Matthew 27:27-54, 1 Peter 2:21-25

5. Read Psalm 75:8, Isaiah 51:17, and Revelation 14:9-10 and describe what the cup Jesus drank contained.

6. What does this chapter reveal and highlight about the person of Christ? Think about his humanity, relation to H is Father, H is character, etc.

7. What truth in this chapter stood out the most to you? How will it change what you believe, how you think, or how you live?

C H APTER 7: Y O UR F A CE IN T HE CRO W D 1. Who was ultimately in control when it came to the crucifixion and

the details surrounding it? Read John 10:17-18 and A cts 2:22-23 and write down your thoughts.

2. What enabled Jesus Christ to go to the cross with such a resolute perspective and demeanor?

3. Who have you most identified with at the crucifixion in the past? Why?

Scripture to Study This Week: Matthew 27:11-26, Colossians 1:21-23

4. Why is it that we should identify ourselves with the angry mob screaming for Christ to be crucified? How are we like them?

5. What would you say to someone who grew up in a Christian home and really doesn’t feel that they have ever been hostile towards or hated Christ? Are Mahaney’s words on page 87 an exaggeration?

6. How has the conviction of sin brought about by this chapter helped you to more deeply cherish grace?