RESTORE
This chapter from the BFG Handbook (Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching) presents the gospel through a new "Expression" of God’s Love to RESTORE the Truth.
This chapter from the BFG Handbook (Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching) presents the gospel through a new “Expression” of God’s Love to RESTORE people to the Truth.
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Chapter 18: The Self
When people abandon God’s Way
Their own self-righteousness appears 1
When people turn to cleverness
Their own deception appears
When people lose harmony in the family 2
Their emphasis on family values appears
When the people are confused and in chaos 3
Their false minister appears
Self-Righteousness Without God
“When people abandon God’s Way
Their own self-righteousness appears”
Chapter 18 of the Christian edition of the Tao Te Ching addresses the consequences of abandoning God’s Way and the human tendency to rely on self-made solutions rather than seeking divine guidance. It begins by saying that when people abandon God’s Way, their own self-righteousness appears. This can be seen in biblical narratives such as the story of the golden calf in Exodus 32:1-10, where the Israelites, in their impatience and lack of faith, created an idol to worship, thinking it would guide them. This self-righteousness, born from the attempt to control their own destiny, led to sin and separation from God. Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 3:18-21, Paul warns against human wisdom and boasting, emphasizing that true wisdom comes from God. The pursuit of self-righteousness without God’s guidance inevitably leads to a distorted sense of what is right.
Notice the order in the line. Self-righteousness does not come first; it “appears” once God’s Way has been left behind. When we stop looking up to God, we start looking down on others. Isaiah, praying for a people who had wandered far, admitted the truth about every attempt to be righteous on our own.
“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
Isaiah 64:6NRSVue
This is not a call to stop doing good. It is a call to stop trusting in our goodness as if it could save us. Jesus told a parable “to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else” (Luke 18:9). St. Paul, who once had a spotless religious record, learned to want something far better.
“and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith”
Philippians 3:9ESV
The golden calf and the proud Pharisee grow from the same root: a god made to our own measure. The cure is humility, coming back to God with empty hands and letting Him fill them. The righteousness that saves is a gift, received in Christ.
“Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God.”Catechism 2113
“…those who ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others because they observe certain rules… instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying.”Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 94
Pope Francis warns that even very religious people can fall into this: trusting their own rule-keeping instead of God’s grace.
You are reading the comments under a post, and within seconds you have decided who is foolish, who is wrong and who is a bad person. It feels good for a moment, like standing on higher ground. At work you quietly keep score of who shows up late and who never pulls their weight. Chapter 18 names it plainly: “Their own self-righteousness appears.” It shows up when we stop looking at God and start measuring everyone else. The tax collector had no scoreboard, only a prayer, and he went home forgiven.
Try this today: The next time you judge someone in your head today, pray one blessing for that person by name.
Clever Words, Hidden Lies
“When people turn to cleverness
Their own deception appears”
The next part of the chapter highlights how, when people turn to cleverness, their own deception appears. This speaks to the dangers of relying on human ingenuity and trickery instead of trusting in God’s truth. In the Christian context, this can be related to the temptation to rely on deceit or manipulation, which leads to further separation from God’s truth and leads people down a path of lies and confusion. The Bible often warns about the deceitfulness of the heart, as seen in Jeremiah 17:9, and encourages believers to seek truth through God’s Word rather than worldly wisdom.
Cleverness itself is not evil; our minds are a gift from God. The danger is cleverness cut loose from truth: using our gifts to spin, hide, or manage how others see us. The chapter says that when we lean on it, “their own deception appears,” and the first person fooled is often ourselves. The chapter’s footnote says it directly.
“…If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”
1 Corinthians 3:18ESV
Deception never stays small. One half-truth needs another to cover it, and slowly trust breaks down at home, at work and among friends. We end up tired, guarded and alone, always on watch in case the story slips. That is why St. Paul tells the first Christians to choose a simpler, braver way.
“…let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another.”
Ephesians 4:25NRSVue
The Christian answer to cleverness is not to be naive. It is to be truthful. Jesus said, “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’” (Matthew 5:37), and He promised that the truth will set us free (John 8:32). Honesty is lighter to carry than any lie.
“A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.”Catechism 2482
“Since it violates the virtue of truthfulness, a lie does real violence to another… Lying is destructive of society; it undermines trust among men and tears apart the fabric of social relationships.”Catechism 2486
“In Jesus Christ, the whole of God’s truth has been made manifest. ‘Full of grace and truth,’ he came as the ‘light of the world,’ he is the Truth.”Catechism 2466
The excuse you text to get out of plans. The résumé line that is a little bigger than the truth. The photo edited until it barely looks like you. The story told at work so you look better and someone else looks worse. None of it feels like a big lie, just being clever. But Chapter 18 warns, “When people turn to cleverness, their own deception appears.” Over time we forget which version of ourselves is real. Jesus offers a better freedom: nothing to hide, nothing to manage, nothing to keep straight.
Try this today: Today, catch one small exaggeration or half-truth before you say it, and say the simple truth instead.
Love Before Rules at Home
“When people lose harmony in the family
Their emphasis on family values appears”
The chapter continues by pointing out that when people lose harmony in the family, their emphasis on family values appears. While family values are important, the chapter suggests that when harmony is lost, an overemphasis on these values without grounding them in God’s love and grace can lead to confusion and division. The Christian perspective highlights that true family harmony comes from reflecting God’s love and forgiveness within the home, as exemplified in passages like 1 Timothy 5:8, where Paul stresses that taking care of one’s family is an essential responsibility but should be done in alignment with the teachings of Christ.
The line is honest about a pattern many homes know. When the warmth goes out of a family, the rules often get louder. Lists, lectures and slogans take the place of listening. Values matter, and the Church treasures the family, but values that are only talked about cannot hold a home together. Love has to be lived.
“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs”
1 Corinthians 13:4-5NRSVue
Jesus warned religious leaders who “tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders” but will not lift a finger to help (Matthew 23:4). In a family, that can look like demanding respect without giving it, or quoting rules without showing mercy. The Holy Family of Nazareth shows another way: love comes first, and obedience grows from it.
The chapter’s footnote, 1 Timothy 5:8, makes that love practical. Caring for our own, the young, the old and the sick, is part of our faith. Harmony returns not when someone wins the argument, but when we serve, forgive and begin again with God at the center.
“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain…”
Psalm 127:1NRSVue
“The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit.”Catechism 2205
“…the home is the first school of Christian life and ‘a school for human enrichment.’ Here one learns endurance and the joy of work, fraternal love, generous—even repeated—forgiveness, and above all divine worship in prayer and the offering of one’s life.”Catechism 1657
“The family should live in such a way that its members learn to care and take responsibility for the young, the old, the sick, the handicapped, and the poor.”Catechism 2208
The family group chat is full of birthday wishes and holiday photos, but two siblings have not really talked in months. At home the rules are clear, phones away at dinner and chores before games, yet the table is quiet and tense. Everyone knows the values. Nobody feels the love. Chapter 18 sees it: “When people lose harmony in the family, their emphasis on family values appears.” The answer is rarely a new rule. It is someone going first: the apology, the hug, the honest question, “How are you really doing?”
Try this today: Be the one who goes first today: send the text, say sorry, or ask a family member how they are really doing.
False Voices in Times of Chaos
“When the people are confused and in chaos
Their false minister appears”
Lastly, when people are confused and in chaos, their false minister appears. This refers to the rise of leaders who offer false solutions or misguided teachings in times of turmoil. The Bible warns against false prophets and teachers who lead people astray, as seen in Jeremiah 23:16, where the Lord instructs His people not to listen to the words of prophets who speak deceitfully and lead them away from the true path. In the Christian understanding, such false ministers can be those who exploit confusion for personal gain or power, rather than guiding others with the truth of the gospel.
Confusion leaves an empty space, and something always rushes in to fill it. In fear and chaos, people look for someone who sounds sure, offers an easy answer and tells them what they want to hear. The prophet Jeremiah, in this chapter’s footnote, warned of prophets who “fill you with false hopes” (Jeremiah 23:16). St. Paul saw the same thing coming.
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions”
2 Timothy 4:3ESV
So how do we tell true from false? Jesus gave a simple test: “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16). A false minister builds himself up, uses people and leaves them more anxious. A true shepherd points away from himself to God, and is ready to serve, and even to suffer, for the flock.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
John 10:11NRSVue
God has not left us without a guide. He gave us His Word, the Church that guards it and hands it on, and a conscience we can form in prayer. When the world is “confused and in chaos,” we do not need a new voice. We need to listen again to the Shepherd we already have.
“The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the ‘mystery of iniquity’ in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth.”Catechism 675
“Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it.”Catechism 86, quoting Dei Verbum 10
“…the education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings.”Catechism 1783
The Catechism speaks here of the Church’s final trial, but the same pattern shows up in every crisis: an easy answer that seems to fix our problems while leading us away from the truth.
Something frightening happens, and within hours your feed is full of people who suddenly have all the answers. A video promises the secret to wealth, health or happiness if you just buy the course. A smooth voice online says you can have faith without the Church, without the Cross and without anyone ever telling you no. Chapter 18 knew this would happen: “When the people are confused and in chaos, their false minister appears.” Before you follow, look at the fruit. Does this voice lead you closer to Christ and to love, or only closer to itself?
Try this today: Before you trust a new voice today, ask: does it lead me to Jesus and to love, or only to itself?
Living the Chapter
The whole chapter, put into practice
Overall, Chapter 18 of the Tao Te Ching mirrors the Christian belief that abandoning God’s Way leads to self-deception, division, and confusion. True peace and righteousness can only be found through a humble reliance on God and His Word, which offers clarity, unity, and wisdom in every aspect of life, from personal righteousness to family harmony.
Each line of Chapter 18 shows what fills the gap when God is pushed aside, and each one is a counterfeit of something good. Self-righteousness counterfeits holiness. Cleverness counterfeits wisdom. Rules without love counterfeit family. A false minister counterfeits the Shepherd. Each one looks close enough to the real thing to fool us for a while.
The answer is not to try harder on our own. It is to come back to God’s Way. In Christ we receive a righteousness we could never build, a truth that needs no spin, a love that heals our homes, and a Shepherd who will never lead us astray. His wisdom is the opposite of cleverness.
“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits…”
James 3:17NRSVue
“In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is blemished in your eyes.”St. Thérèse of Lisieux, quoted in Catechism 2011
“The Church has repeatedly taught that we are justified not by our own works or efforts, but by the grace of the Lord, who always takes the initiative.”Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate 52
“The disciple of Christ consents to ‘live in the truth,’ that is, in the simplicity of a life in conformity with the Lord’s example, abiding in his truth.”Catechism 2470
Picture an ordinary Tuesday lived God’s Way. You make a mistake at work and own it, with no clever cover story. You pass someone you would normally judge and quietly pray for them instead. You come home tired, and you still ask your kid about their day and really listen. When a scary headline spreads, you pause, pray and check before you share. None of it is flashy. But this is how one ordinary life turns Chapter 18 inside out, and how the people around you begin to see the Good Shepherd through you.
Try this today: Pick the line of Chapter 18 that stings the most, and bring it honestly to God in prayer tonight.
RENEWAL
The Trinitarian M.A.P. is the method for RENEWAL, where God’s Love shapes our MINDSET, Trust in the Son directs our AIM, and Faith in the Holy Spirit guides our PRACTICE.
This chapter offers a new “Method” for the New Evangelization to RENEW our hearts and minds through the Trinitarian M.A.P. Bring this chapter into your day with the BFG Companion App. Pick Chapter 18 and an area of your life, and get Guidance made for you.
Renewal starts in the mind. Chapter 18 opens with a warning: “When people abandon God’s Way, their own self-righteousness appears.” At the foot of Mount Sinai, the people grew tired of waiting and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us” (Exodus 32:1). When we stop trusting the Father, we do not stop needing a god. We build our own, and very often it looks a lot like us. A renewed mind begins by admitting that every good thing in us comes from Him, not from our own record.
The Father does not ask us to look impressive. He asks us to come home. Jesus told of a Pharisee who prayed about how good he was, and a tax collector who only said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). The second man went home right with God. Self-righteousness is exhausting; it keeps a scoreboard on everyone else. A mind shaped by the Father’s mercy can put that scoreboard down. We are loved before we are good, and His love is what makes us good.
Try this: When you catch yourself thinking “at least I’m not like them,” stop and pray the tax collector’s words: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Luke 18:13-14NRSVue “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other…”
Isaiah 64:6NRSVue “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
More Scripture: Exodus 32:6 · James 4:6
A renewed mind needs a direction, and Chapter 18 warns about a false one: “When people turn to cleverness, their own deception appears.” Cleverness aims at winning, getting ahead, looking good and getting away with it. Jesus aims us somewhere else. He says, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He never used spin or tricks. He told the truth in love, even when it cost Him everything. So we aim at Him, not at the clever shortcut.
The chapter ends with people lost in confusion: “When the people are confused and in chaos, their false minister appears.” Jesus looked at crowds like that and “had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). He did not use them. He laid down His life for them. When the world feels like chaos, our aim is not the loudest voice or the easiest answer. It is the Good Shepherd, who knows us by name.
Try this: Before you share a hot take or a viral claim today, ask Jesus, “Is this true, and is it loving?” and wait a moment before you post.
John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 10:11NRSVue “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
More Scripture: Matthew 9:36 · Jeremiah 23:16
Renewal becomes real in daily life, and Chapter 18 brings it right into the home: “When people lose harmony in the family, their emphasis on family values appears.” It is possible to talk a lot about values and still live coldly under the same roof. The Holy Spirit does not hand us a longer list of rules. He pours God’s love into our hearts (Romans 5:5), and that love does what rules alone cannot do: it listens, it bears with others, and it forgives again.
St. Paul shows the practice: “Bear with each other and forgive one another… Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). The Spirit does this work in us one small choice at a time: a softer answer at dinner, the first text after an argument, an honest apology to a child. The chapter’s own footnote reminds us that love is also practical: we are called to provide for our own (1 Timothy 5:8). Harmony grows when values become acts of love.
Try this: Before you go to sleep tonight, make peace with one person at home, even with a simple “I’m sorry” or “thank you.”
Colossians 3:13NRSVue “Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
Ephesians 4:2-3NRSVue “…with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
More Scripture: Romans 5:5 · 1 Timothy 5:8
In short: think humbly, aim at what is eternal, live by the Spirit. Let the Father’s mercy replace self-righteousness, aim at Jesus the Truth instead of clever shortcuts and false voices, and let the Spirit turn family values into real love at home.
RESPOND
Renewal brings the transformation of our spirit with ardor, empowering us to RESPOND to the call of holiness and make disciples of all nations. This encourages meaningful dialogue to embrace shared truths that transcend cultural and religious boundaries.
Renewal does not end with us. When God changes a heart, He sends it out. Chapter 18 shows what happens when people drift from God: self-righteousness, deception, homes without harmony, and false ministers who rush in when people are “confused and in chaos.” Many of our friends live in that world, and they do not need one more clever voice. They need a humble, honest witness who points them to the true Shepherd.
In 1983, Saint John Paul II called the Church to an evangelization that is “new in its ardor, new in its methods, new in its expression.” The Gospel never changes. The way we carry it must be alive for our time. Chapter 18 shows why: when so many feel “confused and in chaos,” people need fresh, honest words that lead them to Christ and not to the next false promise.
Ardor is the fire of a heart that has been loved by God. People feel it before they hear a single word. Chapter 18 warns, “When people abandon God’s Way, their own self-righteousness appears.” The fire of the Gospel burns in a humble heart, never in a proud one.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 18 warns that cleverness brings deception, so skip the slick pitch and speak plainly and truthfully about what Christ has done for you.
Meet people where they are: on the phone in their hand. The BFG Handbook and the BFG Companion turn one conversation into a path to Christ and His Church. Chapter 18 warns about the “false minister” who appears in confusion. Our tools are not a new voice; they point people back to Scripture, the Church and Christ Himself.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 18 warns that cleverness brings deception, so skip the slick pitch and speak plainly and truthfully about what Christ has done for you.
What my life was like before I really met Jesus.
How He met me, and the moment things began to change.
What is different now, and the hope I carry. Like the chapter’s people “confused and in chaos,” when did you feel lost, and how did God lead you back?
Meet people where they are: on the phone in their hand. The BFG Handbook and the BFG Companion turn one conversation into a path to Christ and His Church. Chapter 18 warns about the “false minister” who appears in confusion. Our tools are not a new voice; they point people back to Scripture, the Church and Christ Himself.
Every chapter has its own song and is written in a language people of every faith can understand. A doorway for dialogue. Chapter 18, The Self, helps anyone stuck in pride, tempted to cut corners, hurting from tension at home, or unsure whom to trust.
A friend shares a struggle. Together, pick a chapter and an area of life (start with Chapter 18 when someone is torn by family conflict, tempted to bend the truth, or confused about whom to trust). In seconds: a reflection, the M.A.P., a saint, a prayer, Scripture, a song and a church nearby. Send it by email, PDF or a share link.
Hard question? Ask it together. Answers are grounded in Catholic teaching, the saints and the BFG Handbook. Talk or type. Try asking together: “How can I tell a true teacher from a false one?”
Pray the Rosary with a guided voice, the daily mysteries and beads that follow along. Pray it with someone, even over the phone. In the Joyful Mysteries we step into the home of the Holy Family at Nazareth, held together not by rules alone but by love, the very harmony Chapter 18 longs for.
Catholic churches near anyone, with Mass and Confession times, directions, and one tap to add a time to the calendar. Every conversation can end at a church door. There, in Confession, self-righteousness melts away, and at Mass the Good Shepherd feeds His own sheep.
Morning, midday and evening prayer reminders, a daily streak and a steady prayer rhythm help a new believer keep going. A daily return to God’s Way before the noise and chaos of the day take over.
Free to start, no card needed. Read aloud in 48 languages.
One tool that walks with a person from the first question to the church door.
Jesus sent His apostles first to Jerusalem, then to Judea and Samaria, then to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Start where you are. Chapter 18 says confusion opens the door to false voices, so the people around you who feel lost need a steady, honest friend.
- Pray the Rosary together on Pray My Rosary.
- Bless your children at bedtime.
- Share a Guidance with a spouse or child who is struggling.
- Find Sunday Mass times together with Church Finder.
- Read Chapter 18 at dinner and ask: “What makes our home feel peaceful, beyond just the rules?”
- Text a verse from your Guidance.
- Ask, “How can I pray for you?” and pray right then.
- Invite a friend to Mass, then go for coffee.
- Send the line: “When people turn to cleverness, their own deception appears.”
- Be the calm, kind one.
- Pray on your lunch break with a reminder.
- Start a small chapter group that meets once a week. Begin with Chapter 18, The Self.
- Respect the rules: invite, never push.
- Listen for the moment: “Things have been hard.”
- Offer: “Can I send you something that helped me?”
- Share the Chapter 18 song.
- Ask good questions and really listen.
- Share your three-part story.
- Open Ask BFG together when a question comes up.
- When a friend is hurting after a family fight, share the line about harmony in the family and offer to pray with them for peace at home.
- Visit the sick, the elderly and the lonely; pray the Rosary with them.
- Serve at a food bank.
- Welcome newcomers at Mass.
- Join your parish evangelization team.
- Ask shops, cafés and offices to display a BFG card with a QR code.
- Offer a short lunch talk on faith at work.
- Business owners: offer the Companion to staff as a free gift, never a requirement.
- Go where people already gather, and be the friendly one who listens.
- Pray quietly for the people around you.
- When a talk turns real, share a Guidance or the chapter song.
- Wear or carry a simple sign of your faith, like a cross or a rosary, that can start a conversation.
- At the gym or a coffee shop, when talk turns to the latest guru with all the answers, gently share that Chapter 18 says a “false minister appears” when people are confused.
- Host a Chapter 18 “The Self” night, a Handbook chapter night, a Rosary night or an “Ask Anything” faith night.
- Show the Companion on a big screen and let people try it.
- We did this at our free conference, The New Evangelization in the Age of AI, at Christ Cathedral.
- Share a Guidance, a chapter song or a Scripture card. Try: “When people abandon God’s Way, their own self-righteousness appears.”
- One post can reach someone you will never meet.
- Join a parish or diocese mission trip.
- The Companion speaks 48 languages, so you leave behind something that keeps speaking after you go home.
- Every culture knows pride, lies, family strain and false leaders, so Chapter 18 opens a natural door to the One who heals them all.
- Your parish ministries, the Legion of Mary, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities, prison, hospital and campus ministries, and mission groups.
- Bring the BFG tools to their work.
You will meet people who are tired of being judged, tired of being lied to, tired of fighting at home and tired of voices that promise everything. Chapter 18 names all of it. Go humbly, with no scoreboard. Go honestly, with no spin. Go gently, as peacemakers. The same Spirit who renewed you now sends you, to lead the confused to the Good Shepherd who never leads His sheep astray.
God of truth, Shepherd of the lost, Holy Spirit, set my heart on fire. Jesus, send me to the one You love. Father, make me Your witness today. Amen.
NRSVue © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.