The doctrines of grace are meant to be studied together. These tools will help your small group, Sunday school class, or church body grow deeper in the truth and closer to one another.
Doctrine-shaped prayer is the deepest kind of prayer. Let the truths of sovereign grace form the substance and the confidence of your prayers — both private and corporate.
Use these prompts to let each petal of TULIP shape your prayer life:
Sovereign grace does not make prayer pointless — it makes prayer powerful. When you pray for unbelieving friends and family, you are asking the Sovereign God to do what only He can do: raise the dead.
Sovereign Lord,
Before the mountains were brought forth, before You formed the earth, You set Your love upon me. Not because I was lovely, but because You are love. Not because I chose You, but because You chose me. Not because my faith was strong, but because Your grace was stronger.
You found me dead and made me alive. You found me blind and gave me sight. You found me running and turned my heart. Everything I have — faith, repentance, perseverance, joy — is Your gift.
I stand on the golden chain that cannot break: foreknown, predestined, called, justified, glorified. Every link is forged by Your hand. Nothing in all creation can separate me from Your love in Christ Jesus.
To You alone be the glory — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — one God, now and forever.
Amen.
The doctrines of grace are not abstract principles — they are the story of what God has done in your life. Use these prompts for personal reflection or to share your testimony with your group.
Think back to the moment the doctrines of grace became real to you. Was it a passage of Scripture? A sermon? A conversation? What shifted in your understanding?
Before you understood election, how did you pray for the unsaved? How do you pray now? Has your confidence in prayer increased, decreased, or changed?
Was it the fairness of God? The fate of those who never hear? The feeling that election makes evangelism pointless? How did Scripture address your objection?
Think of a time when you doubted your own faith. What truth about God's sovereign keeping power sustained you? How did Romans 8:28-39 or John 10:28-29 minister to you?
When you truly understand that you were dead — not merely lost — how does that change the way you sing, pray, and give thanks? How does it affect the way you view other people?
Looking for a church that faithfully teaches the doctrines of grace? These directories can help you find a Reformed, confessional congregation near you:
You don't need a theology degree to lead a group through the doctrines of grace. Here's a simple plan for getting started:
Invite people who are curious about Reformed theology — not just those who already agree. Some of the richest discussions happen when there's genuine wrestling with the text. Look for people who are willing to be honest and let Scripture have the final word.
We recommend starting with our 5-Week TULIP Study Series — it uses the deep-dive pages on this site as reading assignments and provides complete discussion questions for each week. Alternatively, use our 12-week "Chosen by God" reading plan to work through Sproul's classic.
Agree together that Scripture is the final authority, that questions and doubts are welcome, that the goal is truth (not winning arguments), and that the discussion should end in worship, not merely knowledge. Remind your group regularly: these doctrines are not academic — they exist to make us fall more deeply in love with God.
Each week, follow this simple structure: (1) Open with prayer, asking God to illuminate His Word. (2) Read the assigned passage aloud together. (3) Work through the discussion questions. (4) Share one personal application. (5) Close with prayer shaped by what you've learned — let the doctrine you just studied become the substance of your prayer.
The most powerful thing a group leader can do is simply read the text and ask "What does it say?" You don't need to be the expert. The Word of God is living and active — sharper than any two-edged sword. Trust the text. Read it carefully. Let it speak for itself. The doctrines of grace are not fragile — they can withstand any honest question.
The truths you're studying together come alive in the testimonies of real believers. Read stories from those who've been transformed by the doctrines of grace.
Ten reflections to stir your soul toward worship of a sovereign God.
Five-week guided studies through the doctrines of grace for your small group.
A guided five-phase path from first curiosity to deep conviction.
Over 70 curated titles on Reformed theology, sorted by topic and difficulty.
Sixteen deep-dive Scripture studies that let God's Word speak for itself.
How sovereign grace is the end of fear and the beginning of rest.