Live Differently
How are we to live as God’s people?
Live Differently
1 PETER
1 Peter, a letter written by the apostle Peter to believers - elect exiles suffering for their faith but destined for glory.
READ
1 Peter 1:13-16:
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
STUDY
1:13 – As recipients of God’s mercy, what are we to set our hope fully on?
How do we obey this command – what two instructions are we given?
1:14-15 – How are we to live as obedient children of God?
1:16 – Why are we to be holy?
THINKING IT THROUGH
How do we prepare our minds for action, gird them up with truth?
Look up 1 Peter 1:3-5 - Why is the Father to be praised?
Look up 1 Peter 3:15 - What must we be prepared to do?
Where have you been placed to bear witness for Christ? What opposition have you faced as you did so?
Look up 1 Peter 4:14 - Who rests upon us and helps us as we endure suffering for the name of Christ?
FURTHER RESOURCES
If would like to study the book of 1 Peter we have some great resources to help you. Click any of the links below for more information:
What Is Inductive Bible Study?
Inductive Bible study is a method of studying the Bible that allows you to discover for yourself what Scripture says, what it means, and how to apply its truths to your life.
What is inductive Bible study?
Inductive Bible study is a method of studying the Bible that allows you to discover for yourself what Scripture says, what it means, and how to apply its truths to your life.
At Precept, we believe that the process of discovering truth for yourself is essential to knowing God deeply and living differently. With the right Bible study tools, instead of being told what the Bible says or what to believe, you’ll know what Scripture says—no matter what book of the Bible you’re in! And you will know that you know!
Inductive Bible study involves three components, which often overlap in practice: observation, interpretation, and application. For more on each of these components check out our study guide (see link below).
What is the main goal of inductive Bible study?
The main goal of the inductive Bible study method is to draw you into personal interaction with the Bible and thus with the God of the Bible! By knowing God through knowing His Word—and living by the truths the Holy Spirit reveals to you through Scripture—your life will radically change.
Inductive Bible study uses the Bible as its primary source of information about the Bible, so taking time to dig deeper into the passage of Scripture you’re reading—by looking at cross references, doing word studies, and letting Scripture interpret Scripture—will take your personal study of the Bible to the next level. Not only will you know what the passage meant to its original audience, but you’ll know how to apply it to your own circumstances.
If you want to know God deeply—and live differently—inductive Bible study is for you.
Benefits of inductive Bible study
Kay Arthur has said, “If you will study inductively, the benefits will be beyond anything you have ever hoped could happen in your own personal understanding of the Word of God.”[1] And she’s right!
The inductive Bible study method makes Bible study personal. Someone can tell you about the beauty of the Grand Canyon, but until you visit it for yourself you won’t know its beauty firsthand. Through studying the Bible inductively, you’ll discover truth in the pages of Scripture for yourself—truth that has the power to transform you as it leads you into deeper relationship with God!
Studying inductively will help you
“be equipped to study God’s Word on your own
be independent of relying only on another’s interpretation
increase your knowledge of God and His ways
be greatly strengthened in your personal faith
recognize the authority of the inerrant Word of God in your daily walk
become increasingly aware of all that it means to be in Christ.”[2]
When you have the Bible study tools you need to read the Bible and understand it—and you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into truth—your life will never be the same.
Inductive Bible study for groups
At Precept, we believe you should discover truth for yourself—but not by yourself. Studying inductively in a group is a helpful way to learn from other believers and enrich your own personal understanding of God’s Word.
Rather than teach what they learned in their personal study, Precept Bible Study Leaders help their groups reason through Scripture together. They ask questions that guide their groups through God’s Word, allowing each person to discover truth on his or her own before discussing findings. When you are able to search God’s Word for yourself and share your discoveries with others, iron sharpens iron, and everyone benefits (Proverbs 27:17).
Getting started
There are a few ways to get started studying the Bible inductively.
Try the Method
Ready to jump into inductive Bible study?
Download our study guide to find out more about the Precept Study Method.
Give it a go - download our free Discovery Study - Renewed Minds.
For more free studies check out our Study Archive.
Choose a Study
Need help choosing a Bible study that will help you study inductively? With more than 250 unique titles covering every book of the Bible—from book studies to topical studies—Precept has a study that meets you where you are!
Check out our website for more help on finding the level of study that works for you or your group: How to Choose a Study.
Join a Group
Precept Bible study groups meet online and in person. Find a group, and start learning how to discover truth for yourself, but not by yourself, today!
Footnotes:
Kay Arthur, David Arthur, and Pete De Lacy, How to Study Your Bible: Discover the Life-changing Approach to God’s Word (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2010).
Ibid.
Source: This blog post is a slightly adapted version of a post published on the Precept website in Feb 2023. The link to which is: https://www.precept.org/2023/02/what-is-inductive-bible-study/
EASTER STUDY - SERVANT OF THE LORD
Isaiah 53 is a well-known and much-loved passage of Scripture by many. A prophecy of Isaiah which reveals the Good News about the Servant of the LORD who would come to save His people from their sins.
Who is this Servant of the LORD? How has He saved us? Join us as we discover the answers to these questions from God’s Word.
Isaiah 53 is a well-known and much-loved passage of Scripture by many. A prophecy of Isaiah which reveals the Good News about the Servant of the LORD who would come to save His people from their sins.
Who is this Servant of the LORD? How has He saved us? Join us as we discover the answers to these questions from God’s Word.
LENT STUDY
The season of Lent is an opportunity to take stock. A time to pause and to reflect. A time to assess our walk with the Lord and service for Him.
Yet where to begin? Don't worry we've created a study to help guide you.
The season of Lent is an opportunity to take stock. A time to pause and to reflect. A time to assess our walk with the Lord and service for Him.
Yet where to begin? Don't worry we've created a study to help guide you.
GOD IS IN CONTROL
Christmas devotional from our National Director Dave.
Christmas devotional from our National Director Dave:
GOD IS IN CONTROL
I recently visited a Christmas market in Poland. It was in a large town square, with dozens of huts selling hot dogs, knitted hats, and mulled wine. The location is hugely popular with locals and tourists alike, packed with thousands of people. There were no stewards, and most places had no queuing system. There was no-one directing things or keeping the crowds moving. It looked and felt like pure chaos. You don’t have to go to Poland to experience this sense either – you may get a taste of it when you try do your shopping the week before Christmas!
READ Luke 2:1-7. Look out for any geographical locations as you read it.
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town.4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
You may well hear this passage being read this Christmas time. It’s a well-known passage in Luke’s Gospel, detailing the birth of the baby Jesus. It can be read simply as a statement of facts – a census was ordered, and so people had to go to the towns of their family heritage to be counted.
Who ordered this decree? Caesar Augustus, who was arguably the most important and influential figure at the time, in charge of the mighty Roman empire. When did It happen? We’re given the historical timeframe – it was when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Where did Joseph and Mary go? They left Nazareth where they were living and travelled to Bethlehem.
In inductive Bible study, we love a good cross reference! And if we look at Micah 5:2, we can learn something else. Note any locations mentioned.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
Did you see it? Bethlehem is mentioned again. Micah wrote these words around seven hundred years before that census was ordered. This small village was to be the birthplace of the promised Messiah, the one who would rule over Israel and whose origin is eternity.
Coincidence? I don’t think so! Caesar Augustus issued a decree that caused Mary and Joseph to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. I don’t know his motivation for making a decision that would cause such a chaotic movement of people across the empire, but he did. But behind this authoritarian decision was the sovereign hand of God, who was orchestrating everything so that His promise would be fulfilled exactly as He had declared through Micah.
It is worth noting that this came about centuries after God spoke through His prophet. More than long enough for some people to have forgotten about God’s promise! Yet God’s Word never fails – what He promises to do, He will do it (see Isaiah 46:8-11). It may not be immediate, and it may not be to our timing, but His Word is certain and can be fully trusted.
As God works to fulfil what He is doing, He is at work through all of history, all your circumstances, and through you and others, to make it happen. Just as it was not obvious to Joseph and Mary that God’s plan was unfolding through a seemingly random, bureaucratic exercise, it may not have been obvious to you that God is in still in control today. You may have felt that as you listened to the doctors’ words, or as you stood this year at a graveside. You may have wondered at times where God is amid the chaos in our world that daily fills our newsfeeds.
Yet the birth of Jesus is evidence to us that God is in control and is at work, even when we don’t see it! The One who promised a Messiah centuries before his arrival, was in every detail, and this is the same God who we serve today. He is the one who directs the course of human history (Proverbs 16:9), His plans are the only ones that will stand (Psalm 33:11) and He is working through all these things for your good (Romans 8:28).
May you be encouraged this Christmas time as you reflect on the birth of Jesus that God’s Word has been proven to be certain, and that no matter what you have faced this last year, or whatever may come, God is in control.
Take a moment to pray. Give thanks to God for fulfilling His promise to send a Saviour and ask Him for help in trusting that He is still sovereign today.