Sabbath School Lesson for August 1-7, 2026
Introduction of Lesson 6, Spiritual Gifts
Memory Text: “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophecy.” 1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV
Paul made a valid point in the first four chapters of his epistle that there were factions, wide schisms in fact, evident in their relatively young congregation. Discord was affecting their church gatherings, making them loud and disorderly. These unruly proceedings were damaging to their reputation and not conducive to their spiritual growth and welfare as a church.
His concern was not unfounded, and it revealed dramatically their lack of unity and love for each other. Paul did not leave them floundering for a solution, however. Shifting to the topic of spiritual gifts allowed them to better understand and appreciate their diversity, and embrace it as a means of achieving the unity they so desperately needed to make the church body whole and thriving.
Focusing on spiritual gifts, and using their talents wisely with love and humility, would do much to make them more united with each other and with God. It would also allow them to benefit from the gift of prophetic messages that are designed to revive hope for the future of God’s people.
This week, we’ll explore:
- Sunday: Variety of Gifts
- Monday: Unity Through Diversity
- Tuesday: “A More Excellent Way”
- Wednesday: The Gift of Tongues
- Thursday: The Gift of Prophecy
Sunday: Variety of Gifts
Paul reminded the Corinthians that they had been led out of ignorant, immoral pagan practices by the Holy Spirit speaking to their hearts about the one true God and His Son Jesus.
This unique trinity working together to save us is exactly the kind of harmonious unity the church should have. It would make the body of Christ a unified, powerful witness to their neighbors and community at large.
An inclusive, profound statement of God’s unity is found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6. Paul mentions…
- the varieties of gifts (given to them by the Holy Spirit),
- the different kinds of ministries (inspired by Jesus, God’s Son),
- and the many results of their activities (provided by God the Father).
Verses for reflection and discussion:
1 Corinthians 12:1-3
- How were the Christians in Corinth different from the pagan worship systems so prevalent there?
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
- What kind of unity might Paul be introducing to the Corinthian believers in this passage?
Monday: Unity Through Diversity
Using the human body as a metaphor for the church, Paul showed that as part of God’s body, they all had various functions that made the body do the work it was meant to do. Each had something significant to contribute to their company of believers. They were a diverse group of like-minded people, meant to work with and for each other in unity.
Their tendency to consider some gifts more important than others prevented them from having the kind of inclusive love that illustrated God’s love for them. It had led to their perceived lack of cohesiveness and disorderly services. Such love was shown by Paul to be “a more excellent way” to conduct themselves (1 Corinthians 12:31).
Recognizing fully the concepts of the diversity of gifts and the unity they needed to accurately portray God’s character, Paul implored them to use their diversity to promote unity in the church.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
- What were some of the gifts Paul listed, and what part did the Holy Spirit play in giving them?
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
- Why did Paul go to such trouble in giving them this metaphor of the body to represent the church body?
1 Corinthians 13:13, 1 John 4:8, Hebrews 11:6, and Romans 12:3
- Why is faith considered such an important gift that it is listed first, before hope and love?
- Why is love also considered important in our Christian walk?
Tuesday: “A More Excellent Way”
Faith is certainly the driving force that leads us to have spiritual gifts. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). We must believe in God before He can empower us to do His will.
But, the key to using our spiritual gifts, once we have them, is through love. Paul called love “a more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31). It is also why he called it the greatest gift of all (1 Corinthians 13:13).
1 Corinthians 13, known as the “love chapter”, describes in detail what love looks like, so the Corinthians could better use love to promote unity and experience growth in their newfound faith. In the love chapter, we find that love is patient, kind, hopeful, and persevering. It is not jealous, boastful, arrogant, rude, or selfish. Love is an emotion that if practiced can be a unifying factor in any church congregation.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
1 Corinthians 12:31, 13:13
- Why did Paul call love “a more excellent way”? More excellent than what?
- How does love lead to more unity in the church?
Wednesday: The Gift of Tongues
It seems that one of the reasons the Corinthian church services were so disorderly was because there were so many foreign languages being spoken that it was impossible to get a clear understanding of the message being presented. Paul suggested having interpreters available for each language, in order for everyone to get the most out of the worship experience.
There was evidently too much emphasis on the gift of speaking foreign languages (“new” or “other” tongues). Pride of this one spiritual gift had resulted in the unruly worship and praise time in their church.
Unfortunately, there has been a further complication of this understanding of the gift of tongues over the years. Christians have gotten the idea that the “tongues” referred to in these chapters were not actual, human foreign languages, but were unknown, heavenly languages that virtually no one could interpret or benefit from.
This supernatural experience is now called by some churches as “the baptism of the Holy Spirit”, and is required of every sincere Christian believer. These so-called charismatic churches today often feature loud, disorderly, individual displays of glossolalia (unintelligible languages that lack any clear meaning).
Verses for reflection and discussion:
1 Corinthians 14:13, 26, 27
- What solution does Paul offer to correct their disorderly services?
1 Corinthians 14:1-5
- Why was Paul in favor of prophecy, in addition to the gift of tongues?
Thursday: The Gift of Prophecy
Although speaking in tongues was highly regarded by the Corinthian church, Paul reminded them of the benefits of prophecy for its ability to instruct and uplift God’s people. Unless someone was able to interpret a language, no one benefited. But with the gift of prophecy. the whole church would be stronger and more able to spread the gospel (1 Corinthians 14:3, 4).
We can identify a true prophet, we are told, by several things:
- Unconditional prophecies always come true (Jeremiah 28:8, 9).
- They agree with the prophets who came before them (Isaiah 8:20).
- They show a strong commitment to Christ and are known for their spiritual fruits (Matthew 7:15-20).
Prophecy will play an important role in God’s remnant church in the last days. Revelation 19:10, speaking of this remnant, describes the testimony of Jesus as the spirit of prophecy. Seventh-day Adventists believe the humble, fruitful life of Ellen G. White, one of its founding members in the 1800s, reflected the gift of prophecy. Many have been inspired and uplifted by her prolific writings.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
1 Corinthians 14:3, 4 and Ephesians 4:11-13
- What is the main purpose of these gifts and how does prophecy, in particular, edify and comfort the church?
Acts 2:17 and Revelation 19:10
- Why is prophecy such an important gift to the church in the last days?
- How have you benefited from studying the prophecies in the Bible?
Friday: Final Thoughts
Life for the Corinthians had always depended heavily on status and gender. But, Paul tried to impress upon them the importance of using their various gifts and ministries with the goal of making themselves more united. No one gift was more important than the other. Working together, they could make a lasting difference in the community around them.
Just as the trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, functioned separately but in unison, they were to conduct themselves in love and sincerity for the benefit of each other.
Describing many spiritual gifts, Paul helps us see ourselves in one or more of these categories of talent, too. There may be one Spirit, but there are many gifts. There may be one body, but there are many parts. And none are more important than the others. The church needs all these gifts working together if we are to survive these last, final days of earth’s history.
Next Week: A Portrait of Love
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