THIRD QUARTER 2026
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #7
AUGUST 15, 2026
"A PORTRAIT OF LOVE".

 

Thus far this quarter we have learned that the Corinthian church was in trouble.  They were struggling with all manner of sin.

Paul ministered in Corinth for a year and a half, helping to raise up and disciple this church, teaching them the word of God (Acts 18:11). He was now writing to them, reminding them of things that should not have been new to many of them. Paul reminds them that when he was there, it was his determination not to know anything among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). And while this was certainly the subject of his message and preaching, this is not merely what he determined to know. For the verb know is much broader than the verbs preach or proclaim. What Paul determined to know among them was that Christ and Him crucified would be manifest in their hearts and lives. And this is why Paul, in the next few verses, points away from a method or manner of preaching to the “demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). Paul was determined that Christ be manifest in their lives and, therefore, in the church—and this was largely the state in which he left them.

After returning to Ephesus during his third missionary journey, Paul received word of the present condition described in his letter.  The church had left that which Paul was determined that they should know.  They forsook the indwelling of His Spirit and the power of God in their lives. They no longer demonstrated the crucified and risen Savior in their lives and in their attitude toward one another. 

And so in this letter, Paul addresses multiple situations that will arise in any church that has lost their first love. His purpose was to remind them from where they had fallen. And he wants them to return to the deep riches of experience and power to which he had directed them at the first. 

It is not by coincidence that this was the description of the first-century church: “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Revelation 2:14-15, NKJV). 

This being the case, it would not be a surprise that Paul would redirect them to the first love from which they left, by painting them a portrait of the self-sacrificing love of God as seen in Jesus.  

Without this love every other spiritual gift is nothing. The gift of prophecy, all knowledge, all faith, the best homeless feeding ministry, or a willingness to burn at the stake for Christ is of no value whatsoever unless the love of Christ is foundational and motivates everything that follows.  If love is not the compelling force, then it is nothing.  

Love is patient, is kind, does not envy, does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Paul here encapsulates heaven-born love.  The love that finds its origin in God, for God is love (1 John 4:16).  The love that was embodied in Christ, finding its fullest display on a Roman cross (John 17:20-23; 2 Corinthians 5:14). And He died for all so that this love, that does not seek its own, would find its place in mankind’s hearts again (2 Corinthians 5:15).

When we consider 1 Corinthians 13:4–8, we should immediately realize that we could never, of ourselves, do any of this—let alone all of it—and never fail. And here is the wonderfully amazing thing: God knows this, and it does not discourage Him. He has told us plainly that, of ourselves, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

God does not ask us to strive to make this happen, because He knows that the moment we do, we will produce something infinitely short of what Paul describes. And the moment we believe God is merely pointing us to an ideal and asking us to do our best to whatever degree we can, we have believed another gospel and forsaken the power of the true one.

God has something infinitely better for us, and we see it in Jesus. The moment we bring down God's gift and define it by what we can accomplish, we have not only diminished the gift of Christ—we have denied Him.

The gospel is not striving to do everything within our power to replicate Jesus. The gospel is allowing God to give us what He died to give us: Christ Himself, with His life and His love, abiding within us.

Over and over the Bible describes, in various ways, the miraculous indwelling of the risen Savior through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Here is a small sampling (emphases supplied).

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). 

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

“…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16-19).

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).

"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends” (John 15:9-13).

“…always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:10,11).

“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

It is clear that the salvational fruit of the gospel is meant to be the indwelling life of Christ lived out in us fully. This would include His faith, His love, and His strength without a thread of human devising.

Jesus taught about a love that never fails. A love that never lessens during difficult times or when dealing with difficult people.  And he also gave every indication that this love is to be ours. Jesus put it this way:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).

With Me in your life, Jesus is saying, you will have this love that never fails, even while in enemy territory.

“When Christ reigns in the soul, there is purity, freedom from sin. The glory, the fullness, the completeness of the gospel plan is fulfilled in the life. The acceptance of the Saviour brings a glow of perfect peace, perfect love, perfect assurance. The beauty and fragrance of the character of Christ revealed in the life testifies that God has indeed sent His Son into the world to be its Saviour. 

“Christ does not bid His followers strive to shine. He says, Let your light shine. If you have received the grace of God, the light is in you. Remove the obstructions, and the Lord's glory will be revealed. The light will shine forth to penetrate and dispel the darkness. You cannot help shining within the range of your influence.

“The revelation of His own glory in the form of humanity will bring heaven so near to men that the beauty adorning the inner temple will be seen in every soul in whom the Saviour dwells. Men will be captivated by the glory of an abiding Christ. And in currents of praise and thanksgiving from the many souls thus won to God, glory will flow back to the great Giver.

“‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.’ Isaiah 60:1.” 

— Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 419,420. 

I, for one, freely confess that when I read Paul’s portrait of love and see it in the face of Jesus Christ, I don’t have it. And I also know that I need that love—and even more, I want that love. Do you want that too? If so, then let our prayer be this:

Lord, please forgive me for settling for something infinitely less than what You have given in Christ. I have misrepresented You time and time again by my impatience, unkindness, covetousness, and pride. I have sought my own way over Yours and over others in innumerable ways, many of which I have not even stopped to realize. Teach me how to fully abide in Christ and to let Him abide in me that I may truly love with Your kind of love. I want to love You with all of my heart, and I want to love everyone else before myself. With no exceptions, please. Amen.

—Kelly Kinsley