THIRD QUARTER 2026
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #6
AUGUST 8, 2026
"SPIRITUAL GIFTS".

 

There are certain truths of salvation that I like to call “gospel universals.” These are things that God has bestowed on every human being, irrespective of their knowledge, faith, or personal experience. For example, God has given some degree of “light” to every human being. It doesn’t matter where or when they were born, or whether they appreciate or follow that “light.” God has given this gospel universal to all with the hope that that light will be appreciated and followed. Reference John 1:9 —Jesus was the light that lights “every man.” 

            Ellen White says that both this light of truth and life itself are “gospel universals.” 

            Christ is the “Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John 1:9. As through Christ every human being has life, so also through Him every soul receives some ray of divine light. Not only intellectual but spiritual power, a perception of right, a desire for goodness, exists in every heart.”—Education, p. 29.

            Some additional gospel universals that we are studying in our Sabbath School lesson this week are spiritual gifts, or talents. While talents and gifts are not necessarily the same things, there is a great degree of overlap, and they are something that God has give to all. While these talents and gifts can be abused , misused and ignored, that doesn’t negate that God gave them. Obviously Lucifer in heaven would be the ultimate example of this as he had the gifts of beauty, wisdom, music, persuasion, etc. —all of which he ultimately used for the exaltation of self.

            And we too have all been give gifts and talents – gospel universals! 1Cor.12:7 – “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (1 Cor. 12:7). In Matthew chapter 25 talents were given to ALL the servants—both the profitable wise servants, and the unprofitable unwise servant.“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). So every thing that is good in human experience is one of God’s gifts to humanity, whether individual or corporate.

            For this reason, when considering spiritual gifts, we should remember that God in His kindness and wisdom has given to all a variety of gifts and talents. The sad part is that so many abuse their gifts or ignore them, just as many are doing with the gift of salvation.

            Our lesson this week also brings us again to 1st Corinthians chapter 13—the “love chapter.” It seems that love is one of the most misunderstood and abused words in the English language. We are reminded of its overwhelming importance as Paul says in the last verse in chapter 12 that love is “more excellent” than even the best of spiritual gifts. Paul even elevates its importance above faith, hope, martyrdom, extreme benevolence, and many other things.

            And then in the middle of his description of the incredible qualities that characterize true agape love he says that “love does not rejoice in iniquity.” This is one of the most counter-cultural statements in modern language, as well as in Paul’s day in Corinth. Today we are told that we should rejoice (have pride) in all manner of iniquity. Any adjective preceding the noun “pride” should be humbly recognized as error.

            Christianity writ large has bought in to the idea that to love means to affirm. But Paul tells us that if we truly love someone, we can’t rejoice (i.e., affirm) something that is damaging one that we love—and sin, or iniquity, ALWAYS damages the one we love. Our challenge is not to merely “speak the truth,” but to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). If we speak in “love” without truth—we are not actually speaking in love. If we speak the truth without love, we will merely damage and alienate.

            Jesus came “full of grace AND truth” (John 1:14). Not merely grace. Not merely truth. But grace AND truth. This is also our calling as the remnant church. Said a slightly different way, the last generation of God’s people will have the grace and love and faith of Jesus, and speak the truth in keeping His commandments (Rev.14:12). Here are they that speak the truth in love. Here are they that are full of grace and truth. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.

            Ellen White says it this way:

            Jesus Himself never purchased peace by compromise. His heart overflowed with love for the whole human race, but He was never indulgent to their sins. He was too much their friend to remain silent while they were pursuing a course that would ruin their souls,—the souls He had purchased with His own blood.—The Desire of Ages, p. 356, emphasis supplied.

            A. T. Jones said it this way:

            WITH Jesus as our model we will speak the truth in love, but we will speak the truth. . . True Christian love will lead its possessor to die for the good of one in error, but will never consent to a compromise with error. It led the Apostle Peter to say to the Jews, in one breath: "Ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life;" and in the next, "Brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it." It inspired the martyr Stephen to say to the Jews, "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers?" And then when his hearers were stoning out his faithful life, this same infinite love led him to pray "with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. —The American Sentinel, May 9, 1895, p. 145.

            On the one hand, Ellen White said in a letter to Uriah Smith that he was laboring to do the very same work Satan was doing, but on the other hand later in the same letter she told him that she would give her life to torture for his soul! (cf Ltr 3/8/90)

            This is agape.

            This is the love of the Bible.

            This is what it means when the Bible says, “God is love.”

            May we position ourselves in relation to the Holy Spirit that we may be “new creatures” (2 Cor. 5:17), enabled to speak the truth in love. When that day comes, the message will go like fire in the stubble.

 

— Robert Hunsaker