Daily Lesson for Tuesday 28th of July 2026

After providing an example of self-denial from his own experience, Paul turns more particularly toward the issue of idolatry. In a sense, 1 Corinthians 10:1-33 develops the idea of 1 Corinthians 9:27, where Paul comments that he exercises self-discipline in order not to become disqualified. He wants the Corinthians to follow his example, but Jesus is the model par excellence (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Image © Review & Herald Publishing from GoodSalt.com

In 1 Corinthians 10:1-5, Paul alludes to the history of God’s people in the wilderness. The reference to the cloud and the sea brings God’s leading, presence, and protection to mind. In turn, food and drink stand for God’s provision. Paul refers to the experience of Israel in the cloud and sea as a baptism, analogous to Christian baptism. Likewise, by referring to food and drink, Paul alludes to the Lord’s Supper.

In other words, 1 Corinthians 10:1-33 teaches that, in a sense, Christians are living the same experiences as Israel did. However, Paul recalls the history of Israel because he does not want that history to repeat itself. Despite all the privileges Israel had, many of the people nevertheless desired evil things (1 Corinthians 10:6), such as idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:7) and sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 10:8). No wonder, then, that “God was not pleased with most of them” (1 Corinthians 10:5, NIV).

It is easy to point the finger at ancient Israel and say they committed gross sins. However, Paul argues that Christians are susceptible to practicing similar sins despite their immense privilege of knowing the history of Christ. This is clear in the warning: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12, NKJV). The phrase “who thinks” suggests that some in the church did not realize they were in danger of falling into those sins. Do we run the same risk today?

“Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Who among us has not experienced the reality of that warning?

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26c-05-learning-from-the-past/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26c-05-learning-from-the-past

Is this True, Somewhat True, or False? Getting to ALL is a gradual process. Join the Hit the Mark panel as they discuss Sabbath School Lesson 5 – All to the Glory of God. It’s the fastest hour of the week! Get this week’s keyword workbook HERE.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/all-to-the-glory-of-god-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=all-to-the-glory-of-god-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school

Daily Lesson for Monday 27th of July 2026

At first sight, it looks as though Paul’s defense of his apostleship, in 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, has nothing to do with the previous discussion on knowledge versus love. One cannot forget, though, that the Bible was not originally written in chapters. What Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 is not disconnected from the preceding material. Indeed, 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 offers a practical example of selfless love for Christ and for the brethren. For the sake of love, Paul relinquishes a few rights.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

“To eat and drink” (1 Corinthians 9:4, NKJV). Here food and drink represent financial assistance in general. As an apostle, Paul had the right to receive material support from those to whom he ministered. Other religious leaders in his time used to do just that. But he didn’t; instead, he supported himself by making tents (Acts 18:3).

“To take along a believing wife” (1 Corinthians 9:5, NKJV). A married apostle was allowed to make a missionary journey with his wife at the church’s expense. Examples of missionary couples include Priscilla and Aquila (Romans 16:3) and Andronicus and Junia (Romans 16:7). But Paul was unmarried (1 Corinthians 7:8). He could get married and then benefit from the right of being accompanied by a wife, with financial support for both.

“To refrain from working” for a living (1 Corinthians 9:6, NKJV). Paul and Barnabas had the right to earn wages for their missionary work (1 Corinthians 9:4-6). Paul made tents for a living (Acts 18:3), but we don’t know what Barnabas’s occupation was. We know that he was very generous (Acts 4:36-37), and thus, he was willing to support himself.

In 1 Corinthians 9:7-11, Paul develops the idea of 1 Corinthians 9:6 in order to show that it is fair for him and Barnabas to earn a living from the church (1 Corinthians 9:11-12). The Lord Himself commanded, “Those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14, NKJV; compare with 1 Timothy 5:18). Nevertheless, Paul says, “We have not made use of this right” (1 Corinthians 9:12, ESV). Thus, Paul presents himself as an example of self-denial (1 Corinthians 9:1-18) and argues that this benefits the preaching of the gospel in Corinth (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26c-05-selfless-love/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26c-05-selfless-love

Prepared for Sabbath School Class on August 1.

Photograph by William Earnhardt

Key Text: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NKJV).

Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 8:-13.

Study: Why does Paul contrast knowledge with love, and what is the context here? What point is he making?

Apply: Paul argues that, without love, knowledge may become a bad thing (1 Corinthians 8). In what situations can knowledge without love indeed be bad?

Share: Your friend asks if Paul says we were not to make an issue of eating food sacrificed to idols, then why is it condemned in Revelation 2:20 in the message to Thyatira? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 9:1-6.

Study: How does this passage provide a practical example of what it means to practice self-denial motivated by love?

Apply: What are things that, though they perhaps are due you, you might still be better off relinquishing in order to be a more effective witness for the Lord?

Share: Your friend says it is not fair for the pastor to expect her husband, who is a local elder, to preach for no charge, while the pastor gets paid to preach. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 10:5-22

Study: What sins did Israel commit in the wilderness, and why do the privileges granted to them make their sins even worse? Why must we flee from idolatry?

Apply: An idol doesn’t have to be a stone statue. We can make an idol out of just about anything. What idols, if any, do you need to flee from in your own life?

Share: Your friend says it’s hard to believe 1 Corinthians 10:13 when he keeps trying and trying to overcome his addiction and always failing. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Mark 1-:17-22, Mark 12:38-31, and 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Study: How can 1 Corinthians 10:31 help us have the proper motivation in keeping the Spirit of the law? How can it also help us guard against legalism?

Apply: As you examine your actions and activities over the last week, how many of those actions and activities glorified God? How can we make sure we are glorifying God in all we do?

Share: Your friend says that when we break the commandments, we put ourselves first rather than God and others. and thus making idols of ourselves. What do you tell your friend?

Mission: How can you show and encourage your friends and family to glorify God in their weekly activities?

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/5-all-to-the-glory-of-god-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-plan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=5-all-to-the-glory-of-god-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-plan

Daily Lesson for Sunday 26th of July 2026

Paul uses the theme of food offered to idols in order to address a deeper issue: the lack of love for others (1 Corinthians 8:1-13). The matter of food offered to idols split the church of Corinth into two groups. Some believed that their knowledge about the nonexistence of other gods gave them the right to eat anything (1 Corinthians 8:4). These are referred to as the “strong” (1 Corinthians 4:10). Those who opposed this behavior are called the “weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9-12). Paul uses such a label because they did not overcome some superstitious beliefs that marked their previous pagan experience. When seeing the “strong” eating food offered to idols, they might conclude that Christianity and idolatry were compatible. So, Paul did not want the “strong” to become a stumbling block to the weak.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

The Bible sees the act of eating food offered to idols very negatively (Acts 15:20,29; Acts 21:25; compare with Revelation 2:14,20). However, Paul does not utter as radical statements as one sees in these passages. This is because his primary concern regards the lack of unity that the misuse of knowledge could cause. Paul is not criticizing knowledge as evil in itself; instead, he’s against the kind of knowledge that leads to arrogance and division in the church. Knowledge without love is not true knowledge at all (1 Corinthians 8:2). True knowledge arises only when one loves God and is known by Him (1 Corinthians 8:3).

Quoting Deuteronomy 6:4, Paul shows that believers must know that there is only one God (1 Corinthians 8:4-6). Interestingly, he follows the same idea one sees in Deuteronomy 6:4-5, where the statement that our God is one is followed by the command “You shall love the Lord your God” (NKJV). For both Paul and Moses, knowledge without love is worthless.

Confident in their knowledge, the “strong” believed that eating food sacrificed to idols was harmless. As we will see on Wednesday and Thursday, Paul conceded to them that right under certain conditions. However, if that became a stumbling block for the “weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9), it should be avoided. Christians are supposed to practice self-denial out of love for Christ and others.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26c-05-knowledge-versus-love/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26c-05-knowledge-versus-love