August 2026

Paul begins 1 Corinthians 15 by focusing on the gospel. He speaks about the gospel: (1) which he preached to the Corinthians; (2) which they received; (3) in which they stood; and (4) by which they were saved (1 Cor. 15:1, 2, NKJV). This opening prepares the reader for what comes next in the chapter and shows how essential Christ’s resurrection is for our salvation (see also Rom. 10:9, 10). His resurrection is such a vital part of the gospel message that denying it contradicts one’s faith in Christ.

Read for This Week’s Study

1 Corinthians 15; Luke 24:44–47; Rev. 20:5, 6; Col. 2:12; 2 Tim. 1:12; 1 Thess. 4:13–17.

Memory Text:

Read Ellen G. White, “The Need of Love,” pp. 545, 546, The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, August 28, 1888.

Thus far, we have learned that love is patient, kind, joyful, resilient, believing, hopeful, and enduring (or perseverant) because Jesus is all these things. Once we see these qualities in Jesus, the next step is to imitate Him. That was Paul’s wish for the Corinthians. However, if we remove the “not” in the eight negative features of love, “we get a pretty good description of the Corinthians’ conduct within their church circle: envious, boasting, arrogant, rude, self-seeking, easily offended, and looking to see what others were doing wrong.

As we read 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, we may feel frustrated at realizing that, to a lesser or greater degree, we fall short of displaying all those features of love. Likely, Paul had the person of Jesus in mind when writing 1 Corinthians 13. Indeed, only Christ perfectly revealed all those characteristics of love. Thus, ultimately, Paul’s portrayal of love is a portrait of Jesus.

Read John 13:1, 34; John 15:9, 12; 1 Timothy 1:14; 2 Timothy 1:7, 13; 1 John 3:16; and 1 John 4:7–12, 19–21. What can we learn about love from these passages?

Read again 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. Why does Paul mention negative rather than only positive characteristics of love?

Yesterday, we focused on seven things love does; today, we will look into eight things it does not do. Love . . .

First Corinthians 13:4–7 is the heart of the chapter. Paul focuses on the features of love—showing what love is and what it is not, or what love does and does not do. He personifies love so that we can have a glimpse of how a person filled with Spirit-driven love behaves. In his portrayal of love, Paul uses a series of verbs. For him, love is more about actions than about feelings or emotions.

What, then, does love do?

Last week we touched on the theme of love as seen in 1 Corinthians 13. We need to explore Paul’s words here in even more depth.

Read 1 Corinthians 13. Summarize what he is telling us about love.

Paul is not saying that tongues (1 Cor. 13:1), prophecy, understanding, knowledge, faith (1 Cor. 13:2), and benevolence (1 Cor. 13:3) are useless. They are useless only if not driven by love.

Read for This Week’s Study

1 Corinthians 13; Matt. 24:12; Gal. 5:22, 23; 1 Tim. 1:14; 1 John 4:8.

Memory Text:

Read Roswell F. Cottrell, “Spiritual Gifts,” pp. 5–16, in Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 1.