The Undercover Adventist

  “God is love.” — 1 John 4:8 Few statements in Scripture are as simple, yet as profound, as these three words: “God is love.” We can read them in a few seconds, but we could spend a lifetime trying to understand their depth. What does it actually mean to say that God is love? First, it means that love is not merely something God does. Love is at the very heart of who God is. God does not occasionally decide to be loving. His love flows from His character. Everything He does is consistent with His perfect goodness, holiness, justice, mercy, and love. This does not mean that everything we experience in this broken world is easy to understand. There are tragedies, disappointments, suffering, sickness, and loss that leave us asking difficult questions. Sometimes we may even wonder, “If God really loves me, why is this happening?” Those questions are real. But the answer begins with looking at God Himself rather than judging His character by our circumstances. The Bible gives us the ...

  Sabbath School First and Second Corinthians  A Portrait of Love Lesson 7 - Friday Further Thought Read: 1 Corinthians 13:4–7; 1 Corinthians 14:1 Paul’s description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 is one of the most beautiful passages in Scripture. He tells us that love is patient and kind. It does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way, is not easily provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love rejoices in truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Is Paul’s list exhaustive? Probably not. Paul was not attempting to give us every possible characteristic of love. Instead, he was showing the Corinthians what genuine, Christlike love looks like in everyday relationships. We could add many other qualities to the list. Love forgives. Love listens. Love serves. Love encourages. Love shows compassion. Love tells the truth even when the truth is difficult. Love gives without demanding somet...

  Sabbath School First and Second Corinthians  A Portrait of Love Lesson 7 - Thursday Love That Lasts Forever Scripture Reading 1 Corinthians 13:8–13; 1 John 4:8 Paul’s description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 is more than a beautiful list of ideals. It is a portrait of the character of Jesus. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love rejoices in truth. Love bears, believes, hopes, and endures. When we look at Jesus, we see these qualities perfectly displayed. But Paul also describes what love is not. Love is not envious, boastful, arrogant, rude, self-seeking, easily angered, or eager to keep a record of wrongs. These negative qualities were painfully relevant to the Corinthian church. Their relationships were marked by many of the very attitudes that love should remove. The Corinthians had much to learn about love. So do we. It is easy to read 1 Corinthians 13 and think about someone else who needs to become more patient, kind, humble, or forgiving. But Paul invites us to look in t...

  The resurrection is one of the most important teachings in the Bible. Christianity is not ultimately based on the idea that the dead live forever as disembodied spirits. The Bible points forward to a real resurrection—a time when God will raise the dead and give His people immortal, incorruptible bodies. The resurrection gives Christians hope in the face of death. It assures us that death does not have the final word and that God's promises will ultimately be fulfilled. What Is the Resurrection? The word resurrection means being raised from the dead. In Scripture, resurrection is not simply a symbol of starting over or feeling spiritually renewed. It refers to the actual raising of the dead by God's power. Jesus clearly taught that the dead will be raised: "The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth." — John 5:28–29 Notice where Jesus says the dead are: in the graves . He then describes a future time when they will hear...

  Key Scripture: “God is love.” — 1 John 4:8 Love is not merely something God does; love is at the very heart of who He is. The greatest evidence of God’s love is that He “gave His only begotten Son” so that everyone who believes in Him might have eternal life (John 3:16). In Jesus, God’s love became visible. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the exact expression of God’s nature. If we want to understand what true love looks like, we should take a long, careful look at Jesus. First Corinthians 13 describes love through qualities such as patience, kindness, humility, endurance, and rejoicing in truth. When we examine the life of Christ, we see every one of these qualities perfectly displayed. Jesus Is Patient Paul described Jesus as displaying “immense patience” toward him, even though he had been a persecutor of the church (1 Timothy 1:16). Jesus did not give up on Paul because of his past. Instead, He patiently transformed him into a powerful witness for the gospel. That should ...

  Death is one of the greatest mysteries of human existence. What happens when we die? Do we immediately go to heaven? Are the dead conscious somewhere else? Or does the Bible teach something different? Many Christians have been taught that when a person dies, their soul immediately goes to heaven or hell. But when we examine what Scripture actually says, we find a remarkably consistent teaching: death is described as a sleep, and the hope of God's people is the resurrection. The Bible does not present death as the end of our existence. Instead, it points us toward the day when Jesus will return, the dead will be raised, and God's people will receive the gift of eternal life. What Does the Bible Say Happens When We Die? The Bible's earliest description of death helps us understand the subject. God told Adam: "For dust you are, and to dust you shall return." — Genesis 3:19 The Bible describes human beings as mortal creatures who depend upon God for life. When Adam ...

  Love Is More Than What We Do Read 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 When we think about love, we naturally focus on the positive: kindness, patience, generosity, compassion, forgiveness, and encouragement. Yet when Paul describes love in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, he does something interesting. He tells us not only what love is and does , but also what love is not and does not do . Love is patient and kind. But love also does not envy, boast, or become arrogant. It does not behave rudely, insist on its own way, become irritable, or keep a record of wrongs. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Why does Paul spend so much time describing these negative characteristics? Because love is not merely about adding good behavior to our lives; it is also about removing the attitudes and actions that destroy relationships. Love Must Deal With What Is Inside Us It is relatively easy to say that we should be kind. It is much harder to recognize the jealousy, pride, selfishness, irrita...