Adult Sunday School Lesson

SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2025

August 3, 2025

Believers (the Church) as God’s Temple
Printed Text: 1 Corinthians 3:10-23
Devotional Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Background Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-23 

August 10, 2025

Our Bodies Belong to God
Printed Text: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Devotional Reading: Psalm 139:13-24
Background Reading: Romans 12:1-21; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 

August 17, 2025

Jews and Gentiles Form One Temple
Printed Text: Ephesians 2:11-22
Devotional Reading: Romans 9:14-24
Background Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22 

August 24, 2025

Sacrifices of Praise and Good Works
Printed Text: Hebrews 13:9-21
Devotional Reading: Psalm 146
Background: Hebrews 13:1-21 

August 31, 2025

Living Stones in a Spiritual Temple
Printed Text:  1 Peter 2:1-12
Devotional Reading: Galatians 3:23-29
Background: 1 Peter 2:1-17

Zoom Sunday School Classes – 3 August 2025, 09:00 AM EST

Meeting ID: 848-9423-0612
Pass Code: 669872
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84894230612?pwd=Zk1ESitzbGZwTlJyV21UZXY5aTVPZz09

Believers (the Church) as God’s Temple
Printed Text: 1 Corinthians 3:10-23
Devotional Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Background Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

LESSON AIM

DEFINE carnality and discuss how it paralyzes spiritual growth;

BE HUMBLED in realizing that the overall success of the church is incumbent on its ability to function as a whole; and

COMMIT to work with God in all endeavors.

KEEP IN MIND:

"For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building" (1 Corinthians 3:9).

BACKGROUND:

Most of Paul’s background can be found in the book of Acts. His coming to found the church at Corinth is recorded in Acts 18:1-17, while he was on his second missionary journey. Although he left Timothy and Silas, his "armor bearers," in Berea and went to Athens, he called for them as soon as he arrived there. He was so distressed to find Athens overtaken by idolatry that he immediately began preaching against these practices. Many believed Paul’s report about Jesus and His Resurrection and were saved, but others mocked him.

Paul left Athens before Timothy and Silas arrived and went to Corinth. Paul met and stayed with a Jewish tentmaker named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. Timothy and Silas soon joined him in Corinth but brought back a disturbing report about the churches in Macedonia. When Paul preached the Gospel to the Jews in Corinth, many opposed him. As a result, Paul directed his ministry to the Gentiles there. Many were converted, including Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue. Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, until Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, ousted him on account of charges brought against him by the Jews.

Later, while in Ephesus on his third missionary trip, Paul received news from Chloe’s household that there was trouble in the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 1:11). Among the troubles reported were divisions, immorality, litigation in pagan courts, abuse of the Lord’s Supper, false teachings about the resurrection, and misinformation about offerings for poverty-stricken believers in Jerusalem. In response to these concerns, Paul wrote a letter to the church. The text for our lesson is a part of that letter in which Paul addresses the first issue—divisions in the church.

LESSON COMMENTARY:

Many Builders, One Foundation (1 Corinthians 3:10-15, NRSV)

¹⁰According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.
¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.
¹²Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
¹³the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done.
¹⁴If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward.
¹⁵If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.

Paul knew that the only way the Corinthians were going to be kept from conforming to the ways of the world was for them to be transformed by the renewing of their minds.  Thus, he enabled them to renew their minds by teaching them how to think in terms of oneness.  In verse 8 he writes, "Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one," and in verse 9 he writes, "For we are labourers together with God."  Paul dispels their contentions by saying (to put it in modern terms), "Look, we are all one, employed by one Master, with one goal in mind, and busied in one work."  The world operates by a system of competition and selfishness, but God’s way of doing things is by unconditional love, unity, and peace.

Being mindful that he was teaching babes, Paul skillfully used metaphors that they could understand to make his point.  In verses 6-9, he addressed the agriculturalists by using words like "husbandry," "planting," and "watering."  For the architects, in verses 9-12, he used the building terms "masterbuilder" and "foundation."  Speaking their language, Paul told them that they did not belong to him or Apollos, but that "ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building."  He let them know that just as they had attended to their work and had enjoyed success, God had attended to and enabled them to achieve that success.  Now that he had their attention, he showed them how one with a renewed mind thinks and speaks.  In verse 10 he writes, "According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.  But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon."  A renewed-minded person gives God the glory for his or her success.

Not only did Paul present and challenge the problem of carnality, but he provided a remedy for it by teaching them to develop a mind to work, not against each other, but with one another.  Paul then presented a warning—he wrote that the only individual concern that they should have is the reward that they would receive for their work.  Although they were working together, with like minds, and for one specific purpose, their work and attitudes may have differed.  Paul gave six different types of "work" that can be built upon the foundation he had laid: gold, silver, and precious stones, representing precious and durable work that will stand the test of divine judgment; and wood, hay, and stubble, symbolizing a weak, worthless work and lifestyle that will "burn away" on the Day of Judgment.

What a way to build a collective effort—inspire people to work together and hold each person individually accountable for producing excellent work.  He further advanced the cause of unity by emphasizing God’s mercy in verse 15: "If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."  In order to work together, we need to be able to separate principles from personalities.  Even God separated the people from their actions; He burned their works but spared their lives.  Jesus did the same on the Cross when He asked God to "forgive them [His executioners], for they know not what they do."  So often, we want to crucify those who fall short, but Paul writes in Galatians 6:1-2 (NIV), "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.  But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

A Holy Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16,17, NRSV)

¹⁶Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
¹⁷If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

From other parts of the epistle, it appears that the false teachers among the Corinthians taught unholy doctrines.  Such teaching tended to corrupt, to pollute, and destroy the building, which should be kept pure and holy for God.  Those who spread loose principles, which render the church of God unholy, bring destruction upon themselves.  Christ by his Spirit dwells in all true believers.  Christians are holy by profession, and should be pure and clean, both in heart and conversation.  He is deceived who deems himself the temple of the Holy Ghost, yet is unconcerned about personal holiness, or the peace and purity of the church.

Deceitful Wisdom (1 Corinthians 3:18-23, NRSV)

¹⁸Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise.
¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"
²⁰and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."
²¹So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours,
²²whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you,
²³and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

To have a high opinion of our own wisdom, is but to flatter ourselves; and self-flattery is the next step to self-deceit.  The wisdom that worldly men esteem, is foolishness with God.  How justly does he despise, and how easily can he baffle and confound it!  The thoughts of the wisest men in the world, have vanity, weakness, and folly in them.  All this should teach us to be humble, and make us willing to be taught of God, so as not to be led away, by pretenses to human wisdom and skill, from the simple truths revealed by Christ.  Mankind is very apt to oppose the design of the mercies of God.  Observe the spiritual riches of a true believer; "All are yours," even ministers and ordinances.  Nay, the world itself is yours.  Saints have as much of it as Infinite Wisdom sees fit for them, and they have it with the Divine blessing.  Life is yours, that you may have a season and opportunity to prepare for the life of heaven; and death is yours, that you may go to the possession of it.  It is the kind messenger to take you from sin and sorrow, and to guide you to your Father's house.  Things present are yours, for your support on the road; things to come are yours, to delight you forever at your journey's end.  If we belong to Christ, and are true to him, all good belongs to us, and is sure to us.  Believers are the subjects of his kingdom.  He is Lord over us, we must own his dominion and cheerfully submit to his command.  God in Christ, reconciling a sinful world to himself, and pouring the riches of his grace on a reconciled world, is the sum and substance of the gospel.

THOUGHTS TO PONDER:

1. In 1 Corinthians 3:1, Paul calls the church "babes in Christ."  Relate spiritual advancement to the natural process of child growth and development.  Discuss what kinds of things a physically immature child does and relate them to spiritually immature believers.  Do the same with physically and spiritually mature persons.

2. What "day" is Paul referring to in verse 13 when he writes, "for the day shall declare it"?

LESSONS TO LIVE BY:

We are living in a wonderful time in which we are witnessing and participating in the manifestation of the Gospel’s power like never before.  The Gospel is being preached almost everywhere, and things that are detestable to God are being challenged in courts, schools, churches, and homes nationwide.  As we work together in one accord, God’s Scripture is being fulfilled.  Nevertheless, carnality is a subtle attitude that gnaws at the seams of the work we’ve produced.  What is your view of the many pastors and leaders who are promoted to offices of bishops, elders, and apostles?  Is it a sign of spiritual advancement or carnality?  What do you think about churches that are changing their names from "Such-and-Such Church" to "Greater Such-and-Such Church of So-and-So?"  Is it a sign of spiritual advancement or carnality? Explain your answer.

Zoom Sunday School Classes – 10 August 2025, 09:00 AM EST
Meeting ID: 848-9423-0612
Pass Code: 669872
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84894230612?pwd=Zk1ESitzbGZwTlJyV21UZXY5aTVPZz09

Our Bodies Belong to God
Printed Text: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Devotional Reading: Psalm 139:13-24
Background Reading: Romans 12:1-21; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

LESSON AIM:

EMBRACE the concept of Christ’s ownership of our bodies, and

ACKNOWLEDGE that Christ’s title deed requires we be physically and spiritually pure.

PRACTICE the life that connects what you do with your bodies with your spiritual relationship with Christ

KEEP IN MIND:

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19, NRSV)

LESSON COMMENTARY: 

Building the Temple (1 Corinthians 6:12-14, NRSV)

¹²“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.
¹³“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
¹⁴And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. 

Our lesson begins with the statement “All things are lawful and to me but all things are not expedient.” Understanding the statement is essential to understanding the point Paul is trying to convey to the church in Corinth. This statement speaks to the perception that sexual practices are a private matter and one is free to do as one wishes. While this behavior may be legal, Paul questioned if this alone is a valid reason to engage in such activity. This statement encourages the hearer to make additional considerations.

Paul reminded the church that all things are not expedient or suitable for edifying. He wanted the believers to look at their behavior and consider if it was helpful. He encouraged them to make an intentional decision to restrain their personal freedom for the sake of the Gospel. It was a request that they only engage in behaviors that would be genuinely helpful for building their relationship with Christ and with those whom God was trying to reach through them.

Purifying the Temple (1 Corinthians 6:15-17, NRSV)

¹⁵Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!
¹⁶Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.”
¹⁷But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

In this section of Scripture, Paul discussed the special bond that exists between a believer in Christ and alluded to the fact that Christ’s redemption of us is complete.  We have been redeemed in soul, spirit, and body.  It is the acceptance of Christ as our Redeemer that joins us to Him eternally as His church and bride.  We now carry in us the same Spirit that Christ has in Him.  It is this union that identifies us as Christians and heirs to the promises of God.  We cannot have true communion with God without commitment to Him.

Our commitment to God provides the basis and balance of human love. This relationship with Christ is described in very intimate language. The reality is intimacy ignites passion.  The intensity of our relationship with Christ is evidenced by what we display in our bodies.  When we hold Christ close to our hearts, we pursue the things of Christ.  Pursuit of ungodly passions serves as evidence that we have allowed other desires to take the place of Christ in our hearts.

Glorifying the Temple (1 Corinthians 6:18-20, NRSV)

¹⁸Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself.
¹⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?
²⁰For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

In these verses, Paul began with the command to “flee fornication.”  This command is justified by the reminder of just how much our redemption costs.  As mentioned earlier, Paul alluded to the mystical union that exists between Christ and the church: Christ as the Bridegroom and the church as the bride.  In modern times, when a man proposes, it is customary for him to make a sacrifice and purchase an engagement ring.  The rationale behind this is to give a token that represents how much he is willing to sacrifice in order to gain a woman's affection.  This ring serves as a constant reminder of his love for her and the price he is willing to pay.

What would happen if we look at the Crucifixion as a marriage proposal?  What if we let the Crucifixion serve as a constant reminder of the sacrifice God made in order to gain our affection?  Paul reminds us that we are bought with a price.  These words compel the church to take seriously what we do with our bodies and where we place our affections.  Let our bodies be the place where God's glory can be found.

THOUGHTS TO PONDER:

1. Paul calls the body “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (6:18-20).  How does the biblical view of the body presented here contrast with our modern view?

2. How is our willingness to sacrifice some of our freedoms a reflection of Christ’s willing sacrifice for us?

3. How might something like fasting bring us to properly understand the priority of our spiritual needs?

4. How can understanding your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit (6:19) lead you to a healthy balance of bodily control and bodily celebration?

LESSONS TO LIVE BY:

There are many similarities between the casual attitude toward sex that was prevalent during Paul’s time and that of our own time.  We are daily inundated with images that would cause us to believe that sex is meaningless outside of its ability to give us pleasure.  Our bodies are treated like disposable trinkets instead of being honored as priceless treasures.  We see the impact that sex without commitment has on our society as a whole.  Single parent households have become common place.  The impact that this lack of commitment has on children is staggering.

During moments like this, God calls the church to stand up and be an example.  The first step is to instill within ourselves a healthy respect for the physical bodies God has given us.  Let this inner respect govern how we treat our bodies and allow them to be treated.  The next step is to invite others to come along with us as we learn to treat ourselves and others with dignity and respect while honoring God, who so richly blesses us.

Zoom Sunday School Classes – 17 August 2025, 09:00 AM EST
Meeting ID: 848-9423-0612
Pass Code: 669872
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84894230612?pwd=Zk1ESitzbGZwTlJyV21UZXY5aTVPZz09

Jews and Gentiles Form One Temple
Printed Text: Ephesians 2:11-22
Devotional Reading: Romans 9:14-24
Background Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22

LESSON AIM:

UNDERSTAND Paul’s explanation of Jews and Gentiles becoming one in Christ; 

EXPRESS pain and sorrow over the divisions within Christ’s church and joy when divisions are broken down; and

BECOME acquainted with church-unifying and church-dividing issues in order to devise strategies for addressing them.

KEEP IN MIND:

“In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.” (Ephesians 2:21, 22, NRSV).

BACKGROUND:

Many barriers divided the Jews and the Gentiles in the ancient world.  Paul devotes much of his attention in this portion of the letter to the essential oneness of the church.  For Jews and Gentiles alike, Paul explained that keeping the law was not a requirement for salvation.  Christ is the fulfillment of the law, making it complete.  (Salvation cannot be earned through strict adherence to the law or by works.  Nevertheless, we are not absolved of our responsibility to do what is right.  Salvation by grace through faith does lead to good works; thus, no one had the right to boast about personal goodness.)  There was no need for Jews and Gentiles to be divided based on Mosaic Law.  Christ became and remains the peace of all believers.  Therefore, there is no need for division and discord.  By lessening the significance of ethnic and cultural identity, both Jews and Gentiles gained something far better and greater.  In today’s lesson, Paul tackles the problem of division between the Jews and Gentiles in the Ephesian congregation.

LESSON COMMENTARY:

The Gentile’s Status (Ephesians 2:11-13, NRSV)

¹¹So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called "the uncircumcision" by those who are called "the circumcision"—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—
¹²remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Christians often have similar problems with diverse members coming together as one. What are some of the divisions in the Christian church today?  In today’s lesson, Paul tackles the problem of division between the Jews and Gentiles in the Ephesian congregation.

Paul reminds his readers that before they were converted, they were Gentiles by birth and therefore considered outcasts by the Jews.  The Jews despised them, as indicated by the fact that they were called the Uncircumcision.  The Jews regarded their circumcised state with snobbery, as this signified that they were God’s chosen people.  They referred to themselves as the Circumcision.  Paul corrects their sense of superiority by clearly stating that their circumcision was by human effort and therefore merely a physical act.  What was really important, he told them, was circumcision of the heart.

While the Jews held on to a false sense of superiority about their status as the chosen, the Gentiles were without a savior altogether.  The Messiah was promised to the Jews, even though Isaiah foretold that the blessing would flow to all nations.  Christ was sent, “unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24).

The Gentiles were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel” (Ephesians 2:12).  They did not belong among God’s chosen.  They were strangers to His promise considering all of God’s covenants had promised blessings to the Jews.  For all practical purposes, the Gentiles stood on the outside looking in without hope.  But because of God’s love, the former establishment was done away with.  When the Gentiles receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God places them in Christ and accepts them through Him.  Jesus Christ has broken down the barriers that separate all people.

Jews and Gentiles Together (Ephesians 2:14-18, NRSV)

¹⁴For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.
¹⁵He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,
¹⁶and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.
¹⁷So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;
¹⁸for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.

In the first part of chapter two, Paul traces the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles.  The two groups held different perceptions of what it means to be saved.  Here, Paul moves forward to dissolve their nationalistic and cultural biases to affirm unity in Christ and explain the necessity for unity.  Through His shed blood, Christ broke down “the middle wall of partition between us.”  The barriers that divided Jews and Gentiles are now gone.  Where there were two, there is now one.  There is but one Christ for both the mighty and powerful and the lowly and powerless.  For every race and culture, there is only one savior.

Paul describes Christ as our peace.  When Christ came to us, He “preached peace” to those near and far.  In this instance, those who were near were the Jews.  They had already received a promise.  Those who were afar were the Gentiles, those who had no covenant with God; they held no assurance of His presence or promise.  This being the case, it is not difficult to understand why the Jews held a certain snobbery concerning their status as God’s chosen people.

Peace was needed to unify two groups that were alienated from each other.  As our peace, Christ has created a new people, free from the limitations of imposed human boundaries such as culture, race, gender, education, social, or economic standing.  All believers now have access to the presence of God at any time.  This was in stark contrast to the Old Testament, when only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies, the place where God dwelled.

One Church, One Foundation (Ephesians 2:19-22, NRSV)

¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God,
²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
²¹In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
²²in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

Paul often uses the words “now therefore” when making a conclusion.  He concludes that the Gentiles were in no way inferior to the Jews.  Christ did away with all of that.  The apostle lists some of the many great benefits available to all believing Gentiles, as they are no longer strangers and foreigners.  Never again will they be looked upon as less than others or as outsiders.  Now they are fellow citizens and equal heirs to the inheritance.  Christians of Jewish ancestries have no advantage over the believing Gentiles.  All believers are first-class citizens in the kingdom of heaven.

As they are now a part of the church, they have become stones, or building blocks, in the construction of a holy temple.  This new temple will also have a foundation, with Christ as the “chief corner stone” that bonds the temple together.  This new Temple, the church, is built upon the apostles and prophets of the New Testament.  The apostles and prophets are not the foundation; Christ is the foundation.  The foundation was laid in what the apostles and prophets taught about the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

Christ is more than the foundation of the church, however; He is also the chief cornerstone, joining the two walls that were once separated: Jews and Gentiles.  In this new temple that Christ has created, everyone will have an equal place.  When Jesus created a new covenant between God and humankind, He made a new people of God, one body— the church.

THOUGHTS TO PONDER:

1. Because it is our responsibility to care for the church of Christ and to continue to bring new stones, in what ways have we neglected our duties, both to the universal church and in local church?

2. Paul uses vivid imagery in this passage.  What are some of these images? Were they intended to communicate?

3. Verse 11 emphasizes the distinction between those who are circumcised and those who are uncircumcised, the Jews and the Gentiles.  What name-calling to Christians engage in today, perhaps even using biblical terms?

4. Besides some superficial differences between Jews and Gentiles, there were also some very real divisions.  What are some of the things that divided Gentiles from Jews(verse 12)?

5. How does the bond that we have in the blood(death) of Christ supersede all that divides us from other Christians (verse 13)?

LESSONS TO LIVE BY:

Some believers are determined to create cultural, racial, and ethnic barriers within the church.  Many arguments and divisions have arisen over doctrinal issues.  Some have attacked others as being unsaved for not adhering to certain standards.  All believers should be careful to avoid ostracizing others.  We should also be mindful of how what we do based on our preferences creates division.  Christ desires that we engage ourselves in activities that draw us closer to Him and to one another.

Zoom Sunday School Classes – 24 August 2025, 09:00 AM EST
Meeting ID: 848-9423-0612
Pass Code: 669872
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84894230612?pwd=Zk1ESitzbGZwTlJyV21UZXY5aTVPZz09

Sacrifices of Praise and Good Works
Printed Text: Hebrews 13:9-21
Devotional Reading: Psalm 146
Background: Hebrews 13:1-21

LESSON AIM:

EXPRESS how can we know which doctrines are essential and which doctrines we can allow different views of.

DETERMINE how can we know which Christian groups or denominations to work with and.

UNDERSTAND the biblical relationship between faith and good works?

KEEP IN MIND:

“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15, NASB).

BACKGROUND:

The author of Hebrews demonstrated the superiority of Jesus over the Old Testament system, which foreshadowed His ministry.  Jesus is superior as a revealer of God.  Jesus' priesthood is far superior to the priesthood of the Old Testament, just as the covenant He makes is superior to the old Law Covenant which came through Moses.  And Jesus has offered a superior sacrifice—Himself—which purifies the worshiper and deals once for all with sin.

On the basis of what Jesus has done for us, we are now made holy—and are enabled to live a holy life!  Thus, Jesus produces a righteousness which the old system was never able to do.

In the last chapters of Hebrews the writer went into just how we appropriate the sanctification that Christ provides.  In Hebrews 11, we see the role of faith, not only for our own lives but in the lives of believers of every age.  In Hebrews 12 we see the importance of making every effort to move toward the goal of holiness—and learn how to respond to the loving discipline of the God who is committed to bring His children to a godly maturity.  Finally, in Hebrews 13, we are given a final warning and shown how the practical holiness is demonstrated in Christian behavior.

LESSON COMMENTARY: 

Great Changes (Hebrews 13:9-15, NASB)

⁹Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.
¹⁰We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.
¹¹For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp.
¹²Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
¹³So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
¹⁴For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.
¹⁵Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

The instructions and examples of ministers, who honorably and comfortably closed their testimony, should be particularly remembered by survivors. And though their ministers were some dead, others dying, yet the great Head and High Priest of the church, the Bishop of their souls, ever lives, and is ever the same. Christ is the same in the Old Testament Day. as in the gospel day, and will be so to his people forever, equally merciful, powerful, and all-sufficient.  Still, he fills the hungry, encourages the trembling, and welcomes repenting sinners: still, he rejects the proud and self-righteous, abhors mere profession, and teaches all whom he saves, to love righteousness, and to hate iniquity.

Believers should seek to have their hearts established in simple dependence on free grace, by the Holy Spirit, which would comfort their hearts, and render them proof against delusion. Christ is both our Altar and our Sacrifice; he sanctifies the gift.  The Lord's supper is the feast of the gospel Passover.  Having showed that keeping to the Levitical law would, according to its own rules, keep men from the Christian altar, the apostle adds, Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp; go forth from the ceremonial law, from sin, from the world, and from ourselves.  Living by faith in Christ, set apart to God through his blood, let us willingly separate from this evil world.  Sin, sinners, nor death, will not suffer us to continue long here; therefore, let us go forth now by faith and seek in Christ the rest and peace which this world cannot afford us.  Let us bring our sacrifices to this altar, and to this our High Priest, and offer them up by him.  The sacrifice of praise to God, we should offer always.  In this are worship, and prayer, as well as thanksgiving.

Great Sacrifices (Hebrews 13:16-21, NRSV)

¹⁶And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
¹⁷Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
¹⁸Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.
¹⁹And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you the sooner.
²⁰Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,
²¹equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

We must, according to our power, give to the necessities of the souls and bodies of men: God will accept these offerings with pleasure, and will accept and bless the offerers through Christ.  The apostle then states what is their duty to living ministers; to obey and submit to them, so far as is agreeable to the mind and will of God, made known in his word.  Christians must not think themselves too wise, too good, or too great, to learn.  The people must search the Scriptures, and so far, as the ministers teach according to that rule, they ought to receive their instructions as the word of God, which works in those that believe.  It is the interest of hearers, that the account their ministers give of them may be with joy, and not with grief.  Faithful ministers deliver their own souls, but the ruin of a fruitless and faithless people will be upon their own heads.  The more earnestly the people pray for their ministers, the more benefit they may expect from their ministry.  A good conscience has respect to all God's commands, and all our duty.  Those who have this good conscience, yet need the prayers of others.  

When ministers come to a people who pray for them, they come with greater satisfaction to themselves, and success to the people.  We should seek all our mercies by prayer.  God is the God of peace, fully reconciled to believers; who has made a way for peace and reconciliation between himself and sinners, and who loves peace on earth, especially in his churches.  He is the Author of spiritual peace in the hearts and consciences of his people.  How firm a covenant is that which has its foundation in the blood of the Son of God!  The perfecting of the saints in every good work, is the great thing desired by them, and for them; and that they may at length be fitted for the employment and happiness of heaven.  There is no good thing wrought in us, but it is the work of God.  And no good thing is wrought in us by God, but through Christ, for his sake and by his Spirit.

THOUGHTS TO PONDER:

1. What is the practical way to let others see your anticipation of the eternal city to come?

2. How should your prayers for church leaders differ from prayers for civic leaders?

3. How can we know which doctrines are essential and which doctrines we can allow different views of?

4. How can we know which Christian groups or denominations to work with? Where do we draw lines of separation?

5. What is the biblical relationship between faith and good works? Why is it essential to insist on salvation by grace through faith alone, apart from works?

6. Why does the message of the cross cause offense? Should we in any way try to soften this offense? If so, how? If not, why not?

7. Why is it absolutely essential to realize that you cannot come to God by your good works?

LESSONS TO LIVE BY:

Nothing in Hebrews suggests that the old way was wrong.  As a system instituted by God, it was good.  But the old was temporary.  It foreshadowed only.  When the new that it mirrored came, reality replaced shadows.  The old priesthood faded away as a single High Priest took His stand in the heavens.  A single sacrifice replaced the endless repetition.  And the promise of perfection became a present possibility.

This is the call Hebrews makes to these believing Jews.  Recognize the superiority of Jesus.  Make Him the center of your life.  Leave the walls of the old city—the old system—and going outside it find everything you need in Jesus Christ.

The book closes with a great benediction.  May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Zoom Sunday School Classes – 31 August 2025, 09:00 AM EST
Meeting ID: 848-9423-0612
Pass Code: 669872
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84894230612?pwd=Zk1ESitzbGZwTlJyV21UZXY5aTVPZz09

Living Stones in a Spiritual Temple
Printed Text:  1 Peter 2:1-12
Devotional Reading: Galatians 3:23-29
Background: 1 Peter 2:1-17

LESSON AIM:

UNDERSTAND the importance of putting away every form of evil and defilement and

COMMIT to developing a lifestyle that acknowledges God's holiness and

DEMONSTRATE God’s love.

KEEP IN MIND

"Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles; that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12).

LESSON COMMENTARY:

Chosen for Priesthood (1 Peter 2:1-8, NIV)

¹Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
²Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
³now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
⁴As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--
⁵you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
⁶For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
⁷Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,
⁸and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for.

Evil-speaking is a sign of malice and guile in the heart; and hinders our profiting by the word of God.  A new life needs suitable food. Infants desire milk and make the best endeavors for it which they are able to do; such must be a Christian's desires after the word of God.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is very merciful to us miserable sinners; and he has a fulness of grace.  But even the best of God's servants, in this life, have only a taste of the consolations of God.  Christ is called a Stone, to teach his servants that he is their protection and security, the foundation on which they are built.  He is precious in the excellence of his nature, the dignity of his office, and the glory of his services.  All true believers are a holy priesthood; sacred to God, serviceable to others, endowed with heavenly gifts and graces.

Christians are urged to demonstrate their love for God by loving their fellow man.  This love cannot be fully manifested if we hold on to malice or anger toward our brother.  Peter tells believers to "lay aside," or put away, all wickedness, deceit, and "evil speaking" toward one another and to desire instead the Word of God.  Just as the infant needs milk to grow, the Christian can only grow by feeding on the Word of God.

Peter then turns his attention to the believers who were suffering persecution and living in constant fear for their lives.  He now assures them that they are not alone but are a part of a vital Christian community bonded by love.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have been selected by God Himself as living stones and "are built up a spiritual house."  Peter uses the images of stone to teach a lesson that he learned from Jesus.  When Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was, it was Peter alone who understood and responded, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).  Jesus declared, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:18).  The understanding that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God is the foundation of the Christian church.  Jesus is the chief cornerstone, and those who believe in Him have been selected to become the building blocks of the church (Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:20-22).  Peter, whose name means "stone," clearly understood the importance of this calling.

Not only have the Christians been selected as stones to the building but they also have been selected as priests.  The reference to a priesthood would have been especially significant to the Jewish-born Christians.  They were aware that entrance into the Jewish priesthood meant one had to be a member of a certain tribe.  In contrast, belief in Jesus Christ entitles all believers to become priests by giving them the right to go directly to God and present their own "spiritual sacrifices."  For the Christian, these sacrifices are living sacrifices of obedience and practical ministry to those in need, while giving praise and thanksgiving to God.

Chosen to Proclaim God's Might (1 Peter 2:9-10, NIV)

⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Peter offers an extensive description of the special calling or election of the Christians (verse 9).  Their election as a "chosen generation" points to their belonging, not to Israel, but to God who made Israel.  Again, the designation of "royal priesthood" means that each believer can approach God directly, a function previously designated only to priests.  The designation as a "holy nation" serves to distinguish Christians from their secular nations.  The sovereign to whom Christians owe their allegiance is the one true holy God. Believers have been consecrated or set apart for God's service.  We are to glorify Him by proclaiming His mighty works, preaching salvation to the unsaved, and testifying of our deliverance from darkness (death) into light (eternal life).  The reference to the Christians as a "peculiar" people indicates that Christians are a special possession of God.  We were His at Creation, separated from Him in Eden, and redeemed for Him on Calvary.

Righteous Conduct Before Men (1 Peter 2:11-12)

¹¹Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
¹²Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

In these verses, Peter emphasizes that the Christian's daily life must demonstrate his relationship with Christ.  Christians must conduct their lives in a manner that honors Christ as their Redeemer.  As we were reminded in last week's lesson, earth is not our final home; we are merely sojourners, temporarily residing here.  Therefore, Peter urges the believers to abstain from "fleshly lusts."  We must be careful to acknowledge that there is a constant war raging within each of us.  While we are striving to serve and please God, our sinful flesh (which was, after all, conceived in sin) continues to war against the righteousness of God's Holy Spirit.  The uncontrolled desires of the flesh induce us to commit acts that are displeasing to God.  The only way believers are able to defeat the sinful lusts is by allowing God's Spirit to operate freely in our lives.

Peter insists that the life of the believer should be so exemplary that even "evildoers" or non-believers will have no choice but to admire and respect the Christian lifestyle.  This emphasis on living righteously before nonbelievers is, perhaps, better understood when we consider that the first-century Christians were often accused of immorality, civil disobedience, and disloyalty to the government.  These charges were refuted by the lives led by the Christians.  It has often been said that Christianity lived touches more lives than Christianity preached.  Are we living the type of lives that can refute claims of immorality?

THOUGHTS TO PONDER:

1. What is the connection between discipline and holy living?

2. Why is it important that Christians recognize we are only sojourners of this earth?

3. What are some of the excuses Christians use for not living holy lives?

4. Discuss the significance of the word "priesthood" to modern Christians.

5. Discuss some of the specific ways Christians can "shew forth" our praises to God.

LESSONS TO LIVE BY:

Arguably, Christians have always stood out from the crowd.  This is natural, since we are designated as God's peculiar or specially selected people.  However, standing out, going against the grain, or being different is something that many Christians find difficult.  We want to fit in and belong to the crowd.  Today's lesson challenges us to weigh the cost of our unwillingness to lead lives that are visibly different from those of our friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers.  True holiness is not a sect or a denomination of Christianity.  Rather, it is a moral imperative.

Consider your own life and lifestyle in the Light of God's truth.  Does the way you converse, dress, what you watch on television, or listen to on the radio reflect your status as a "royal priesthood"?

Sources:

Achtemeier, Paul J. Harper's Bible Dictionary. 1st ed. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985.

Allen, David, L., New American Commentary 35, Hebrews: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2010.

Biblical Studies Press: The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2006.

Brown, Raymond E., S. S., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S. J.; Roland E. Murphy, O Carm. The Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.

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Michaels, J. Ramsey, Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 49, 1 Peter. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988.

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Schreiner, Thomas, New American Commentary 37, 1, 2 Peter: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003.

Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Hrsg.): The Pulpit Commentary: 1 Corinthians. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004

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Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Hrsg.): The Pulpit Commentary: Ephesians. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004

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