From the Scroll

Sabbath School Lesson 8
May 16-22

Weekly Title
HAVING FAITH

Tuesday, May 19
FAITH IS NOT A FEELING

Jesus said that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you’ll move mountains (Matt. 17:20). If you’ve ever seen a mustard seed, you know how tiny it is. Yet having faith this small can effect such huge change. Faith must, therefore, be very important and must also be powerful and strong enough to do something superhuman. However, just as a mustard seed can grow into a large tree (Matt. 13:31-32), our faith should grow and not remain static.

Indeed, we need a measure of faith in order to have a relationship with God in the first place (see Rom. 12:3).

What does Ephesians 2:8 tell us about the role of faith in being saved? Why can’t a person justly say, “I don’t have faith because God hasn’t given me any”?

We must first understand that faith is not a material thing; it’s a human response prompted by the Holy Spirit. God is the gracious initiator, who, through the Holy Spirit, draws us to Himself when we allow Him to do so (Jer. 31:3). We’re saved by grace, through faith, which is a response to God’s grace given to us through Jesus’ death. We are saved because we believe in God as a result of His grace. This lies at the heart of having a relationship with Him.

Next, we must remember that faith is not a feeling. “Many do not exercise that faith which it is their privilege and duty to exercise, often waiting for that feeling which faith alone can bring. Feeling is not faith…. Faith is ours to exercise, but joyful feeling and the blessing are God’s to give.”--Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 72.

Some people might feel as though they don’t have faith because they don’t feel close to God or are not what they should be as a Christian. But faith is about believing and trusting God, not only in the good times but in darkness or in a storm, or even when you can’t fully understand what is going on in your life.

Feelings should never dominate our religious experience or our relationship with God. It’s precisely when we think we’re distant from God that we need to exercise our faith and call on Him (as did the father in Mark 9:24).

Look up the following Bible verses and claim them as an act of faith to strengthen your relationship with God today: Heb. 12:1-2; 2 Chron. 15:7; Rom. 3:23-26; Luke 7:50. Speak them out loud as part of your prayer to God.

Sabbath School Lesson 8
May 16-22

Weekly Title
HAVING FAITH

Monday, May 18 (Summary)

JESUS SEES OUR FAITH

👉 Jesus sees the true condition of our faith—not just our outward profession. Some had little faith and doubted (Mark 4:40), while others, like the Canaanite woman and the centurion, showed strong trust in Jesus despite difficult circumstances.

👉 Faith grows when we bring our doubts honestly to God. The father in Mark 9:24 cried, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” showing that real faith can exist even while struggling with doubt.

👉 God invites us to use both reason and faith. He gives evidence for belief through His Word, character, and works, but there comes a point where we must trust Him even when we do not fully understand everything.

30 Biblical Truths Proving Sunday Was Never Declared God’s Sacred Day

1. The Bible never says Sunday is the new Sabbath.
The seventh day alone is blessed and sanctified by God. — Genesis 2:2-3

2. God specifically blessed the seventh day, not the first day.
No verse transfers that blessing to Sunday. — Genesis 2:3

3. The Fourth Commandment identifies the Sabbath as the seventh day.
It does not mention Sunday as holy. — Exodus 20:8-11

4. Jesus kept the Sabbath regularly.
Christ worshiped on the Sabbath “as His custom was.” — Luke 4:16

5. Jesus said He was Lord of the Sabbath, not Lord of Sunday.
The Sabbath remained important during His ministry. — Mark 2:27-28

6. Jesus taught that the Sabbath was made for mankind.
He did not limit it only to Jews. — Mark 2:27

7. Jesus never commanded anyone to keep Sunday holy.
No such instruction appears in the Gospels. — Matthew 5:17-19

8. Christ expected the Sabbath to still matter after His resurrection.
He told disciples to pray their flight would not be on the Sabbath. — Matthew 24:20

9. The women rested on the Sabbath even after Jesus died.
This was after the crucifixion, showing continued observance. — Luke 23:54-56

10. Jesus rose on the first day, but the Bible never calls it holy.
The resurrection does not contain a command to sanctify Sunday. — Matthew 28:1-6

11. The Bible never uses the phrase “Sunday Sabbath.”
The sacred day consistently remains the seventh day. — Exodus 20:10

12. The apostles continued worshiping on the Sabbath after Jesus’ resurrection.
Paul preached repeatedly on Sabbath days. — Acts 13:14, 42-44

13. Gentiles also gathered on the Sabbath to hear the Word.
The apostles did not direct them to Sunday instead. — Acts 13:42

14. Paul preached on many Sabbaths, not merely as evangelism to Jews.
Both Jews and Gentiles assembled then. — Acts 17:2

15. In Corinth, Paul reasoned every Sabbath for a year and a half.
The Bible records regular Sabbath worship. — Acts 18:4, 11

16. There is no Bible verse saying the Sabbath commandment was abolished.
God’s law is described as enduring and holy. — Romans 7:12

17. The Ten Commandments were written by God Himself.
The Sabbath command is part of that moral law. — Exodus 31:18

18. The apostles never issued a command to honor Sunday as sacred.
No council or epistle establishes Sunday holiness. — Acts 15:28-29

19. The first-day gatherings in the New Testament do not declare Sunday holy.
Acts 20 describes a meeting, not a new Sabbath command. — Acts 20:7

20. Breaking bread on the first day was not unique to Sunday worship.
Believers broke bread daily. — Acts 2:46

21. 1 Corinthians 16:2 speaks about setting aside offerings privately.
It does not call Sunday a sacred worship day. — 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

22. The phrase “Lord’s Day” in Revelation is never defined as Sunday.
Jesus identified the Sabbath as His day. — Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28

23. God said His Sabbath is a perpetual sign.
Scripture never says the sign changed to Sunday. — Exodus 31:16-17

24. Isaiah prophesies Sabbath worship even in the new earth.
The Bible points forward to continued Sabbath observance. — Isaiah 66:22-23

25. The Bible warns against changing God’s commandments by human tradition.
Jesus rebuked worship based on man-made doctrines. — Mark 7:7-9

26. Daniel foretold a power that would “think to change times and laws.”
Many connect this with attempts to alter God’s Sabbath. — Daniel 7:25

27. The New Testament defines sin as transgression of God’s law.
The Sabbath commandment remains part of that law. — 1 John 3:4

28. Hebrews says there remains a “Sabbath rest” for God’s people.
The Greek word used is “sabbatismos,” meaning Sabbath-keeping. — Hebrews 4:9

29. Nowhere does Scripture record God blessing, sanctifying, or hallowing Sunday.
Only the seventh day receives that designation. — Genesis 2:3

30. Biblical authority for a sacred day rests on God’s command, not tradition.
The Bible repeatedly upholds the seventh-day Sabbath. — Ecclesiastes 12:13; Exodus 20:8-11