Prayer of Thanksgiving: Give thanks to God for His sovereign rule over all of creation and for the blessings of children.

Prayer of Supplication: Pray for those in our congregation who cannot attend to worship services due to illness or infirmities and for God to intercede in all the evil deeds that fallen people do.

Bible reading and commentary:

Read: 1 Corinthians 8

In Chapters 8-10 of 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses a second topic from the Corinthians’ letter: food offered to idols, some of which was sold in public markets (10:25), and some of which was eaten in feasts at pagan temples (8:10; 10:20). Believers in different times, places, and cultures may not share the Corinthians’ precise concerns. But the principles of the text are unchanging: in everyday matters where Christian faith intersects with non-Christian culture, the gospel transforms us to pursue the glory of God (8:3; 10:31) and the good of our neighbor (8:1; 10:24) by laying aside our personal freedoms.

For the believer, it should be unthinkable to “sin against Christ” or against our brothers “for whom Christ died” (8:11-12). Rather love for Christ will lead us to cherish those he cherishes. As a result, we will take care to avoid doing anything that would interrupt the progress of other brothers toward maturity in Christ (“stumbling block/stumble”; vv 9, 13). Instead, we will gladly give up our rights out of love for our brothers (v 13) – even those who seem to us less mature (“the weak”). Like the Corinthians, we often ask, “What am I free to do?” But as believers in Christ, we are able to ask a different question: “What am I free to give up for the good of others?” Similarly, when we know spiritual truth as we ought, we will use it not to justify doing what we please, but to “build up” other people (vv 1-2).

Only by the transforming power of the gospel can the good of our neighbor come to mean more to us than our own rights and privileges. For in the gospel, Jesus himself gave up his own rights and privileges for our sake.

Jacques D’Etaples (a French theologian, was a precursor of the Protestant movement in France) on 1 Cor. 8:8 - One might say that the exploits and works of human beings are neither meritorious nor unmeritorious. We speak according to Paul, who attributes all things to the grace of God. It is almost wicked to speak about the merit of human works, especially in relation to God. For, strictly speaking, merit does not appear to require grace, but obligation; and merit is derived from human works. This way of thinking is very similar to those who believe we can be justified by works, an error for which the Jews are especially condemned. Therefore let us be silent about the merit of our works, because they are insignificant, or rather, of no account. Instead, let us exalt the grace of God, which is everything. People who defend human merit are concerned about human things. People who defend grace are concerned with God. O how much more beautiful is concern for God than people.

John Calvin on 1 Cor. 8:8 – Paul is not speaking about well-filled stomachs, for the person who has eaten a meal has a fuller stomach than a person who is fasting. But Paul means by this that we neither gain nor lose righteousness by eating or abstaining from food. Moreover, he is not speaking about every kind of abstinence or every kind of eating. For overindulgence and extravagance for their own sake are displeasing to God, while sobriety and moderation are pleasing to him. But let us understand that the kingdom of God, which is spiritual, does not consist in the external practices, and therefore these neutral things are in themselves of no importance to God.