Lawsuits Against Believers
6 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will mjudge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 nI say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. oWhy not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!1
9 pOr do you not know that the unrighteous2 will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the qsexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,3 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And rsuch were some of you. But you were swashed, you were tsanctified, you were ujustified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Flee Sexual Immorality
12 v“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 w“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And xGod raised the Lord and will also yraise us up zby his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are amembers of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined4 to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, b“The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes cone spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin5 a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that dyour body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? eYou are not your own, 20 for you were fbought with a price. So gglorify God in your body.
Principles for Marriage
7 hNow concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because of the temptation to isexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her jconjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 kDo not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6 Now las a concession, not a command, I say this.1 7 mI wish that all were nas I myself am. But oeach has his own gift from God, pone of one kind and one of another.
8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 qBut if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10 To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not rseparate from her husband 11 (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.
12 To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. 13 If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is smade holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, tthey are holy. 15 But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you2 to upeace. 16 For how do you know, wife, vwhether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
Live as You Are Called
17 Only let each person lead the life3 that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule win all the churches. 18 xWas anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. 19 For yneither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but zkeeping the commandments of God. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 21 Were you a bondservant4 when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant ais a bfreedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a cbondservant of Christ. 23 You were dbought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 24 So, brothers,5 in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
The Unmarried and the Widowed
25 Now concerning6 the betrothed,7 I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who eby the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 I think that in view of the present8 distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman9 marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. 29 This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For fthe present form of this world is passing away.
32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The gunmarried man is hanxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or ibetrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be jholy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
36 If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed,10 if his11 passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin. 37 But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no knecessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well. 38 So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better.
39 lA wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, monly in the Lord. 40 Yet nin my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
Food Offered to Idols
8 oNow concerning1 pfood offered to qidols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” rpuffs up, but love sbuilds up. 2 tIf anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is uknown by God.2
4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that v“an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but wone.” 5 For although there may be xso-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, yfrom whom are all things and for whom we exist, and zone Lord, Jesus Christ, athrough whom are all things and through whom we exist.
7 bHowever, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being cweak, is defiled. 8 dFood will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But etake care that this right of yours does not somehow become a fstumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating3 in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged,4 if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 gAnd so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers5 and wounding their conscience when it is weak, hyou sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Paul Surrenders His Rights
9 Am I not free? Am I not an iapostle? jHave I not seen Jesus our Lord? kAre not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you lare the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 This is my mdefense to those who would examine me. 4 nDo we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 oDo we not have the right to take along a pbelieving wife,1 as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and qCephas? 6 Or is it only rBarnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? sWho plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?
8 Do I say these things ton human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, u“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak vfor our sake? It was written for our sake, because wthe plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 xIf we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, ywe have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an zobstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
13 Do you not know that athose who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, bthe Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
15 But cI have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my dground for boasting. 16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. eFor necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still fentrusted with a gstewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel hfree of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a iservant to all, that I might jwin more of them. 20 kTo the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those lunder the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one moutside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the nlaw of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the oweak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become pall things to all people, that by all means I might qsave some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the rprize? So srun that you may obtain it. 25 Every tathlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable uwreath, but we an vimperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control,2 lest after preaching to others I myself should be wdisqualified.
Warning Against Idolatry
10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,1 that our fathers were all under the xcloud, and yall passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and zall ate the same spiritual food, 4 and aall drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for bthey were overthrown2 in the wilderness.
6 Now these things took place as examples cfor us, that we might not desire evil das they did. 7 Do not be idolaters eas some of them were; as it is written, f“The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality gas some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not hput Christ3 to the test, ias some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 jnor kgrumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the lDestroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore mlet anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 nThe cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? oThe bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, pwe who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel:4 are not those who qeat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or rthat an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice sthey offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 tYou cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we uprovoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
Do All to the Glory of God
23 v“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 wLet no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 xEat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For y“the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the zunbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, aeat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 bBut if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that cfor which I give thanks?
31 So, whether you deat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 eGive no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to fplease geveryone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
