Bible in 90 Days

Chapter 15

Patience and Self-Denial. ¹ Those of us who are strong must resolve to put up with the failings of the weak and not please ourselves. ² Each of us must consider his neighbor’s good for the purpose of building him up. ³ Even Christ never sought to please himself, but, as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen upon me.” ⁴ For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that by perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we may continue to have hope.

⁵ May the God of perseverance and encouragement grant that you may live in harmony with one another, following in the example of Jesus Christ, ⁶ so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s Fidelity and Mercy.^{[a] 7} Therefore, accept one another for the glory of God, just as Christ has accepted you. ⁸ For I tell you that Christ became a servant of the circumcised to manifest God’s truthfulness by confirming the promises given to the patriarchs ⁹ and so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:

¹⁰ And again it says:

¹¹ Further it adds:

¹² And again Isaiah asserts:

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may grow rich in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Epilogue^[d]

¹⁴ Apostle to the Gentiles.^[e] Brethren, I myself am convinced that you yourselves are immersed in goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. ¹⁵ Nevertheless, I have written to you rather boldly to refresh your memory in some respects because of the grace given to me by God. ¹⁶ He has appointed me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, in order that the Gentiles might become an acceptable offering consecrated by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁷ In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to glory in my service of God. ¹⁸ I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to lead the Gentiles to obedience to God by word and deed, ¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God.

So from Jerusalem^[f] and the surrounding area, even as far as Illyricum, I have completed the preaching of the gospel of Christ. ²⁰ Moreover, I have always striven to preach the gospel of Christ where the name of Christ is not known, not wanting to build on someone else’s foundation. ²¹ Rather, as it is written:

²² Paul’s Plans for Traveling—Even to Spain.^[g] That is why I have so often been prevented from coming to you. ²³ But now, since there is nothing more to keep me in these regions, and since for a good many years I have desired to visit you, ²⁴ I hope to see you when I am on my way to Spain. Then, after I have enjoyed your company for a while, you can send me on my way there.

²⁵ Presently, however, I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. ²⁶ For Macedonia and Achaia^[h] have resolved to make a contribution for the benefit of the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. ²⁷ They were pleased to do so, and indeed they are indebted to them, for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they owe it to them to share their material blessings with them.

²⁸ Therefore, when I have completed this task and have delivered the fruit of their generosity to them, I will set out for Spain and visit you along the way. ²⁹ And I am sure that when I come, I shall do so with the full measure of the blessing of Christ.

³⁰ Therefore, I exhort you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my labors by praying to God for me ³¹ that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there. ³² In that way, I can come to you in joy, if God so wills, and be refreshed together with you. ³³ The God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Chapter 16

Recommendation of Phoebe.^{[i] 1} I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deaconess^[j] of the Church at Cenchreae. ² Welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and help her with whatever she may need from you, for she has been a benefactor of many people, including myself.

List of Greetings. ³ Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. ⁴ They risked their lives for me, and I as well as all the Churches of the Gentiles am grateful to them. ⁵ Greet also the Church that assembles in their house.

Give my greetings to my beloved friend Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. ⁶ Greet Mary, who has worked extremely hard for you. ⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia,^[k] my relatives who were in prison with me; they are eminent in the ranks of the apostles and were in Christ before I was.

⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. ⁹ Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. ¹⁰ Greet Apelles,^[l] who has proved worthy in the service of Christ, and those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.^[m]

¹¹ Greetings to my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the household of Narcissus.^{[n] 12} Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa^[o] who labor diligently in the Lord’s service. Greet my dear friend Persis, who also works hard for the Lord. ¹³ Give my greetings to Rufus,^[p] one chosen by the Lord, as well as to his mother who has also been a mother to me.

¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brethren who are with them. ¹⁵ Greetings to Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, as well as all the saints who are with them. ¹⁶ Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Churches of Christ send you their greetings.

¹⁷ Beware of Dissenters. I urge you, brethren, to watch out for those who incite dissensions and obstacles in opposition to the teaching that you have learned. Take care to avoid them. ¹⁸ For such people are not servants of our Lord Jesus Christ but of their own appetites, and by smooth words and flattery they deceive the minds of the simple. ¹⁹ Your obedience has become known to all and has caused me to rejoice greatly over you. However, I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil; ²⁰ then the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

²¹ Greetings from Paul’s Companions at Corinth. Timothy, my coworker, sends greetings to you, as do Lucius and Jason^[q] and Sosipater, my kinsmen. ²² I, Tertius, who am writing down this letter, greet you in the Lord. ²³ Greetings also from Gaius,^[r] my host and the host to the whole Church, and from Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus. [ ²⁴ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.]^[s]

Glory to God through Jesus Christ^[t]

Greetings and Thanksgiving

Chapter 1

Address to a Church.^{[u] 1} Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and Sosthenes^[v] our brother, ² to the Church of God in Corinth,^[w] to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord as well as ours. ³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I continually give thanks to my God for you because of his grace that has been granted to you in Christ Jesus. ⁵ For through him you have been enriched in every way in all facets of speech and knowledge, ⁶ as our testimony about Christ has been confirmed in you.

⁷ Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸ He will keep you steadfast until the very end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, and it is by him that you have been called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Divisions in the Church of Corinth^[x]

¹⁰ The Existence of Factions. Brethren, I exhort you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to be in full agreement with one another and not permit any divisions to arise among you. Be perfectly united in mind and purpose. ¹¹ For I have heard reports from Chloe’s people, brethren, that there are quarrels among you.^[y]

¹² What I mean is that each of you is asserting, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,”^[z] or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” ¹³ Has Christ now been divided? Did Paul die on the cross for you? Was it in Paul’s name that you were baptized?

¹⁴ I am thankful that I never baptized any of you, aside from Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. ( ¹⁶ I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Aside from those I do not know if I baptized anyone else.)

¹⁷ The Message of the Cross and Human Wisdom.^[aa] For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel—and to do so without words of human wisdom lest the cross of Christ be devoid of its meaning. ¹⁸ Indeed, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written,

²⁰ Where now are the wise ones? Where are the men of learning? Where are the debaters of this present age? Has God not shown the wisdom of the world to be foolish? ²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world was unable to come to know him through wisdom, he chose, through the folly of preaching, to save those who have faith.

²² Jews demand signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we proclaim Christ crucified. This is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles;^{[ac] 24} but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ God Has Chosen Those Who Count for Nothing. Consider, brethren, your calling. Not many of you were wise by human standards,^[ad] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ Rather, God chose those who were regarded as foolish by the world to shame the wise; God chose those in the world who were weak to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose those in the world who were lowly and despised, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who were regarded as worthy, ^29 [ae]so that no one could boast in the presence of God.

³⁰ It is through him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom of God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written, “If anyone wishes to boast, let him boast in the Lord.”

Chapter 2

Jesus Christ—and Him Crucified. ¹ When I came to you, brethren, I did not proclaim to you the mystery of God^[af] with words of eloquence or wisdom. ² For I resolved that, while I was with you, I would know nothing except Jesus Christ—and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in great trepidation. ⁴ My message and my proclamation were not made with persuasive words of wisdom, but in a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,^{[ag] 5} so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

The Mysterious Wisdom of God

The Plan of God, True Wisdom. ⁶ However, to those who are mature, we do speak of wisdom, although not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age^[ah] whose end is not far distant. ⁷ Rather, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. ⁸ None of the rulers of this age comprehended it. If they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.^{[ai] 9} For as it is written,

¹⁰ The Spirit Enables Faith To Mature. However, God has revealed these things to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit explores everything, even the depths of God. ¹¹ And just as no human being comprehends any person’s innermost being except the person’s own spirit within him, so also no one comprehends what pertains to God except the Spirit of God.

¹² We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed upon us by God. ¹³ And we speak of these things in words taught to us not by human wisdom but by the Spirit, expressing spiritual things in spiritual words.^[aj]

¹⁴ An unspiritual person refuses to accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him such things are foolish. He is unable to understand them because they can be discerned only in a spiritual way. ¹⁵ A spiritual person^[ak] discerns all things, and he is himself subject to no one else’s judgment:

But we possess the mind of Christ.

Chapter 3

You Are Still Infants in Christ. ¹ Brethren, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as worldly, as infants in Christ. ² I fed you with milk, rather than with solid food that you were not ready to digest. Indeed, even now you are still not ready to receive it, ³ for you are still of the flesh.

As long as jealousy and rivalry continue among you, are you not of the flesh and acting as mere mortals? ⁴ Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another asserts, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting in a merely human fashion?

Missionaries and Servants of Christ^[al]

God’s Coworkers. ⁵ What then is Apollos? What is Paul? We are only servants through whom you have come to believe, as the Lord assigned each to accomplish. ⁶ I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but God caused it to grow.

⁷ Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is of any importance but only God who causes the growth. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have a common end, and each will be rewarded in accordance with his labor. ⁹ For we are God’s coworkers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

¹⁰ By the grace that God has given to me, I laid a foundation like a skilled master builder, and someone else is building on that foundation. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has already been laid, namely, Jesus Christ.

¹² Now if anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, and precious stones, or with wood, hay, and straw, ¹³ the work of each person will come to light. For the Day^[am] will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the worth of each person’s work ¹⁴ If what has been built survives, the builder will be rewarded. ¹⁵ If it burns down, that person will suffer loss. The person will be saved, though only by passing through fire.^[an]

¹⁶ You Belong to Christ. Do you not realize that you are God’s temple, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple.

¹⁸ Let no one delude himself. If anyone among you considers himself to be wise by worldly standards, he must become a fool in order to be truly wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. It is written,

²⁰ and again,

²¹ And so, let no one boast about human beings. For everything belongs to you, ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, the world or life or death, the present or the future. All belong to you, ²³ and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Chapter 4

Do Not Judge before the Appointed Time. ¹ People should regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Now it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. ³ It is of no importance to me if I am to be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself.

⁴ I personally have nothing on my conscience, but that does not mean that I am innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore, do not pronounce judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will disclose the motives of all hearts. Then each one will receive the proper praise from God.

Fools for Christ. ⁶ Brethren, I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what has been written.”^[ao] None of you should become inflated with pride against anyone else. ⁷ Who made you so important? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you have received it, why do you boast as though you had not received it?

⁸ You already have everything! You have already become rich! You have become kings without our help! How I wish that you truly reigned so that we might reign with you!^[ap]

⁹ It seems to me that God has designated us apostles as the last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. ¹⁰ We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we are in disrepute.

¹¹ To this very hour, we endure hunger and thirst. We are poorly clad and beaten and homeless, ¹² and we exhaust ourselves working with our hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we suffer persecution, we endure it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we respond gently. We are regarded as the rubbish of the world, the dregs of humanity, to this very day.

¹⁴ The Authority of a Father in Christ. I am writing all this not to make you ashamed but to admonish you as my beloved children. ¹⁵ Even though you have ten thousand tutors in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

¹⁶ I appeal to you then to be imitators of me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every Church.

¹⁸ Some of you have become arrogant, on the assumption that I am not coming to you. ¹⁹ However, I will come to you soon, if it is the Lord’s will, and then I will ascertain the actual power of these arrogant people as opposed to their words. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God^[aq] is not a matter of words but of power. ²¹ What would you prefer? Am I to come to you with a whip or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

Deviant Behavior^[ar]

Chapter 5

Reports of Sexual Immorality. ¹ There have been widely circulated reports of sexual immorality among you, immorality of such a nature that not even pagans practice—the union of a man with his father’s wife. ² How can you be proud of yourselves? You should rather have been overcome with grief and expelled from the community anyone who acted in such a manner.

³ I for my part am with you in spirit, even though I am not physically present. I have already passed judgment on the man who did this, as if I were actually present. ⁴ In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you have all assembled together and I am with you in spirit through the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ you are to hand over this man to Satan to be destroyed in the flesh, so that on the day of the Lord his spirit may be saved.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a small amount of yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? ^7 [as]Throw out the old yeast so that you may become a fresh batch of unleavened dough. And truly you already are, because Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of depravity and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ In my letter, I wrote to you not to associate with people who are leading immoral lives.^{[at] 10} Obviously, I was not referring to contact with people in the world who are immoral or with those who are greedy or thieves or worshipers of false gods, since to do this you would have to leave the world. ¹¹ What I really meant to get across was that you should not associate with any brother or sister who is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard or a robber. You should not even eat with such a person.

¹² It is no concern of mine to judge those who are outside the fold.^[au] It is your responsibility to judge those who are inside. ¹³ God will pass judgment on the outsiders. Banish the evil person from your midst.

Chapter 6

Avoid Lawsuits against Each Other.^{[av] 1} If any of you has a dispute with another, how can you seek judgment before those who are unrighteous^[aw] instead of before the saints? ² Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, how can you consider yourselves as incompetent to deal with smaller cases? ³ Do you not realize that we are to judge angels?^[ax] Why then should we not deal with matters of this life?

⁴ Therefore, if you have such matters to resolve, how can you seek judgment from those who have no standing in the Church? ⁵ I write this to make you ashamed. Is it really possible that there is no one among you who is wise enough to mediate a dispute between brethren? ⁶ Why should a brother go to court against another brother, seeking a decision from unbelievers?

⁷ In truth, the very fact that you engage in lawsuits with one another is a misfortune for you. Why not prefer to be wronged? Why not prefer to be defrauded? ⁸ Instead, you yourself are guilty of wronging and defrauding your own brethren.

⁹ Are you not aware that wrongdoers will never inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites,^{[ay] 10} thieves, extortioners, drunkards, slanderers, swindlers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ Some of you were once such as these. However, now you have been washed clean, you have been sanctified, you have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

¹² All Things Are Lawful for Me!^[az]“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not allow myself to be dominated by anything. ¹³ “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach is meant for food,” but God will destroy them both. However, the body is not meant for immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ God raised up the Lord, and he will raise us up also by his power.

¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I then take Christ’s members and make them members of a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Do you not know that anyone who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But anyone who joins himself to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.^[ba]

¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality! Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the fornicator sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have received from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ You have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.

Marriage and Celibacy among Christians^[bb]

Chapter 7

Christian Marriage.^{[bc] 1} Now I will move on to the matters about which you wrote. Yes, it is a good thing for a man to refrain from touching a woman. ² However, to avoid the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. ³ A husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise a wife should fulfill her conjugal obligations to her husband. ⁴ For a wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, a husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.

⁵ Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by mutual consent for a specified time so as to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you by taking advantage of your lack of self-control. ⁶ I suggest this not as a command but by way of concession. ⁷ I wish that all of you would be as I myself am. However, each person has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.

⁸ To the unmarried and to widows, I say that it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do. ⁹ However, if they are unable to exercise self-control, they should marry, for it is better to be married than to burn with passion.

¹⁰ To those who are married, I give this command, which is not mine but the Lord’s: a wife should not separate from her husband— ¹¹ and if she does separate, she must either remain unmarried or become reconciled to her husband—and a husband should not divorce his wife.

¹² Living at Peace with an Unbelieving Spouse.^[bd] To the rest, I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she is willing to remain with him, he should not divorce her. ¹³ And if any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he is willing to remain with her, she should not divorce him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, whereas in fact they are holy.

¹⁵ However, if the unbelieving partner chooses to separate, let that person go. The brother or sister is no longer bound in this case. God has called you to live in peace. ¹⁶ As a wife, how can you be certain that you will save your husband? As a husband, how can you be certain that you will save your wife?

¹⁷ Living Where Christ Calls Us. Everyone should accept the role in life assigned to each one by the Lord, continuing as he was when the Lord called him. This is the rule that I give to all the Churches. ¹⁸ Was a man called after he had been circumcised? Then he must remain circumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should remain uncircumcised. ¹⁹ To be circumcised is of no importance, and to be uncircumcised is of no importance. What matters is keeping God’s commandments. ²⁰ Everyone should remain as he was when he was called.

²¹ Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let that concern you. But if you have an opportunity to gain your freedom, take it. ²² For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord, just as whoever was free when he was called is a slave of Christ. ²³ You were purchased at a price. Do not become slaves of men. ²⁴ Therefore, brethren, everyone should remain before God in the condition in which he was called.

²⁵ Virginity—Total Consecration to Christ.^[be] In regard to virgins, I have received no instructions from the Lord, but let me offer my own opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy can be considered trustworthy. ²⁶ I think that in this time of stress, a man should remain in his current state. ²⁷ Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife. ²⁸ However, if you do marry, you do not sin, nor does a virgin sin if she marries. But those who marry will experience hardships in this life,^[bf] and from these I would like to spare you.

²⁹ What I am saying, brethren, is that our time is short. From now on, those who have wives should 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 nothing, ³¹ and those who make use of the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the world as we know it is passing away.

³² It is my wish that you be free of all anxieties. An unmarried man devotes himself to the Lord’s affairs and is concerned as to how he can please the Lord. ³³ However, a man who is married devotes himself to worldly matters and is concerned about how he can please his wife, ³⁴ and his interests are divided. In the same way, an unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the affairs of the Lord and strives to be holy in both body and spirit, whereas the married woman is concerned about worldly matters and how she may please her husband.

³⁵ I am speaking about this for your own good. I have no intention to impose any restraint upon you, but I wish you to be guided by a sense of propriety, to devote yourself to the Lord free from distraction.

³⁶ Freedom To Marry.^[bg] If a man feels that he is behaving improperly toward his virgin because a critical moment has come^[bh] and it seems that something should be done, let him do what he wills. He does not sin if there is a marriage. ³⁷ However, if he stands firm in his resolve and is under no obligation and, being free to carry out his will, decides in his heart to keep his virgin, he also does well. ³⁸ Therefore, the man who gives her in marriage does well, and the one who does not give her in marriage does better.

³⁹ A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But should the husband die, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only let it be in the Lord. ⁴⁰ However, in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is, and I believe that I too have the Spirit of God.

Christians and Pagan Customs^[bi]

The Question of Meat Sacrificed to Idols

Chapter 8

An Idol Is Not Nothing. ¹ Now concerning the question of meat that has been sacrificed to idols, we are well aware that all of us possess knowledge. However, while knowledge puffs up, love builds up. ² Anyone who believes that his knowledge about something is complete will soon discover that his knowledge is flawed, ³ but anyone who loves God is known by him.

⁴ Now in regard to the eating of meat sacrificed to idols, we know that idols are nothing in the world and that there is only one God. ⁵ Indeed, even though there are so-called gods in heaven and on earth—and there are in fact many gods and many lords— ⁶ for us there is

Do Not Cause a Brother To Fall. ⁷ However, not everyone possesses this knowledge. There are some who have become so accustomed to idolatry up until now that when they consume meat that has been sacrificed to an idol, their conscience in its weakness is defiled.

⁸ Obviously, food cannot bring us closer to God. We do not lack anything if we do not eat, and we have no advantage if we do. ⁹ Just take care that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ If someone who regards you as knowledgeable observes you eating in an idol’s temple, will he not, burdened by a weak conscience, be influenced to eat food that has been sacrificed to idols?

¹¹ Therefore, through your knowledge, this weak believer is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died. ¹² And when you sin against your brethren and wound their weak consciences, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Hence, if food can lead my brother to sin, I will never again eat meat lest I cause the downfall of one of my brethren.

Chapter 9

The Example of Paul’s Apostolate

A Missionary’s Rights. ¹ Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? ² Although others may not regard me as an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

³ To those who seek to pass judgment on me, my defense is this. ⁴ Do we not have the right to eat and drink? ⁵ Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife like the other apostles, the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?^{[bk] 6} Are Barnabas^[bl] and I the only ones who do not have the right to refrain from working? ⁷ What soldier would ever serve in the army at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating its fruit? Or who tends a flock without consuming some of its milk?

⁸ I am not saying this based simply on human authority, for the Law says the very same thing. ⁹ In the Law of Moses it is written, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned, ¹⁰ or does he not rather say this for our sake? Without question it was written for our sake, for whoever plows should plow in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope, both in expectation of a share in the crop. ¹¹ If we have sown a spiritual crop for you, is it unreasonable for us to expect from you a material harvest? ¹² If others have this claim on you, do not we?

Despite this, we have never availed ourselves of any such right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than place an obstacle to the gospel of Christ. ¹³ Do you not know that those who perform the temple service receive their food from the temple, and that those who officiate at the altar share in the offerings? ¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the gospel should get their living from the gospel.^[bm]

¹⁵ I Have Become All Things to All. However, I have never availed myself of any of these rights, and I have not written this to influence you to grant me such treatment; I would rather die first. No one shall deprive me of this boast! ¹⁶ If I proclaim the gospel, that is no reason for me to boast, for the obligation to do so has been given to me, and woe to me if I fail to fulfill it.

¹⁷ If I proclaimed the gospel of my own volition, I would deserve a reward; but if I do not do so voluntarily, I am simply discharging the commission that has been given to me. ¹⁸ What then is my reward? It is simply that in my preaching I may offer the gospel free of charge and not make use of the rights that the gospel affords me.

¹⁹ Although I am free and belong to no man, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews, I became like a Jew in order to win the Jews. To those under the Law, I became like one under the Law—although I myself am not under the Law—in order to win over those under the Law. ²¹ To those outside the Law, I became like one outside the Law—although I am not outside the Law of God but am subject to the Law of Christ—in order to win over those outside the Law. ²² To the weak, I have become weak in order to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, so that by every possible means I might save some. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel so that I might share it with you.

Flee from Idolatry^[bn]

²⁴ Discipline Yourself So As Not To Be Disqualified. You are well aware that while all the runners in the stadium compete in the race, only one wins the prize. Run in such a way as to win the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who seeks a prize submits himself to rigorous self-discipline in every respect. They do so to win a perishable crown, while we seek an imperishable one. ²⁶ Therefore, I do not run without purpose, nor do I fight like a man beating the air. ²⁷ Rather, I discipline my body and bring it under control, for fear that after preaching to others I myself may be disqualified.

Chapter 10

The Lesson of Israel’s Past.^{[bo] 1} Brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, ² and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ All ate the same spiritual food, ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink—for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the desert.

⁶ These events occurred to offer examples for us so that we might not desire evil things as they did. ⁷ Do not become idolaters, as some of them did. It is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to engage in revelry.”

⁸ Let us not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand of them died in a single day. ⁹ Let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and they were destroyed by serpents. ¹⁰ And do not complain, as some of them did, and they were slain by the Destroyer.^{[bp] 11} All these things happened to them to serve as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us upon whom the end of the ages has come.

¹² Therefore, if you think you are standing securely, take care that you do not fall ¹³ No trial has confronted you except what a person can stand. God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tried beyond your strength. But together with the trial he will also provide a way out and the strength to bear it.

¹⁴ The Eucharist Versus Pagan Sacrifices.^[bq] Therefore, my dear friends, avoid idolatry at all costs.^{[br] 15} I am talking to you as sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel.^[bs] Are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? ¹⁹ What then am I implying? That meat sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

²⁰ No, I simply mean that pagan sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to become partners with demons. ²¹ You 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 Do we truly wish to provoke the Lord to jealous anger?^[bt] Are we stronger than he is?

²³ Concerning Idol Offerings.“All things are lawful,” you may say—but not all things are beneficial. All things may be lawful—but not all things are constructive. ²⁴ No one should seek his own advantage in preference to that of his neighbor. ²⁵ You may eat whatever meat is sold in the market without raising questions on grounds of conscience, ²⁶ for “the earth and all it contains belong to the Lord.”

²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you decide to accept, eat whatever is set before you without raising any questions on the grounds of conscience. ²⁸ However, if someone says to you, “This food was offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience— ²⁹ I mean the other person’s conscience, not your own. For why should my freedom be governed by someone else’s conscience? ³⁰ If I partake of the meal with thankfulness, why should I be criticized for eating food for which I give thanks?

³¹ Give No Offense. Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. ³² Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God, ³³ just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own good but that of the many, so that they may be saved.

Chapter 11

¹ Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Liturgical Assemblies and Their Problems^[bu]

Propriety in Worship^[bv]

The Question of Head Coverings. ² I praise you because you remember me in everything and you maintain the traditions just as I handed them down to you.

³ But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ. ⁴ Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings disgrace on his head. ⁵ And any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings disgrace upon her head, for it is just as though she had her head shaved. ⁶ Indeed, if a woman refuses to wear a veil, then she might as well have her hair cut off. If it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should wear a veil.

⁷ It is not right for a man to have his head covered, since he is the image of God and the reflection of his glory, whereas woman is the reflection of the glory of man. ⁸ For man was not made from woman, but woman was made from man. ⁹ Nor was man created for the sake of woman, but woman was created for the sake of man.

¹⁰ Therefore, a woman should have on her head a sign^[bw] of her dependence, because of the angels. ¹¹ Nevertheless, in the Lord, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹² Although woman came from man, so does every man come from a woman, and all things come from God.

¹³ The Question of Long Hair. Judge for yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? ¹⁴ Does not nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, he is disgraced, ¹⁵ whereas if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair was given to her as a covering. ¹⁶ However, if anyone wishes to argue further on this point, we have no such custom to do so, nor do any of the Churches of God.

The Lord’s Supper, Sign of Unity^[bx]

¹⁷ Do You Despise the Church of God? Now in giving you this instruction I cannot praise you, because your meetings tend to do more harm than good. ¹⁸ To begin with, when you come together in your assembly, I hear that there are divisions among you, and to some extent I am inclined to believe it. ¹⁹ There must be such factions among you so that it will become clear to you which groups should be trusted.

^20 [by]When you do assemble, it is not to eat the Lord’s supper, ²¹ for each of you goes ahead with his own supper, and one goes hungry while another has too much to drink. ²² Do you not have homes in which you can eat and drink? Or do you have such contempt for the Church of God that you humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? In this matter, I cannot praise you.

²³ You Proclaim the Death of the Lord.^[bz]For what I received from the Lord I handed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and after giving thanks he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

²⁵ In the same fashion, after the supper,^[ca] he also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ And so, whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

²⁷ God’s Judgment on the Community.^[cb] Therefore, anyone who eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner is guilty of an offense against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Everyone should examine himself about eating the bread and drinking from the cup. ²⁹ For a person who eats and drinks without discerning the body of the Lord is eating and drinking judgment on himself.

³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and ill, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹ If we were to examine ourselves, we would not be condemned. ³² However, when we are judged by the Lord, he is disciplining us to save us from being condemned together with the world.

³³ Practical Conclusion. Therefore, brethren, when you come together for the meal, wait for one another. ³⁴ If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that in assembling you may not incur condemnation. As for the other matters, I will resolve them when I come.

The Gifts of the Spirit in the Service of the Church^[cc]

Chapter 12

Discerning the Gifts of the Spirit. ¹ Now in regard to the gifts of the Spirit, brethren, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were still pagans you were constantly being enticed and led astray to the worship of mute idols. ³ Therefore, I wish you to understand that no one speaking under the influence of the Spirit of God says, “May Jesus be cursed.”^[cd] Likewise, no one can say “Jesus is Lord,” except under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit Distributes the Gifts for the Common Good.^{[ce] 4} There are different varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different forms of activity, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.

⁷ To each of us, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one, is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom; and to another, the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit. ⁹ Another by the same Spirit is granted faith, while still another is granted the gift of healing by the same Spirit.

¹⁰ To one, is granted the gift of mighty deeds;^[cf] to another, the gift of prophecy; and to yet another, the gift to discern spirits. One receives the gift of tongues and another the ability to interpret them. ¹¹ One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing them individually to each person as he wills.

¹² You Are the Body of Christ.^[cg] The body is one, although it has many parts; and all the parts, though many, form one body. So it is with Christ. ¹³ For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as free men, and we were all given the same Spirit to drink.

¹⁴ Now the body is one, although it has many parts. ¹⁵ If the foot were to say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it nevertheless still belongs to the body. ¹⁶ Or if an ear were to say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it nevertheless still belongs to the body.

¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, how would we be able to hear? If the whole body were an ear, how would we exercise a sense of smell? ¹⁸ But God arranged each part in the body as he intended. ¹⁹ If all the members were identical, where would the body be?

²⁰ As it is, there are many members, but one body. ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” any more than the head can say to the feet, “I do not need you.” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are in fact indispensable, ²³ and those parts of the body that we regard as less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable parts are treated with greater propriety, ²⁴ whereas our more respectable members have no need of this.

But God has so designed the body as to give greater honor to the more humble parts, ²⁵ in order that there may be no dissension within the body and each part may have equal concern for all the others. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice together with it.

²⁷ You therefore are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And those whom God has appointed in the Church are first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then doers of mighty deeds, those who have the gifts of healing, helping others, administering, and various kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all doers of mighty deeds? ³⁰ Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ Set your hearts on the greater gifts.

Hymn to Love.^[ch] Now I will show you a more excellent way.

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Seek the Gifts That Build Up the Community.^{[ck] 1} Make love your aim, but strive earnestly after the spiritual gifts, especially for that of prophecy. ² If anyone speaks in tongues, he is speaking not to men but to God, and no one understands him, for he is speaking mysteries in the Spirit. ³ On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to men for their building up, their encouragement, and their consolation.

⁴ Whoever speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but whoever prophesies builds up the Church. ⁵ I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would much prefer that you could prophesy. For the one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless the latter can interpret what he is saying so that the Church may be built up.

⁶ Now suppose, brethren, that I should come to you and speak in tongues. Of what value would I be to you if you were unable to discern from my words any revelation or knowledge or prophecy or instruction? ⁷ Even inanimate things produce sound, such as a flute or a harp. If they do not produce distinct notes, how can anyone tell what tune is being played?

⁸ Or again, if the bugle call is unclear, who will get ready for battle? ⁹ Similarly, if you speak in tongues and your speech is unintelligible, how will anyone be able to understand what you are saying? For you will be talking to empty air.

¹⁰ There are many different languages that are used in the world, and none of them is without meaning. ¹¹ But if I do not comprehend the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker and he will be a foreigner to me. ¹² Since you are eager to acquire spiritual gifts, try to excel in those that build up the Church.

¹³ Therefore, anyone who speaks in tongues should pray for the ability to interpret. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit is at prayer but my mind derives no benefit. ¹⁵ What then should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.

¹⁶ If you are praising only with the spirit, how will the uninstructed person who is present be able to answer “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not comprehend what you are saying? ¹⁷ Your thanksgiving may be inspiring, but the other person has not been edified.

¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you, ¹⁹ but when I am in the church I would prefer to speak five intelligible words to instruct others rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

²⁰ Brethren, do not be childish in your thinking. Be like infants in regard to evil, but in your thinking be mature. ²¹ In the Law^[cl] it is written,

²² Clearly, then, tongues are intended as a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is designed not for unbelievers but for believers.

²³ Therefore, if the whole Church has assembled and everyone is speaking in tongues, would not any uninstructed person or any unbeliever on entering conclude that you are all out of your minds? ²⁴ However, if everyone is prophesying and an unbeliever or uninstructed person should enter, he would be reproved by all and judged by all, ²⁵ and the secrets of his heart would be revealed. Then he would fall down and worship God, declaring, “God is truly in your midst.”

²⁶ Let Everything Be Done Properly and in an Orderly Fashion. And so, what then should be done, brethren? When you assemble, each of you should bring a psalm or some lesson or a revelation, or speak in a tongue, or offer an interpretation. Everything should be done with the goal in mind of building up. ²⁷ If any of you speak in a tongue, let only two or at most three come forward, one at a time, and someone must interpret. ²⁸ If no one is available to interpret, let those who speak in tongues be silent in the church and speak only to themselves and to God.

²⁹ As for the prophets, let two or three speak, and let the rest weigh their words. ³⁰ Should a revelation be made to someone else who is sitting there, let the one who is speaking stop. ³¹ You can all prophesy, but one at a time, so that all may receive instruction and encouragement. ³² Indeed, the spirits of the prophets are subject to their prophets’ control, ³³ for God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

As in all the Churches of the saints, ^34 [cm]women are to keep silent at the assemblies. For they are not permitted to speak, since the Law asserts that they are to be subordinate. ³⁵ If there is anything they wish to know, they should ask their husbands at home. It is improper for them to speak in the church.

³⁶ Did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only ones to whom it has come? ³⁷ Anyone who claims to be a prophet or to have spiritual powers must recognize that what I am writing to you is a commandment of the Lord. ³⁸ Anyone who does not acknowledge this should be ignored.

³⁹ Therefore, brethren, be eager to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰ But ensure that everything is done properly and in an orderly fashion.