Bible in 90 Days

15 We who have strong faith should help the weak with their problems. We should not please only ourselves. ² Each of us should please our neighbors. Let us do what is good for them in order to build them up. ³ Even Christ did not please himself. It is written, “The bad things people have said about you have been aimed at me also.” (Psalm 69:9) ⁴ Everything written in the past was written to teach us. The Scriptures give us strength to go on. They encourage us and give us hope.

⁵ Our God is a God who strengthens and encourages you. May he give you the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had. ⁶ Then you can give glory to God with one mind and voice. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷ Christ has accepted you. So accept one another in order to bring praise to God. ⁸ I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews. He teaches us that God is true. He shows us that God will keep the promises he made to the founders of our nation. ⁹ Jesus became a servant of the Jews. He did this so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercy. It is written,

¹⁰ Again it says,

¹¹ And again it says,

¹² And Isaiah says,

¹³ May the God who gives hope fill you with great joy. May you have perfect peace as you trust in him. May the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.

Paul Serves the Gentiles

¹⁴ My brothers and sisters, I am sure that you are full of goodness. You are filled with knowledge and able to teach one another. ¹⁵ But I have written to you very boldly about some things. I wanted to remind you of them again. The grace of God has allowed me ¹⁶ to serve Christ Jesus among the Gentiles. I have the duty of a priest to preach God’s good news. Then the Gentiles will become an offering that pleases God. The Holy Spirit will make the offering holy.

¹⁷ Because I belong to Christ Jesus, I can take pride in my work for God. ¹⁸ I will speak about what Christ has done through me. I won’t try to speak about anything else. He has been leading the Gentiles to obey God. He has been doing this by what I have said and done. ¹⁹ He has given me power to do signs and wonders. I can do these things by the power of the Spirit of God. From Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum I have finished preaching. In those places, I preached the good news about Christ. ²⁰ I have always wanted to preach the good news where Christ was not known. I don’t want to build on what someone else has started. ²¹ It is written,

²² That’s why I have often been kept from coming to you.

Paul Plans to Visit Rome

²³ Now there is no more place for me to work in those areas. For many years I have wanted to visit you. ²⁴ So I plan to see you when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while I am passing through. And I hope you will help me on my journey there. But first I want to enjoy being with you for a while. ²⁵ Now I am on my way to Jerusalem to serve the Lord’s people there. ²⁶ The believers in Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to take an offering. It was for those who were poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. ²⁷ They were happy to do it. And of course they owe it to them. The Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings. So the Gentiles should share their earthly blessings with the Jews. ²⁸ I want to finish my task. I want to make sure that the poor in Jerusalem have received this offering. Then I will go to Spain. On my way I will visit you. ²⁹ I know that when I come to you, I will come with the full blessing of Christ.

³⁰ Brothers and sisters, I ask you to join me in my struggle. Join me by praying to God for me. I ask this through the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for me with the love the Holy Spirit provides. ³¹ Pray that I will be kept safe from those in Judea who do not believe. I am taking the offering to Jerusalem. Pray that it will be welcomed by the Lord’s people there. ³² Then I will come to you with joy just as God has planned. We will be renewed by being together. ³³ May the God who gives peace be with you all. Amen.

Personal Greetings

16 I would like you to welcome our sister Phoebe. She is a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. ² I ask you to receive her as one who belongs to the Lord. Receive her in the way God’s people should. Give her any help she may need from you. She has been a great help to many people, including me.

³ Greet Priscilla and Aquila. They work together with me in serving Christ Jesus. ⁴ They have put their lives in danger for me. I am thankful for them. So are all the Gentile churches.

⁵ Greet also the church that meets in the house of Priscilla and Aquila.

Greet my dear friend Epenetus. He was the first person in Asia Minor to become a believer in Christ.

⁶ Greet Mary. She worked very hard for you.

⁷ Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews. They have been in prison with me. They are leaders among the apostles. They became believers in Christ before I did.

⁸ Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.

⁹ Greet Urbanus. He works together with me in serving Christ. And greet my dear friend Stachys.

¹⁰ Greet Apelles. He remained faithful to Christ even when he was tested.

Greet those who live in the house of Aristobulus.

¹¹ Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.

Greet the believers who live in the house of Narcissus.

¹² Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa. Those women work hard for the Lord.

Greet my dear friend Persis. She is another woman who has worked very hard for the Lord.

¹³ Greet Rufus. He is a chosen believer in the Lord. And greet his mother. She has been like a mother to me too.

¹⁴ Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon and Hermes. Greet Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.

¹⁵ Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister. Greet Olympas and all of the Lord’s people who are with them.

¹⁶ Greet one another with a holy kiss.

All the churches of Christ send their greetings.

¹⁷ I am warning you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who try to keep you from staying together. They want to trip you up. They teach you things opposite to what you have learned. Stay away from them. ¹⁸ People like that are not serving Christ our Lord. They are serving only themselves. With smooth talk and with words they don’t mean they fool people who don’t know any better. ¹⁹ Everyone has heard that you obey God. So you have filled me with joy. I want you to be wise about what is good. And I want you to have nothing to do with what is evil.

²⁰ The God who gives peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

²¹ Timothy works together with me. He sends his greetings to you. So do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.

²² I, Tertius, wrote down this letter. I greet you as a believer in the Lord.

^23-24 Gaius sends you his greetings. He has welcomed me and the whole church here into his house.

Erastus is the director of public works here in the city. He sends you his greetings. Our brother Quartus also greets you.

²⁵ May God receive glory. He is able to strengthen your faith. He does this in keeping with the good news and the message I preach. It is the message about Jesus Christ. This message is in keeping with the mystery hidden for a very long time. ²⁶ The mystery has now been made known through the writings of the prophets. The eternal God commanded that it be made known. God wanted all the Gentiles to obey him by trusting in him. ²⁷ May the only wise God receive glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.

1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I have been chosen to be an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Our brother Sosthenes joins me in writing.

² We are sending this letter to you, the members of God’s church in Corinth. You have been made holy because you belong to Christ Jesus. God has chosen you to be his holy people. He has done the same for all people everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is their Lord and ours.

³ May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Paul Gives Thanks

⁴ I always thank my God for you. I thank him because of the grace he has given to you who belong to Christ Jesus. ⁵ You have been blessed in every way because of him. You have been blessed in all your speech and knowledge. ⁶ God has shown that what we have spoken to you about Christ is true. ⁷ There is no gift of the Holy Spirit that you don’t have. You are full of hope as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come again. ⁸ God will also keep you strong in faith to the very end. Then you will be without blame on the day our Lord Jesus Christ returns. ⁹ God is faithful. He has chosen you to share life with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Taking Sides in the Church

¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, I make my appeal to you. I do this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I ask that all of you agree with one another in what you say. I ask that you don’t take sides. I ask that you are in complete agreement in all that you think. ¹¹ My brothers and sisters, I have been told you are arguing with one another. Some people from Chloe’s house have told me this. ¹² Here is what I mean. One of you says, “I follow Paul.” Another says, “I follow Apollos.” Another says, “I follow Peter.” And still another says, “I follow Christ.”

¹³ Does Christ take sides? Did Paul die on the cross for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I thank God that I didn’t baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius. ¹⁵ No one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ It’s true that I also baptized those who live in the house of Stephanas. Besides that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else. ¹⁷ Christ did not send me to baptize. He sent me to preach the good news. He commanded me not to preach with wisdom and fancy words. That would take all the power away from the cross of Christ.

Christ Is God’s Power and Wisdom

¹⁸ The message of the cross seems foolish to those who are lost and dying. But it is God’s power to us who are being saved. ¹⁹ It is written,

²⁰ Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where are the great thinkers of our time? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? ²¹ God wisely planned that the world would not know him through its own wisdom. It pleased God to use the foolish things we preach to save those who believe. ²² Jews require signs. Greeks look for wisdom. ²³ But we preach about Christ and his death on the cross. That is very hard for Jews to accept. And everyone else thinks it’s foolish. ²⁴ But there are those God has chosen, both Jews and Greeks. To them Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. ²⁵ The foolish things of God are wiser than human wisdom. The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when God chose you. Not many of you were considered wise by human standards. Not many of you were powerful. Not many of you belonged to important families. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the things of this world that are common and looked down on. God chose things considered unimportant to do away with things considered important. ²⁹ So no one can boast to God. ³⁰ Because of what God has done, you belong to Christ Jesus. He has become God’s wisdom for us. He makes us right with God. He makes us holy and sets us free. ³¹ It is written, “The one who boasts should boast about what the Lord has done.” (Jeremiah 9:24)

2 And this was the way it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I didn’t come with fancy words or human wisdom. I preached to you the truth about God’s love. ² My goal while I was with you was to talk about only one thing. And that was Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. ³ When I came to you, I was weak and very afraid and trembling all over. ⁴ I didn’t preach my message with clever and compelling words. Instead, my preaching showed the Holy Spirit’s power. ⁵ This was so that your faith would be based on God’s power. Your faith would not be based on human wisdom.

God’s Wisdom Through the Holy Spirit

⁶ The words we speak to those who have grown in the faith are wise. Our words are different from the wisdom of this world. Our words are different from those of the rulers of this world. These rulers are becoming less and less powerful. ⁷ No, we announce God’s wisdom. His wisdom is a mystery that has been hidden. But before time began, God planned that his wisdom would bring us heavenly glory. ⁸ None of the rulers of this world understood God’s wisdom. If they had, they would not have nailed the Lord of glory to the cross. ⁹ It is written that

¹⁰ God has shown these things to us through his Spirit.

The Spirit understands all things. He understands even the deep things of God. ¹¹ Who can know the thoughts of another person? Only a person’s own spirit can know them. In the same way, only the Spirit of God knows God’s thoughts. ¹² What we have received is not the spirit of the world. We have received the Spirit who is from God. The Spirit helps us understand what God has freely given us. ¹³ That is what we speak about. We don’t use words taught to us by people. We use words taught to us by the Holy Spirit. We use the words taught by the Spirit to explain spiritual truths. ¹⁴ The person without the Spirit doesn’t accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. These things are foolish to them. They can’t understand them. In fact, such things can’t be understood without the Spirit’s help. ¹⁵ The person who has the Spirit can judge all things. But no human being can judge those who have the Spirit. It is written,

But we have the mind of Christ.

The Church and Its Leaders

3 Brothers and sisters, I couldn’t speak to you as people who live by the Holy Spirit. I had to speak to you as people who were still following the ways of the world. You aren’t growing as Christ wants you to. You are still like babies. ² The words I spoke to you were like milk, not like solid food. You weren’t ready for solid food yet. And you still aren’t ready for it. ³ You are still following the ways of the world. Some of you are jealous. Some of you argue. So aren’t you following the ways of the world? Aren’t you acting like ordinary human beings? ⁴ One of you says, “I follow Paul.” Another says, “I follow Apollos.” Aren’t you acting like ordinary human beings?

⁵ After all, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? We are only people who serve. We helped you to believe. The Lord has given each of us our own work to do. ⁶ I planted the seed. Apollos watered it. But God has been making it grow. ⁷ So the one who plants is not important. The one who waters is not important. It is God who makes things grow. He is the important one. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose. The Lord will give each of them a reward for their work. ⁹ We work together to serve God. You are like God’s field. You are like his building.

¹⁰ God has given me the grace to lay a foundation as a wise builder. Now someone else is building on it. But each one should build carefully. ¹¹ No one can lay any other foundation than what has already been laid. That foundation is Jesus Christ. ¹² A person may build on it using gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw. ¹³ But each person’s work will be shown for what it is. On judgment day it will be brought to light. It will be put through fire. The fire will test how good each person’s work is. ¹⁴ If the building doesn’t burn up, God will give the builder a reward for the work. ¹⁵ If the building burns up, the builder will lose everything. The builder will be saved, but only like one escaping through the flames.

¹⁶ Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple? Don’t you know that God’s Spirit lives among you? ¹⁷ If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. God’s temple is holy. And you all together are that temple.

¹⁸ Don’t fool yourselves. Suppose some of you think you are wise by the standards of the world. Then you should become “fools” so that you can become wise. ¹⁹ The wisdom of this world is foolish in God’s eyes. It is written, “God catches wise people in their own evil plans.” (Job 5:13) ²⁰ It is also written, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of wise people don’t amount to anything.” (Psalm 94:11) ²¹ So no more bragging about human leaders! All things are yours. ²² That means Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All are yours. ²³ You are joined to Christ and belong to him. And Christ is joined to God.

True Apostles of Christ

4 So here is how you should think of us. We serve Christ. We are trusted with the mysteries God has shown us. ² Those who have been given a trust must prove that they are faithful. ³ I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court. I don’t even judge myself. ⁴ I don’t feel I have done anything wrong. But that doesn’t mean I’m not guilty. The Lord judges me. ⁵ So don’t judge anything before the appointed time. Wait until the Lord returns. He will bring to light what is hidden in the dark. He will show the real reasons why people do what they do. At that time each person will receive their praise from God.

⁶ Brothers and sisters, I have used myself and Apollos as examples to help you. You can learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Don’t go beyond what is written.” Then you won’t be proud that you follow one of us instead of the other. ⁷ Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you brag as though you did not?

⁸ You already have everything you want, don’t you? Have you already become rich? Have you already begun to rule? And did you do that without us? I wish that you really had begun to rule. Then we could also rule with you! ⁹ It seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of a parade. We are like people sentenced to die in front of a crowd. We have been made a show for the whole creation to see. Angels and people are staring at us. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ. But you are so wise in Christ! We are weak. But you are so strong! You are honored. But we are looked down on! ¹¹ Up to this very hour we are hungry and thirsty. We are dressed in rags. We are being treated badly. We have no homes. ¹² We work hard with our own hands. When others curse us, we bless them. When we are attacked, we put up with it. ¹³ When others say bad things about us, we answer with kind words. We have become the world’s garbage. We are everybody’s trash, right up to this moment.

Paul Warns Against Pride

¹⁴ I am not writing this to shame you. You are my dear children, and I want to warn you. ¹⁵ Suppose you had 10,000 believers in Christ watching over you. You still wouldn’t have many fathers. I became your father by serving Christ Jesus and telling you the good news. ¹⁶ So I’m asking you to follow my example. ¹⁷ That’s the reason I have sent Timothy to you. He is like a son to me, and I love him. He is faithful in serving the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in serving Christ Jesus. And that agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

¹⁸ Some of you have become proud. You act as if I weren’t coming to you. ¹⁹ But I will come very soon, if that’s what the Lord wants. Then I will find out how those proud people are talking. I will also find out what power they have. ²⁰ The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk. It is a matter of power. ²¹ Which do you want? Should I come to you to correct and punish you? Or should I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

Throw Out the Evil Person!

5 It is actually reported that there is sexual sin among you. I’m told that a man is sleeping with his father’s wife. Even people who don’t know God don’t let that kind of sin continue. ² And you are proud! Shouldn’t you be very sad instead? Shouldn’t you have thrown out of your church the man doing this? ³ Even though I am not right there with you, I am with you in spirit. And because I am with you in spirit, I have already judged the man doing this. I have judged him in the name of our Lord Jesus. ⁴ So when you come together, I will be with you in spirit. The power of our Lord Jesus will also be with you. ⁵ When you come together like this, hand this man over to Satan. Then the power of sin in his life will be destroyed. His spirit will be saved on the day the Lord returns.

⁶ Your bragging is not good. It is like yeast. Don’t you know that just a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise? ⁷ Get rid of the old yeast. Then you can be like a new batch of dough without yeast. That is what you really are. That’s because Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been offered up for us. ⁸ So let us keep the Feast, but not with the old bread made with yeast. The yeast I’m talking about is hatred and evil. Let us keep the Feast with bread made without yeast. Let us keep it with bread that is honesty and truth.

⁹ I wrote a letter to you to tell you to stay away from people who commit sexual sins. ¹⁰ I didn’t mean the people of this world who sin in this way. I didn’t mean those who always want more and more. I didn’t mean those who cheat or who worship statues of gods. In that case you would have to leave this world! ¹¹ But here is what I am writing to you now. You must stay away from anyone who claims to be a believer but does evil things. Stay away from anyone who commits sexual sins. Stay away from anyone who always wants more and more things. Stay away from anyone who worships statues of gods. Stay away from anyone who tells lies about others. Stay away from anyone who gets drunk or who cheats. Don’t even eat with people like these.

¹² Is it my business to judge those outside the church? Aren’t you supposed to judge those inside the church? ¹³ God will judge those outside. Scripture says, “Get rid of that evil person!” (Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21,24; 24:7)

Do Not Take Believers to Court

6 Suppose one of you wants to bring a charge against another believer. Should you take it to ungodly people to be judged? Why not take it to the Lord’s people? ² Or don’t you know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? Since this is true, aren’t you able to judge small cases? ³ Don’t you know that we will judge angels? Then we should be able to judge the things of this life even more! ⁴ So suppose you disagree with one another in matters like this. Who do you ask to decide which of you is right? Do you ask people who live in a way the church disapproves of? Of course not! ⁵ I say this to shame you. Is it possible that no one among you is wise enough to judge matters between believers? ⁶ Instead, one believer goes to court against another. And this happens in front of unbelievers!

⁷ When you take another believer to court, you have lost the battle already. Why not be treated wrongly? Why not be cheated? ⁸ Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong. And you do it to your brothers and sisters. ⁹ Don’t you know that people who do wrong will not receive God’s kingdom? Don’t be fooled. Those who commit sexual sins will not receive the kingdom. Neither will those who worship statues of gods or commit adultery. Neither will men who sleep with other men. ¹⁰ Neither will thieves or those who always want more and more. Neither will those who are often drunk or tell lies or cheat. People who live like that will not receive God’s kingdom. ¹¹ Some of you used to do those things. But your sins were washed away. You were made holy. You were made right with God. All of this was done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was also done by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Sins

¹² Some of you say, “I have the right to do anything.” But not everything is helpful. Again some of you say, “I have the right to do anything.” But I will not be controlled by anything. ¹³ Some of you say, “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food. And God will destroy both of them.” But the body is not meant for sexual sins. The body is meant for the Lord. And the Lord is meant for the body. ¹⁴ By his power God raised the Lord from the dead. He will also raise us up. ¹⁵ Don’t you know that your bodies belong to the body of Christ? Should I take what belongs to Christ and join it to a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ When you join yourself to a prostitute, you become one with her in body. Don’t you know this? Scripture says, “The two will become one.” (Genesis 2:24) ¹⁷ But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one with him in spirit.

¹⁸ Keep far away from sexual sins. All the other sins a person commits are outside the body. But sexual sins are sins against their own body. ¹⁹ Don’t you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is in you, and you have received the Spirit from God. You do not belong to yourselves. ²⁰ Christ has paid the price for you. So use your bodies in a way that honors God.

Advice for Those Who Are Married

7 Now I want to deal with the things you wrote me about. Some of you say, “It is good for a man not to sleep with a woman.” ² But since sexual sin is happening, each man should sleep with his own wife. And each woman should sleep with her own husband. ³ A husband should satisfy his wife’s needs. And a wife should satisfy her husband’s needs. ⁴ The wife’s body does not belong only to her. It also belongs to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong only to him. It also belongs to his wife. ⁵ You shouldn’t stop giving yourselves to each other. You might possibly do this when you both agree to it. And you should only agree to it to give yourselves time to pray. Then you should come together again. In that way, Satan will not tempt you when you can’t control yourselves. ⁶ I say those things to you as my advice, not as a command. ⁷ I wish all of you were single like me. But you each have your own gift from God. One has this gift, and another has that one.

⁸ I speak now to those who are not married. I also speak to widows. It is good for you to stay single like me. ⁹ But if you can’t control yourselves, you should get married. It is better to get married than to burn with desire.

¹⁰ I give a command to those who are married. It is a direct command from the Lord, not from me. A wife must not leave her husband. ¹¹ But if she does, she must not get married again. Or she can go back to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

¹² I also have something to say to everyone else. It is from me, not a direct command from the Lord. Suppose a brother has a wife who is not a believer. If she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. ¹³ And suppose a woman has a husband who is not a believer. If he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. ¹⁴ The unbelieving husband has been made holy through his wife. The unbelieving wife has been made holy through her believing husband. If that were not the case, your children would not be pure and “clean.” But as it is, they are holy.

¹⁵ But if the unbeliever leaves, let that person go. In that case, the believer does not have to stay married to the unbeliever. God wants us to live in peace. ¹⁶ Wife, how do you know if you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know if you will save your wife?

Stay as You Were When God Chose You

¹⁷ But each believer should live in whatever situation the Lord has given them. Stay as you were when God chose you. That’s the rule all the churches must follow. ¹⁸ Was a man already circumcised when God chose him? Then he should not become uncircumcised. Was he uncircumcised when God chose him? Then he should not be circumcised. ¹⁹ Being circumcised means nothing. Being uncircumcised means nothing. Doing what God commands is what counts. ²⁰ Each of you should stay as you were when God chose you.

²¹ Were you a slave when God chose you? Don’t let it trouble you. But if you can get your master to set you free, do it. ²² The person who was a slave when the Lord chose them is now the Lord’s free person. The one who was free when God chose them is now a slave of Christ. ²³ Christ has paid the price for you. Don’t become slaves of human beings. ²⁴ Brothers and sisters, each person is accountable to God. So each person should stay as they were when God chose them.

Advice for Those Who Are Not Married

²⁵ Now I want to say something about virgins. I have no direct command from the Lord. But I give my opinion. Because of the Lord’s mercy, I give it as one who can be trusted. ²⁶ Times are hard for you right now. So I think it’s good for a man to stay as he is. ²⁷ Are you engaged to a woman? Then don’t try to get out of it. Are you free from such a promise? Then don’t look for a wife. ²⁸ But if you do marry someone, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries someone, she has not sinned. But those who marry someone will have many troubles in this life. I want to save you from this.

²⁹ Brothers and sisters, what I mean is that the time is short. From now on, those who have a husband or wife should live as if they did not. ³⁰ Those who mourn should live as if they did not. Those who are happy should live as if they were not. Those who buy something should live as if it were not theirs to keep. ³¹ Those who use the things of the world should not become all wrapped up in them. The world as it now exists is passing away.

³² I don’t want you to have anything to worry about. A single man is concerned about the Lord’s matters. He wants to know how he can please the Lord. ³³ But a married man is concerned about the matters of this world. He wants to know how he can please his wife. ³⁴ His concerns pull him in two directions. A single woman or a virgin is concerned about the Lord’s matters. She wants to serve the Lord with both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the matters of this world. She wants to know how she can please her husband. ³⁵ I’m saying those things for your own good. I’m not trying to hold you back. I want you to be free to live in a way that is right. I want you to give yourselves completely to the Lord.

³⁶ Suppose someone is worried that he is not acting with honor toward the virgin he has promised to marry. Suppose his desires are too strong, and he feels that he should marry her. He should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. ³⁷ But suppose the man has decided not to marry the virgin. And suppose he has no compelling need to get married and can control himself. If he has made up his mind not to get married, he also does the right thing. ³⁸ So then, the man who marries the virgin does the right thing. But the man who doesn’t marry her does a better thing.

³⁹ A woman has to stay married to her husband as long as he lives. If he dies, she is free to marry anyone she wants to. But the one she marries must belong to the Lord. ⁴⁰ In my opinion, she is happier if she stays single. And I also think that I am led by the Spirit of God in saying this.

Food Sacrificed to Statues of Gods

8 Now I want to deal with food sacrificed to statues of gods. We know that “We all have knowledge.” But knowledge makes people proud, while love builds them up. ² Those who think they know something still don’t know as they should. ³ But whoever loves God is known by God.

⁴ So then, here is what I say about eating food sacrificed to statues of gods. We know that “a god made by human hands is really nothing at all in the world.” We know that “there is only one God.” ⁵ There may be so-called gods either in heaven or on earth. In fact, there are many “gods” and many “lords.” ⁶ But for us there is only one God. He is the Father. All things came from him, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord. He is Jesus Christ. All things came because of him, and we live because of him.

⁷ But not everyone knows this. Some people still think that statues of gods are real gods. They might eat food sacrificed to statues of gods. When they do, they think of it as food sacrificed to real gods. And because those people have a weak sense of what is right and wrong, they feel guilty. ⁸ But food doesn’t bring us close to God. We are no worse if we don’t eat. We are no better if we do eat.

⁹ But be careful how you use your rights. Be sure you don’t cause someone weaker than you to fall into sin. ¹⁰ Suppose you, with all your knowledge, are eating in a temple of one of those gods. And suppose someone who has a weak sense of what is right and wrong sees you. Won’t that person become bold and eat what is sacrificed to statues of gods? ¹¹ If so, then your knowledge destroys that weak brother or sister for whom Christ died. ¹² Suppose you sin against them in this way. Then you harm their weak sense of what is right and wrong. By doing this, you sin against Christ. ¹³ So suppose what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin. Then what should I do? I will never eat meat again. In that way, I will not cause them to fall.

Paul’s Rights as an Apostle

9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord? Aren’t you the result of my work for the Lord? ² Others may not think of me as an apostle. But I am certainly one to you! You are the proof that I am the Lord’s apostle.

³ That is what I say to stand up for myself when people judge me. ⁴ Don’t we have the right to eat and drink? ⁵ Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife with us when we travel? The other apostles do. The Lord’s brothers do. Peter does. ⁶ Or are Barnabas and I the only ones who have to do other work for a living? Are we the only ones who can’t just do the work of apostles all the time?

⁷ Who serves as a soldier but doesn’t get paid? Who plants a vineyard but doesn’t eat any of its grapes? Who takes care of a flock but doesn’t drink any of the milk? ⁸ Do I say this only on human authority? The Law says the same thing. ⁹ Here is what is written in the Law of Moses. “Do not stop an ox from eating while it helps separate the grain from the straw.” (Deuteronomy 25:4) Is it oxen that God is concerned about? ¹⁰ Doesn’t he say that for us? Yes, it was written for us. Whoever plows and separates the grain hopes to share the harvest. And it is right for them to hope for this. ¹¹ We have planted spiritual seed among you. Is it too much to ask that we receive from you some things we need? ¹² Others have the right to receive help from you. Don’t we have even more right to do so?

But we didn’t use that right. No, we have put up with everything. We didn’t want to keep the good news of Christ from spreading.

¹³ People who serve in the temple get their food from the temple. Don’t you know this? People who serve at the altar eat from what is offered on the altar. Don’t you know this? ¹⁴ So those who preach the good news should also receive their living from their work. That is what the Lord has commanded.

¹⁵ But I haven’t used any of those rights. And I’m not writing because I hope you will do things like that for me. I would rather die than allow anyone to take away my pride in my work. ¹⁶ But when I preach the good news, I can’t brag. I have to preach it. How terrible it will be for me if I do not preach the good news! ¹⁷ If I preach because I want to, I get a reward. If I preach because I have to, I’m only doing my duty. ¹⁸ Then what reward do I get? Here is what it is. I am able to preach the good news free of charge. And I can do this without using all my rights as a person who preaches the good news.

Paul Uses His Freedom to Share the Good News

¹⁹ I am free and don’t belong to anyone. But I have made myself a slave to everyone. I do it to win as many as I can to Christ. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew. That was to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one who was under the law. I did this even though I myself am not under the law. That was to win those under the law. ²¹ To those who don’t have the law I became like one who doesn’t have the law. I did this even though I am not free from God’s law. I am under Christ’s law. Now I can win those who don’t have the law. ²² To those who are weak I became weak. That was to win the weak. I have become all things to all people. I have done this so that in all possible ways I might save some. ²³ I do all this because of the good news. And I want to share in its blessings.

Training to Win the Prize

²⁴ In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don’t you? So run in a way that will get you the prize. ²⁵ All who take part in the games train hard. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ So I do not run like someone who doesn’t run toward the finish line. I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air. ²⁷ No, I train my body and bring it under control. Then after I have preached to others, I myself will not break the rules. If I did break them, I would fail to win the prize.

Warnings From Israel’s History

10 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know something about our people who lived long ago. They were all led by the cloud. They all walked through the Red Sea. ² They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food. ⁴ They all drank the same spiritual water. They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them. That rock was Christ. ⁵ But God was not pleased with most of them. Their bodies were scattered in the desert.

⁶ Now those things happened as examples for us. They are supposed to keep us from wanting evil things. The people of Israel wanted these evil things. ⁷ So don’t worship statues of gods, as some of them did. It is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to dance wildly in front of their god.” (Exodus 32:6) ⁸ We should not commit sexual sins, as some of them did. In one day 23,000 of them died. ⁹ We should not test the Messiah, as some of them did. They were killed by snakes. ¹⁰ Don’t speak against God. That’s what some of the people of Israel did. And they were killed by the destroying angel.

¹¹ Those things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us. That’s because we are living at the time when God’s work is being completed. ¹² So be careful. When you think you are standing firm, you might fall. ¹³ You are tempted in the same way all other human beings are. God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted any more than you can take. But when you are tempted, God will give you a way out. Then you will be able to deal with it.

Sharing in the Lord’s Supper

¹⁴ My dear friends, run away from statues of gods. Don’t worship them. ¹⁵ I’m talking to people who are reasonable. Judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ We give thanks for the cup at the Lord’s Supper. When we do, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? When we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Just as there is one loaf, so we who are many are one body. We all share the one loaf.

¹⁸ Think about the people of Israel. Don’t those who eat the offerings share in the altar? ¹⁹ Do I mean that food sacrificed to a statue of a god is anything? Do I mean that a statue of a god is anything? ²⁰ No! But what is sacrificed by those who worship statues of gods is really sacrificed to demons. It is not sacrificed to God. I don’t want you to be sharing with demons. ²¹ You can’t drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too. You can’t have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ²² Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? Are we stronger than he is?

The Believer’s Freedom

²³ You say, “I have the right to do anything.” But not everything is helpful. Again you say, “I have the right to do anything.” But not everything builds us up. ²⁴ No one should look out for their own interests. Instead, they should look out for the interests of others.

²⁵ Eat anything sold in the meat market. Don’t ask if it’s right or wrong. ²⁶ Scripture says, “The earth belongs to the Lord. And so does everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1)

²⁷ Suppose an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go. Then eat anything that is put in front of you. Don’t ask if it’s right or wrong. ²⁸ But suppose someone says to you, “This food has been sacrificed to a statue of a god.” Then don’t eat it. Keep in mind the good of the person who told you. And don’t eat because of a sense of what is right and wrong. ²⁹ I’m talking about the other person’s sense of what is right and wrong, not yours. Why is my freedom being judged by what someone else thinks? ³⁰ Suppose I give thanks when I eat. Then why should I be blamed for eating food I thank God for?

³¹ So eat and drink and do everything else for the glory of God. ³² Don’t do anything that causes another person to trip and fall. It doesn’t matter if that person is a Jew or a Greek or a member of God’s church. ³³ Follow my example. I try to please everyone in every way. I’m not looking out for what is good for me. I’m looking out for the interests of others. I do it so that they might be saved. 11 ¹ Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ.

Proper Worship

² I praise you for being faithful in remembering me. I also praise you for staying true to the teachings of the past. You have stayed true to them, just as I gave them to you. ³ But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ. The head of the woman is the man. And the head of Christ is God. ⁴ Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame on his head. ⁵ But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered brings shame on her head. It is the same as having her head shaved. ⁶ What if a woman does not cover her head? She might as well have her hair cut off. But it is shameful for her to cut her hair or shave her head. So she should cover her head.

⁷ A man should not cover his head. He is the likeness and glory of God. But woman is the glory of man. ⁸ Man did not come from woman. Woman came from man. ⁹ Also, man was not created for woman. Woman was created for man. ¹⁰ That’s why a woman should have authority over her own head. She should have this because of the angels. ¹¹ But here is how things are for those who belong to the Lord. Woman is not independent of man. And man is not independent of woman. ¹² Woman came from man, and man is born from woman. But everything comes from God.

¹³ You be the judge. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God without covering her head? ¹⁴ Suppose a man has long hair. Doesn’t the very nature of things teach you that it is shameful? ¹⁵ And suppose a woman has long hair. Doesn’t the very nature of things teach you that it is her glory? Long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶ If anyone wants to argue about this, we don’t have any other practice. And God’s churches don’t either.

Celebrating the Lord’s Supper in the Right Way

¹⁷ In the following matters, I don’t praise you. Your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸ First, here is what people are telling me. When you come together as a church, you take sides. And in some ways I believe it. ¹⁹ Do you really think you need to take sides? You probably think God favors one side over the other! ²⁰ So when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat. ²¹ As you eat, some of you go ahead and eat your own private meals. Because of this, one person stays hungry and another gets drunk. ²² Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? You are shaming those in the church who have nothing. Do you think so little of God’s church that you do this? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? Certainly not about the Lord’s Supper!

²³ I passed on to you what I received from the Lord. On the night the Lord Jesus was handed over to his enemies, he took bread. ²⁴ When he had given thanks, he broke it. He said, “This is my body. It is given for you. Every time you eat it, do it in memory of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup. He said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Every time you drink it, do it in memory of me.” ²⁶ You eat the bread and drink the cup. When you do this, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

²⁷ Eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in the right way. Don’t do it in a way that isn’t worthy of him. If you do, you will be guilty. You’ll be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Everyone should take a careful look at themselves before they eat the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ Whoever eats and drinks must recognize the body of Christ. If they don’t, judgment will come upon them. ³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and sick. That is why a number of you have died. ³¹ We should think more carefully about what we are doing. Then we would not be found guilty for this. ³² When the Lord judges us in this way, he corrects us. Then in the end we will not be judged along with the rest of the world.

³³ My brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, you should all eat together. ³⁴ Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home. Then when you come together, you will not be judged.

When I come, I will give you more directions.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

12 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ² You know that at one time you were unbelievers. You were somehow drawn away to worship statues of gods that couldn’t even speak. ³ So I want you to know that no one who is speaking with the help of God’s Spirit says, “May Jesus be cursed.” And without the help of the Holy Spirit no one can say, “Jesus is Lord.”

⁴ There are different kinds of gifts. But they are all given to believers by the same Spirit. ⁵ There are different ways to serve. But they all come from the same Lord. ⁶ There are different ways the Spirit works. But the same God is working in all these ways and in all people.

⁷ The Holy Spirit is given to each of us in a special way. That is for the good of all. ⁸ To some people the Spirit gives a message of wisdom. To others the same Spirit gives a message of knowledge. ⁹ To others the same Spirit gives faith. To others that one Spirit gives gifts of healing. ¹⁰ To others he gives the power to do miracles. To others he gives the ability to prophesy. To others he gives the ability to tell the spirits apart. To others he gives the ability to speak in different kinds of languages they had not known before. And to still others he gives the ability to explain what was said in those languages. ¹¹ All the gifts are produced by one and the same Spirit. He gives gifts to each person, just as he decides.

One Body but Many Parts

¹² There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. ¹³ We were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts.

¹⁵ Suppose the foot says, “I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And suppose the ear says, “I am not an eye. So I don’t belong to the body.” By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? ¹⁸ God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. ¹⁹ If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts. But there is only one body.

²¹ The eye can’t say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² In fact, it is just the opposite. The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. ²³ The parts that we think are less important we treat with special honor. The private parts aren’t shown. But they are treated with special care. ²⁴ The parts that can be shown don’t need special care. But God has put together all the parts of the body. And he has given more honor to the parts that didn’t have any. ²⁵ In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of one another. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part shares in its joy.

²⁷ You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ First, God has placed apostles in the church. Second, he has placed prophets in the church. Third, he has placed teachers in the church. Then he has given to the church miracles and gifts of healing. He also has given the gift of helping others and the gift of guiding the church. God also has given the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages. ²⁹ Is everyone an apostle? Is everyone a prophet? Is everyone a teacher? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in languages they had not known before? Do all explain what is said in those languages? ³¹ But above all, you should want the more important gifts.

Love Is Necessary

But now I will show you the best way of all.

13 Suppose I speak in the languages of human beings or of angels. If I don’t have love, I am only a loud gong or a noisy cymbal. ² Suppose I have the gift of prophecy. Suppose I can understand all the secret things of God and know everything about him. And suppose I have enough faith to move mountains. If I don’t have love, I am nothing at all. ³ Suppose I give everything I have to poor people. And suppose I give myself over to a difficult life so I can brag. If I don’t have love, I get nothing at all.

⁴ Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor other people. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people’s wrongs. ⁶ Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. ⁷ It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up.

⁸ Love never fails. But prophecy will pass away. Speaking in languages that had not been known before will end. And knowledge will pass away. ⁹ What we know now is not complete. What we prophesy now is not perfect. ¹⁰ But when what is complete comes, the things that are not complete will pass away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child. I thought like a child. I had the understanding of a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² Now we see only a dim likeness of things. It is as if we were seeing them in a foggy mirror. But someday we will see clearly. We will see face to face. What I know now is not complete. But someday I will know completely, just as God knows me completely.

¹³ The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.

Worship in a Way That Helps People Understand

14 Follow the way of love. You should also want the gifts the Holy Spirit gives. Most of all, you should want the gift of prophecy. ² Anyone who speaks in a language they had not known before doesn’t speak to people. They speak only to God. In fact, no one understands them. What they say by the Spirit remains a mystery. ³ But the person who prophesies speaks to people. That person prophesies to make people stronger, to give them hope, and to comfort them. ⁴ Anyone who speaks in other languages builds up only themselves. But the person who prophesies builds up the church. ⁵ I would like all of you to speak in other languages. But I would rather have you prophesy. The person who prophesies is more helpful than those who speak in other languages. But that is not the case if someone explains what was said in the other languages. Then the whole church can be built up.

⁶ Brothers and sisters, suppose I were to come to you and speak in other languages. What good would I be to you? None! I would need to come with new truth or knowledge. Or I would need to come with a prophecy or a teaching. ⁷ Here are some examples. Certain objects make sounds. Take a flute or a harp. No one will know what the tune is unless different notes are played. ⁸ Also, if the trumpet call isn’t clear, who will get ready for battle? ⁹ It’s the same with you. You must speak words that people understand. If you don’t, no one will know what you are saying. You will just be speaking into the air. ¹⁰ It is true that there are all kinds of languages in the world. And they all have meaning. ¹¹ But if I don’t understand what someone is saying, I am a stranger to the person speaking. And that person is a stranger to me. ¹² It’s the same with you. You want the gifts of the Spirit. So try to do your best in using gifts that build up the church.

¹³ So here is what the person who speaks in languages they had not known before should do. They should pray that they can explain what they say. ¹⁴ If I pray in another language, my spirit prays. But my mind does not pray. ¹⁵ So what should I do? I will pray with my spirit. But I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing with my spirit. But I will also sing with my understanding. ¹⁶ Suppose you are praising God in the Spirit. And suppose there are visitors among you who want to know what’s going on. How can they say “Amen” when you give thanks? They don’t know what you are saying. ¹⁷ You are certainly giving thanks. But no one else is being built up.

¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in other languages more than all of you do. ¹⁹ In the church, I wouldn’t want to speak 10,000 words in an unfamiliar language. I’d rather speak five words in a language people could understand. Then I would be teaching others.

²⁰ Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. Be like babies as far as evil is concerned. But be grown up in your thinking. ²¹ In the law it is written,

²² So speaking in other languages is a sign for those who don’t believe. It is not a sign for those who do believe. But prophecy is not for those who don’t believe. It is for those who believe. ²³ Suppose the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in other languages. And suppose visitors or unbelievers come in. Won’t they say you are out of your minds? ²⁴ But suppose unbelievers or visitors come in while everyone is prophesying. Then they will feel guilty about their sin. They will be judged by all. ²⁵ The secrets of their hearts will be brought out into the open. They will fall down and worship God. They will exclaim, “God is really here among you!”

Proper Worship

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, what should we say then? When you come together, each of you brings something. You bring a hymn or a teaching or a message from God. You bring a message in another language or explain what was said in that language. Everything must be done to build up the church. ²⁷ No more than two or three people should speak in another language. And they should speak one at a time. Then someone must explain what was said. ²⁸ If there is no one to explain, the person speaking should keep quiet in the church. They can speak to themselves and to God.

²⁹ Only two or three prophets are supposed to speak. Others should decide if what is being said is true. ³⁰ What if a message from God comes to someone else who is sitting there? Then the one who is speaking should stop. ³¹ Those who prophesy can all take turns. In that way, everyone can be taught and be given hope. ³² Those who prophesy should control their speaking. ³³ God is not a God of disorder. He is a God of peace, just as in all the churches of the Lord’s people.

³⁴ Women should remain silent in church meetings. They are not allowed to speak. They must follow the lead of those who are in authority, as the law says. ³⁵ If they have a question about something, they should ask their own husbands at home. It is shameful for women to speak in church meetings.

³⁶ Or did the word of God begin with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? ³⁷ Suppose anyone thinks they are a prophet. Or suppose they think they have other gifts given by the Holy Spirit. They should agree that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. ³⁸ But anyone who does not recognize this will not be recognized.

³⁹ Brothers and sisters, you should want to prophesy. And don’t stop people from speaking in languages they had not known before. ⁴⁰ But everything should be done in a proper and orderly way.