And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior].

And God has both raised up the Lord, and will raise us up from among the dead by his power.

Do you not know that your bodies are parts of Christ's body? Am I then to take away from Christ parts of his body, and make them parts of a prostitute's? Never!

Run away from sexual immorality [in any form, whether thought or behavior, whether visual or written]. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the one who is sexually immoral sins against his own body.

Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own;

I now deal with the subjects mentioned in your letter. It is well for a man to abstain altogether from marriage.

Do not keep back from one another what is right, but only for a short time, and by agreement, so that you may give yourselves to prayer, and come together again; so that Satan may not get the better of you through your loss of self-control.

But I say this from concession not from commandment.

Yet I would that all men were even as I myself. Howbeit each man hath his own gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that.

And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

(but even if she does leave him, let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband) and that the husband should not leave his wife.

But to the rest I say, and not the Lord; If a brother has a wife who is not a Christian, and it is her desire to go on living with him, let him not go away from her.

And a woman who has an unbelieving husband--if he consents to live with her, let her not separate from him.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified [that is, he receives the blessings granted] through his [Christian] wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be [ceremonially] unclean, but as it is they are holy.

Yet if the unbelieving mate separates [from his spouse], let him go. The brother or sister is not obligated [to continue the marriage] under such circumstances. For God has called you [believers] to live in peace.

Was anyone at the time of his calling [from God already] circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called while uncircumcised? He is not to be circumcised.

have you been redeemed from slavery? then, don't turn slaves.

And concerning the virgins, a command of the Lord I have not; and I give judgment as having obtained kindness from the Lord to be faithful:

Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

But if you do get married, you have not sinned. And if a virgin gets married, she has not sinned. However, these people will experience trouble in this life, and I want to spare you from that.

But I say this, believers: the time has been shortened, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they did not;

and those who use the world [taking advantage of its opportunities], as though they did not make full use of it. For the outward form of this world [its present social and material nature] is passing away.

But I would have you to be free from cares. He that is unmarried is careful for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or the virgin is concerned about the matters of the Lord, how to be holy and set apart both in body and in spirit; but a married woman is concerned about worldly things, how she may please her husband.

I say this for your own benefit, not with any intention of putting a halter round your necks, but in order to secure for the Master seemly and constant devotion, free from all distraction.

But he who stands firm in his heart, having no need, but has authority over his own will, and has judged this in his heart to keep his own virginity, he does well.

So then the man who marries the virgin acts appropriately, but the man who refrains from marriage does even better.

(So-called gods there may be, in heaven or on earth ??as indeed there are plenty of them, both gods and 'lords' ??6 but for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all comes, and for whom we exist; one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom all exists, and by whom we exist.)

yet to us [there is] one God, the Father, from whom [are] all [things], and we [are] for him, and [there is] one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom [are] all [things], and we [are] through him.

But all believers do not recognize these facts. Some, from force of habit in relation to the idol, even now eat idol sacrifices as such, and their consciences, being but weak, are polluted.

It is true that a particular kind of food will not bring us into God's presence; we are neither inferior to others if we abstain from it, nor superior to them if we eat it.

But pay attention [to this], so that somehow this liberty of yours [i.e., to eat whatever you want to] does not become an occasion over which weak people could fall [away from God].

Therefore, if food that I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, in order to keep my brother from stumbling.

Am I not free [unrestrained and exempt from any obligation]? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our [risen] Lord [in person]? Are you not [the result and proof of] my work in the Lord?

If I am not an apostle to other people, surely I am one to you, for you are the evidence of my apostolic authority from the Lord.

Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to stop doing manual labor [in order to support our ministry]?

Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Who shepherds a flock and does not drink from the milk of the flock?

Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing?

For it says in the law of Moses, It is not right to keep the ox from taking the grain when he is crushing it. Is it for the oxen that God is giving orders?

If we have sown [the good seed of] spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?

If others receive this right from you, are we not more deserving? But we have not made use of this right. Instead we endure everything so that we may not be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Do you not know that those who officiate in the sacred services of the temple eat from the temple [offerings of meat and bread] and those who regularly attend the altar have their share from the [offerings brought to the] altar?

In the [same] way also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the gospel to live from the gospel.

But I have used none of these things. Neither wrote I these things that it should be so done unto me. For it were better for me to die than any man should take this rejoicing from me.

For if I preached because [I personally decided] I wanted to, I could claim a reward. But if I did not preach from a personal decision to do so, then it would be because I was entrusted with the task [by God].

Then what is my reward? that preaching the gospel, I may render the gospel free from charge, in order that I may not use my right in the gospel.

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

To those who do not have the Law, I became like a man who does not have the Law in order to win those who do not have the Law. However, I am not free from God's Law, but I'm subject to the Messiah's law.

Every man that proveth masteries abstaineth from all things. And they do it to obtain a corruptible crown: but we to obtain an uncorruptible crown.

But I work out and get my body in shape [i.e., spiritually], so that after preaching to other people, I myself do not become disqualified [i.e., for winning the prize from God. See verse 24].

And they all had baptism from Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

and all [of them] drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

Now this took place as a warning for us, to keep us from craving for evil as they craved.

Therefore let the one who thinks he stands firm [immune to temptation, being overconfident and self-righteous], take care that he does not fall [into sin and condemnation].

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

I speak to you as man of discernment; form your own judgment about what I am saying.

Because [there is] one bread, [we] who [are] many are one body, for [we] all share from the one bread.

Look at the Israelis from a human point of view. Those who eat the sacrifices share in what is on the altar, don't they?

But if any one tells you, "This food has been offered in sacrifice;" abstain from eating it--out of respect for him who warned you, and, as before, for conscience' sake.

that is, for the sake of the other person's conscience, not your own. For why should my freedom [to eat what I want] be judged [as wrong] by another person's conscience? [Note: The questions in this and the following verse may mean, "it is not worth eating questionable things, if doing so would bring criticism from a weak brother"].

Do not [do what could] cause Jews, Greeks [i.e., Gentiles] or the church of God to fall [away from God].

I praise and appreciate you because you remember me in everything and you firmly hold to the traditions [the substance of my instructions], just as I have passed them on to you.

A man ought not to have his head covered, for he has been from the beginning 'the likeness of God' and the reflection of his glory, but woman is the reflection of man's glory.

For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man;

nor was the man copied from the woman: but the woman from the man.

but neither is a man apart from a woman, nor a woman apart from a man, in the Lord,

For as the woman originates from the man, so also man is born through the woman; and all things [whether male or female] originate from God [as their Creator].

For I received from the Lord, that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, in the night in which he was delivered up, took bread,

He did the same with the cup after the supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink from it, keep doing this in memory of me."

For every time that you eat this bread and drink from the cup, you are proclaiming the Lord's death--until He returns.

Whoever, therefore, in an unworthy manner, eats the bread or drinks from the cup of the Lord sins against the body and blood of the Lord.

But let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup.

For a person who eats and drinks without determining the significance of the body [of Jesus], [i.e., without showing proper reverence for Christ, as represented by the bread and cup (see verse 27), or without distinguishing this sacred memorial Supper from a common meal], eats and drinks judgment upon himself. [Note: Some apply "the body" in this verse to the church and explain it as a warning against failing to appreciate the unity that the Supper is intended to signify].

But when we are judged by the Lord, chastisement follows, to save us from being condemned along with the world.

But to every man some form of the Spirit's working is given for the common good.

another, from his union with the same Spirit receives faith, another, by one and the same Spirit, the ability to cure the sick,

another, the working of wonders, another, inspiration in preaching, another, the power of distinguishing the true Spirit from false ones, another, various ecstatic utterances, and another, the ability to explain them.

All these result from one and the same Spirit, who distributes his gifts to each individually as he wills.

For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ.

For, in fact, in one Spirit all of us--whether we are Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free men--were baptized to form but one body; and we were all nourished by that one Spirit.

And if I have a prophet's power, and have knowledge of all secret things; and if I have all faith, by which mountains may be moved from their place, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I should dole out everything I have for charity, and give my body up to torture in mere boasting pride, but have no love, I get from it no good at all.

[Love] conceals all [people's] faults; it believes [the best about] all people; it hopes [for the best in] all people; it endures [ill treatment from] all people.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, felt like a child, reasoned like a child: when I became a man, I put from me childish ways.

Now I wish that all of you spoke in unknown tongues, but even more [I wish] that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater [and more useful] than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he translates or explains [what he says], so that the church may be edified [instructed, improved, strengthened].

But, brethren, as things are, if I come to you speaking in 'tongues,' what benefit shall I confer on you, if the utterance is neither in the form of a revelation nor of additional knowledge nor of prophecy nor of teaching?

But if the sense of the voice is not clear to me, I am like a man from a strange country to him who is talking, and he will be the same to me.

What then? let my prayer be from the spirit, and equally from the mind; let my song be from the spirit, and equally from mind.

But if all prophesy, and any infidel or illiterate person come in, he receives conviction from all, he is judged of all:

What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?

If any one thinks that he has the gift of preaching or any other spiritual gift, let him recognize that what I am now saying to you is a command from the Lord.

So then, my brothers, let it be your chief desire to be prophets; but let no one be stopped from using tongues.

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the good news which I preached to you. You received it; you are standing firm in it;

through which also you are obtaining salvation, if you bear in mind the words in which I proclaimed it--unless indeed your faith has been unreal from the very first.

And he was put in the place of the dead; and on the third day he came back from the dead, as it says in the Writings;

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

But if there is no coming back from the dead, then Christ has not come back from the dead:

And if Christ did not come again from the dead, then our good news and your faith in it are of no effect.

Yes, and we are seen to be false witnesses of God; because we gave witness of God that by his power Christ came again from the dead: which is not true if there is no coming back from the dead.

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.