to the church of God at Corinth, to those who are consecrated in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, as well as to all who, wherever they may be, invoke the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord no less than ours:

and to the very end he will guarantee that you are vindicated on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Chloe's people inform me that you are quarrelling.

Those who are doomed to perish find the story of the cross 'sheer folly,' but it means the power of God for those whom he saves.

Sage, scribe, critic of this world, where are they all? Has not God stultified the wisdom of the world?

but for those who are called, whether Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

God has chosen what is mean and despised in the world ??things which are not, to put down things that are;

We do discuss 'wisdom' with those who are mature; only it is not the wisdom of this world or of the dethroned Powers who rule this world,

The unspiritual man rejects these truths of the Spirit of God; to him they are 'sheer folly,' he cannot understand them. And the reason is, that they must be read with the spiritual eye.

For who ever understood the thoughts of the Lord, so as to give him instruction? No one. Well, our thoughts are Christ's thoughts.

I fed you with milk, not with solid food. You were not able for solid food, and you are not able even now;

you are still worldly. For with jealousy and quarrels in your midst, are you not worldly, are you not behaving like ordinary men?

When one cries, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," what are you but men of the world?

Who is Apollos? Who is Paul? They are simply used by God to give you faith, each as the Lord assigns his task.

Still, though planter and waterer are on the same level, each will get his own wage for the special work that he has done.

We work together in God's service; you are God's field to be planted, God's house to be built.

Do you not know you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells within you?

God will destroy anyone who would destroy God's temple, for God's temple is sacred ??and that is what you are.

This is how you are to look upon us, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's secret truths.

Now I have applied what has been said above to myself and Apollos, to teach you ... that you are not to be puffed up with rivalry over one teacher as against another.

For it seems to me that God means us apostles to come in at the very end, like the doomed gladiators in the arena! We are made a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men!

We, for Christ's sake, are 'fools'; you in Christ are sensible. We are weak, you are strong; you are honoured, we are in disrepute.

To this very hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and knocked about, we are waifs,

when defamed, we try to conciliate. To this hour we are treated as the scum of the earth, the very refuse of the world!

And yet you are puffed up! You ought much rather to be mourning the loss of a member! Expel the perpetrator of such a crime!

Clean out the old dough that you may be a fresh lump. For you are free from the old leaven; Christ our paschal lamb has been sacrificed.

What I now write is that you are not to associate with any so-called brother who is immoral or lustful or idolatrous or given to abuse or drink or robbery. Associate with him! Do not even eat with him!

Outsiders it is no business of mine to judge. No, you must judge those who are inside the church, for yourselves;

Do you not know the saints are to manage the world? If the world is to come under your jurisdiction, are you incompetent to adjudicate upon trifles?

Do you not know we are to manage angels, let alone mundane issues?

And yet, when you have mundane issues to settle, you refer them to the judgment of men who from the point of view of the church are of no account!

'All things are lawful for me'? Yes, but not all are good for me. 'All things are lawful for me'? Yes, but I am not going to let anything master me.

Do you not know your bodies are members of Christ? Am I to take Christ's members and devote them to a harlot? Never!

Do you not know your body is the temple of the holy Spirit within you ??the Spirit you have received from God? You are not your own,

To the unmarried and to widows I would say this: it is an excellent thing if like me they remain as they are.

For married people these are my instructions (and they are the Lord's, not mine). A wife is not to separate from her husband ??11 if she has separated, she must either remain single or be reconciled to him ??and a husband must not put away his wife.

Well, what I think is this: that, considering the imminent distress in these days, it would be an excellent plan for you to remain just as you are.

Are you tied to a wife? Never try to untie the knot. Are you free? Never try to get married.

Of course, if you are actually married, there is no sin in that; and if a maid marries, there is no sin in that. (At the same time those who marry will have outward trouble ??and I would spare you that.)

At the same time, if any man considers he is not behaving properly to the maid who is his spiritual bride, if his passions are strong and if it must be so, then let him do what he wants ??let them be married; it is no sin for him.

Thus both are right alike in marrying and in refraining from marriage, but he who does not marry will be found to have done 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.)

By sinning against the brotherhood in this way and wounding their weaker consciences, you are sinning against Christ.

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the work I have accomplished in the Lord?

To other people I may be no apostle, but to you I am, for you are the seal set upon my apostleship in the Lord.

What! are we the only ones, myself and Barnabas, who are denied the right of abstaining from work for our living?

so the Lord's instructions were that those who proclaim the gospel are to get their living by the gospel?

(for many as we are, we are one Bread, one Body, since we all partake of the one Bread).

What! do we intend to rouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he is?

'All things are lawful'? Yes, but not all are good for us. 'All things are lawful'? Yes, but not all are edifying.

But in giving you the following injunction I cannot commend you; for you are the worse, not the better, for assembling together.

There must be parties among you, if genuine Christians are to be recognized.

That is why many of you are ill and infirm, and a number even dead.

As it is, we are chastened when we are judged by him, so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

There are varieties of talents, but the same Spirit;

But all these effects are produced by one and the same Spirit, apportioning them severally to each individual as he pleases.

As it is, there are many members and one body.

Quite the contrary. We cannot do without those very members of the body which are considered rather delicate,

just as the parts we consider rather dishonourable are the very parts we invest with special honour; our indecorous parts get a special care and attention

Now you are Christ's Body, and severally members of it.

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?

Are all endowed with the gifts of healing? Are all able to speak in 'tongues'? Are all able to interpret?

There are ever so many kinds of language in the world, everyone of them meaning something.

Otherwise, suppose you are blessing God in the Spirit, how is the outsider to say 'Amen' to your thanksgiving? The man does not understand what you are saying!

Thus 'tongues' are intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; whereas prophesying is meant for believers, not for unbelievers.

Hence if at a gathering of the whole church everybody speaks with 'tongues,' and if outsiders or un believers come in, will they not say you are insane?

the secrets of his heart are brought to light, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God, declaring, 'God is really among you.'

women must keep quiet at gatherings of the church. They are not allowed to speak; they must take a subordinate place, as the Law enjoins.

You challenge this rule? Pray, did God's word start from you? Are you the only people it has reached?

the gospel by which you are saved ??provided you adhere to my statement of it ??unless indeed your faith was all haphazard.

Besides, we are detected bearing false witness to God by affirming of him that he raised Christ ??whom he did not raise, if after all dead men never rise.

and if Christ did not rise, your faith is futile, you are still in your sins.

Ah, if in this life we have nothing but a mere hope in Christ, we are of all men to be pitied most!

For he must reign until all his foes are put under his feet.

Get back to your sober senses and avoid sin, for some of you ??and I say this to your shame ??some of you are insensible to God.

There are heavenly bodies and also earthly bodies, but the splendour of the heavenly is one thing and the splendour of the earthly is another.

As Man the material is, so are the material; as Man the heavenly is, so are the heavenly.

Thus, as we have borne the likeness of material Man, so we are to bear the likeness of the heavenly Man.

Here is a secret truth for you: not all of us are to die, but all of us are to be changed ??52 changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet-call. The trumpet will sound, the dead will rise imperishable, and we shall be changed.

The chances are, I shall spend some time with you, possibly even pass the winter with you, so that you may speed me forward on any journey that lies before me.

for I have wide opportunities here for active service ??and there are many to thwart me.