Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosthenes our brother:

that by Him you were enriched in everything—in all speech and all knowledge.

God is faithful; you were called by Him into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.

For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe’s household, that there is rivalry among you.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.

so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.

Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.

We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.

The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone.

According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it.

each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.

If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.

In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one of them be found faithful.

It is of little importance to me that I should be evaluated by you or by any human court. In fact, I don’t even evaluate myself.

For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. The One who evaluates me is the Lord.

Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over another.

Therefore I urge you to imitate me.

And you are inflated with pride, instead of filled with grief so that he who has committed this act might be removed from your congregation.

turn that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord.

Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch. You are indeed unleavened, for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.

I did not mean the immoral people of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world.

Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases?

I say this to your shame! Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers?

Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather be cheated?

Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality,

And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

“Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything.

God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

But if she does leave, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband—and a husband is not to leave his wife.

For the unbelieving husband is set apart for God by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is set apart for God by the husband. Otherwise your children would be corrupt, but now they are set apart for God.

Were you called while a slave? It should not be a concern to you. But if you can become free, by all means take the opportunity.

For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ’s slave.

About virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I do give an opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.

Therefore I consider this to be good because of the present distress: It is fine for a man to remain as he is.

Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

And I say this, brothers: The time is limited, so from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none,

those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,

I want you to be without concerns. An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord.

and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.

Now I am saying this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but because of what is proper and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.

But if any man thinks he is acting improperly toward his virgin, if she is past marriageable age, and so it must be, he can do what he wants. He is not sinning; they can get married.

A wife is bound as long as her husband is living. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to anyone she wants—only in the Lord.

But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak.

For if someone sees you, the one who has this knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols?

Then the weak person, the brother for whom Christ died, is ruined by your knowledge.

Don’t we have the right to be accompanied by a Christian wife like the other apostles, the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas?

In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.

But I have used none of these rights, and I have not written this to make it happen that way for me. For it would be better for me to die than for anyone to deprive me of my boast!

To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.

Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes.

Nor should we complain as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer.

So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to participate with demons!

I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged by another person’s conscience?

just as I also try to please all people in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, so that they may be saved.

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Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

So if a woman’s head is not covered, her hair should be cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should be covered.

There must, indeed, be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you.

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord.

If we were properly evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged,

but when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned with the world.

Now concerning what comes from the Spirit: brothers, I do not want you to be unaware.

Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

to one is given a message of wisdom
through the Spirit,
to another, a message of knowledge
by the same Spirit,

to another, faith by the same Spirit,
to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

And if they were all the same part, where would the body be?

But even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary.

And those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have a better presentation.

so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other.

And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor,
and if I give my body in order to boast
but do not have love, I gain nothing.

I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

Even inanimate things that produce sounds—whether flute or harp—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized?

In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air.

Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me.

For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up.

Brothers, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking.

It is written in the law:

I will speak to these people
by people of other languages
and by the lips of foreigners,
and even then, they will not listen to Me,

says the Lord.

But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all.

The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”

What then is the conclusion, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, another language, or an interpretation. All things must be done for edification.

If any person speaks in another language, there should be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and someone must interpret.

But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent.

For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged.

the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be submissive, as the law also says.

But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored.

Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in other languages.

But everything must be done decently and in order.

You are also saved by it, if you hold to the message I proclaimed to you—unless you believed for no purpose.

For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me.

In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised.

If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.