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.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.

but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.

But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,

My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a powerful demonstration by the Spirit,

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

However, we do speak a wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

But as it is written:

What eye did not see and ear did not hear,
and what never entered the human mind—
God prepared this for those who love Him.

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.

But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.

For

who has known the Lord’s mind,
that he may instruct Him?

But we have the mind of Christ.

Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

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.

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.

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

We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!

I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.

For you can have 10,000 instructors in Christ, but you can’t have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will know not the talk but the power of those who are inflated with pride.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

For though I am absent in body but present in spirit, I have already decided about the one who has done this thing as though I were present.

Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old yeast or with the yeast of malice and evil but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.

But God judges outsiders. Put away the evil person from among yourselves.

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.

“Food for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will do away with both of them. The body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

But anyone joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Run from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.” On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body.

But because sexual immorality is so common, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.

A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does.

I wish that all people were just like me. But each has his own gift from God, one person in this way and another in that way.

But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with desire.

I command the married—not I, but the Lord—a wife is not to leave her husband.

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

But I (not the Lord) say to the rest: If any brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not leave her.

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.

But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to live in peace.

Circumcision does not matter and uncircumcision does not matter, but keeping God’s commands does.

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.

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.

However, if you do get married, you have not sinned, and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But such people will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you.

But a married man is concerned about the things of the world—how he may please his wife—

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.

But he who stands firm in his heart (who is under no compulsion, but has control over his own will) and has decided in his heart to keep his own virgin, will do well.

So then he who marries his virgin does well, but he who does not marry will do better.

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 she is happier if she remains as she is, in my opinion. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

About food offered to idols: We know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up.

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

About eating food offered to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.”

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

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!

For if I do this willingly, I have a reward, but if unwillingly, I am entrusted with a stewardship.

To those who are without that law, like one without the law—not being without God’s law but within Christ’s law—to win those without the law.

Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.

Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away.

But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.

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!

“Everything is permissible,” but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up.

No one should seek his own good, but the good of the other person.

But if someone says to you, “This is food offered to an idol,” do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake.

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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But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.

But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved.

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.

A man, in fact, should not cover his head, because he is God’s image and glory, but woman is man’s glory.

For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man.

And man was not created for woman, but woman for man.

but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her as a covering.

But if anyone wants to argue about this, we have no other custom, nor do the churches of God.

Now in giving the following instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.

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

Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit.

There are different ministries, but the same Lord.

And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person.

But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.

So the body is not one part but many.

But now God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as He wanted.

But our presentable parts have no need of clothing. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable,

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

But desire the greater gifts. And I will show you an even better way.

If I speak human or angelic languages
but do not have love,
I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy
and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith
so that I can move mountains
but do not have love, I am nothing.

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.

Love finds no joy in unrighteousness
but rejoices in the truth.

Love never ends.
But as for prophecies,
they will come to an end;
as for languages, they will cease;
as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

But when the perfect comes,
the partial will come to an end.

For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
Now I know in part,
but then I will know fully,
as I am fully known.

Now these three remain:
faith, hope, and love.
But the greatest of these is love.

For the person who speaks in another language is not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit.

But the person who prophesies speaks to people for edification, encouragement, and consolation.

The person who speaks in another language builds himself up, but he who prophesies builds up the church.