For consider, brothers, the way God called you; that not many of you, in accordance with human standards, were wise, not many influential, not many of high birth.

Now when I came to you, brothers, I did not come and tell you God's uncovered secret in rhetorical language or human philosophy,

But, as the Scripture says, they are: "Things which eye has never seen and ear has never heard, and never have occurred to human hearts, which God prepared for those who love Him."

So I myself, brothers, could not deal with you as spiritual persons, but as creatures of human clay, as merely baby Christians.

for you are still unspiritual. For when there are still jealousy and wrangling among you, are you not still unspiritual and living by a human standard?

For when one says, "I belong to Paul's party," and another, "I belong to Apollos' party," are you not acting as mere human creatures?

As for me, myself, it is of very little concern to me to be examined by you or any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.

I am not saying this only by way of human illustrations, am I? Does not the law say so too?

Yes, indeed, though I am free from any human power, I have made myself a slave to everybody, to win as many as possible.

No temptation has taken hold of you but what is common to human nature. And God is to be trusted not to let you be tempted beyond your strength, but when temptation comes, to make a way out of it, so that you can bear up under it.

For just as the human body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts of the body, many as they are, constitute but one body, so it is with Christ.

If from merely human motives I have fought wild beasts here in Ephesus, what profit will it be to me? If the dead are never raised at all, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall be dead."