I am always thanking God about you, for the blessing God has given you through Christ Jesus.

What I mean is this, that one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul," another, "And I, of Apollos," another, "And I, of Cephas," and another, "And I, of Christ!"

I am thankful that I never baptized any of you except Crispus and Gaius,

So, for my part, brothers, I could not treat you as spiritual persons; I had to treat you just as creatures of flesh and blood, as babies in Christian living.

For when one man says, "I am a follower of Paul," and another, "I am a follower of Apollos," are you not simply human?

For while my conscience does not trouble me at all, that does not prove that I am innocent. It is the Lord who must examine me.

Some of you seem to think that I am not coming to visit you, and are putting on airs about it.

But I am coming very soon to see you, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out, not what these conceited people have to say, but what they can actually do.

I may do anything I please, but not everything I may do is good for me. I may do anything I please; but I am not going to let anything master me.

A wife cannot do as she likes with her own person; it is her husband's; and in the same way a husband cannot do as he likes with his own person; it is his wife's.

I should like to have everyone be just as I am myself; but each one has his own special gift from God, one of one kind, and one of another.

To all who are unmarried and to widows, I would say this: It is an excellent thing if they can remain single as I am.

If I am not an apostle to other people, I certainly am one to you, for you yourselves, in your relation to the Lord, are the certificate of my apostleship.

But I have not availed myself of any of these rights. And I am not writing this now so that I may become an illustration of this; I had rather die than do that. No one shall deprive me of this boast of mine.

As far as preaching the good news is concerned, that is nothing for me to boast of, for I cannot help doing it. For I am ruined if I do not preach.

For if I do it of my own accord, I have my pay, but if I do it because I must, it is still a responsibility that I am charged with.

Though I am free from anyone's control, I have made myself everyone's slave, so as to win over all the more.

To the Jews I have become like a Jew, to win Jews over; to men under the Law I have become like a man under the Law, though I am not myself under the Law, so as to win over those who are under the Law.

To those who have no law I have become like a man without any law??hough I am not without the law of God, but under the law of Christ??o as to win over those who are without any law.

It is no superhuman temptation that you have had. And God can be depended on, not to let you be tried beyond your strength, but when temptation comes, to give you a way out of it, so that you can withstand it.

You must follow my example in this, as I am following Christ's.

But while I am on this subject, I cannot approve of your meetings, because they are doing you more harm than good.

If the foot says, "As I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," that does not make it any less a part of the body.

And if the ear says, "As I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," that does not make it any less a part of the body.

I will show you a far better way. If I can speak the languages of men and even of angels, but have no love, I am only a noisy gong or a clashing cymbal.

If I am inspired to preach and know all the secret truths and possess all knowledge, and if I have such perfect faith that I can move mountains, but have no love, I am nothing.

If anyone claims to be inspired to preach, or to have any other spiritual endowment, let him understand that what I am now writing you is a command from the Lord.

For I passed on to you, as of first importance, the account I had received, that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures foretold,

For I am the least important of the apostles, and am not fit to be called an apostle, because I once persecuted God's church.

But by God's favor I have become what I am, and the favor he showed me has not gone for nothing, but I have worked harder than any of them, although it was not really I but the favor God showed me.

I will tell you a secret. We shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed,

in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised free from decay, and we shall be changed.

I will come to you after passing through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia,

If Timothy reaches you, put him at his ease among you, for he is devoted to the Lord's work, just as I am.

So no one is to slight him. But see him off cordially when he comes back to me, for I am expecting him with the other brothers.

And I am glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here, for they have made up for your absence.