I mean this, that every one of you says either 'I follow Paul,' or 'I Apollos,' or 'I Kephas,' or 'I Christ.'

So that no one can say that you were baptized into my Faith.

For Scripture says-'I will bring the philosophy of the philosophers to nought, and the shrewdness of the shrewd I will make of no account.'

When one says 'I follow Paul,' and another 'I follow Apollos,' are not you like other men?

And it says again-'The Lord sees how fruitless are the deliberations of the wise.'

But, as things are, I say that you are not to associate with any one who, although a Brother in name, is immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or abusive, or a drunkard, or grasping-no, not even to sit at table with such people.

Do not you know that we are to try angels-to say nothing of the affairs of this life?

I say this, however, as a concession, not as a command.

To all others I say-I, not the Master-If a Brother is married to a woman, who is an unbeliever but willing to live with him, he should not divorce her;

I say this for your own benefit, not with any intention of putting a halter round your necks, but in order to secure for the Master seemly and constant devotion, free from all distraction.

Am I, in all this, speaking only from the human standpoint? Does not the Law also say the same?

Do not become idolaters, as some of them became. Scripture says-'The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to dance.'

No; what I say is that the sacrifices offered by the Gentiles 'are offered to demons and to a Being who is no God,' and I do not want you to share with demons.

But, if any one should say to you 'This has been offered in sacrifice to an idol,' then, for the sake of the speaker and his scruples, do not eat it.

I do not say 'your' scruples, but 'his.' For why should the freedom that I claim be condemned by the scruples of another?

Have you no houses in which you can eat and drink? Or are you trying to show your contempt for the Church of God, and to humiliate the poor? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this matter I cannot praise you.

Therefore I tell you plainly that no one who speaks under the influence of the Spirit of God says 'JESUS IS ACCURSED,' and that no one can say 'JESUS IS LORD,' except under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

If the foot says 'Since I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it does not on that account cease to belong to the body.

Or if the ear says 'Since I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' it does not on that account cease to belong to the body.

The eye cannot say to the hand 'I do not need you,' nor, again, the head to the feet 'I do not need you.'

And so with you; unless, in using the gift of 'tongues,' you utter intelligible words, how can what you say be understood? You will be speaking to the winds!

If you bless God with your spirit only, how can the man in the congregation who is without your gift say 'Amen' to your thanksgiving? He does not know what you are saying!

It is said in the Law-'In strange tongues and by the lips of strangers will I speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.'

So, when the whole Church meets, if all present use the gift of 'tongues,' and some men who are without the gift, or who are unbelievers, come in, will not they say that you are mad?

Now, if it is proclaimed of Christ that he has been raised from the dead, how is it that some of you say that there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead?

This I say, Brothers-Flesh and blood can have no share in the Kingdom of God, nor can the perishable share the imperishable.