And I was weak, apprehensive and fearful when I was [there] with you. [Note: This probably refers to Paul's sense of inadequacy in view of the task before him].

We are made fools of, for the sake of Christ, while you are men of sense, through being united with him. We are weak, you are strong. You are distinguished, we are despised.

But the sense of my letter was that if a brother had the name of being one who went after the desires of the flesh, or had the desire for other people's property, or was in the way of using violent language, or being the worse for drink, or took by force what was not his, you might not keep company with such a one, or take food with him.

Am I saying these things only on the basis of common sense, or does the law not say this as well?

I am speaking to men of sense; do you yourselves judge what I say.

But if anyone says to you, This food has been used as an offering, do not take it, on account of him who said it, and on account of his sense of right and wrong:

Right and wrong, I say, not for you, but for the other man; for the fact that I am free is not dependent on another man's sense of right or wrong.

Does not common sense itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him,

For he who eats and drinks without a proper sense of the Body, eats and drinks to his own condemnation.

And to another the power of working wonders; and to another the prophet's word; and to another the power of testing spirits; to another different sorts of tongues; and to another the power of making clear the sense of the tongues:

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?

Are all able to take away disease? have all the power of tongues? are all able to give their sense?

For he who makes use of tongues is not talking to men but to God; because no one has the sense of what he is saying; but in the Spirit he is talking of secret things.

Now though it is my desire for you all to have the power of tongues, it would give me more pleasure to be hearing the prophet's word from you; for this is a greater thing than using tongues, if the sense is not given at the same time, for the good of the church.

So if you, in using a strange tongue, say words which have no sense, how will anyone take in what you are saying? for you will be talking to the air.

There are, it may be, a number of different voices in the world, and no voice is without sense.

But if the sense of the voice is not clear to me, I am like a man from a strange country to him who is talking, and he will be the same to me.

For this reason, let the man who has the power of using tongues make request that he may, at the same time, be able to give the sense.

But in the church it would be better for me to make use of five words of which the sense was clear, so that others might have profit, than ten thousand words in a strange tongue.

My brethren, be not children in sense: but in malice be infants, and in your judgements shew yourselves to be men.

What is it then, my brothers? when you come together everyone has a holy song, or a revelation, or a tongue, or is giving the sense of it. Let everything be done for the common good.

If any man makes use of a tongue, let it not be more than two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let someone give the sense:

But if there is no one to give the sense, let him keep quiet in the church; and let his words be to himself and to God.

Return to your sober sense as you ought, and stop sinning, for some of you are utterly ignorant about God. To your shame I say so.