Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”

Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;

the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”;

Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.

To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless;

For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.

You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.

For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present.

I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world.

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?

So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church?

I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren,

On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.

But this I say by way of concession, not of command.

Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that.

Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches.

I think then that this is good in view of the present distress, that it is good for a man to remain as he is.

But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you.

But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none;

and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.

This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.

But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well.

However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

My defense to those who examine me is this:

If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.

But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience’ sake;

But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.

What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.

and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.

And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.

In the Law it is written, “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord.

But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.

If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.