To: God's church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah their Lord and ours.

Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

For the message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God's power to us who are being saved.

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe through the nonsense of our preaching.

but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is God's power and God's wisdom.

It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

Therefore, as it is written, "The person who boasts must boast in the Lord."

However, when we are among mature people, we do speak a message of wisdom, but not the wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, who are passing off the scene.

But as it is written, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him."

Is there anyone who can understand his own thoughts except his own inner spirit? In the same way, no one can know the thoughts of God except God's Spirit.

Now, we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we can understand the things that were freely given to us by God.

A person who isn't spiritual doesn't accept the things of God's Spirit, for they are nonsense to him. He can't understand them because they are spiritually evaluated.

For "Who has known the mind of the Lord so that he can advise him?" However, we have the mind of the Messiah.

Who is Apollos, anyhow? Or who is Paul? They're merely servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord gave to each of us his task.

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is significant, but God, who keeps everything growing, is the one who matters.

The one who plants and the one who waters have the same goal, and each will receive a reward for his own action.

For my conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who examines me.

For who makes you superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it?

You may have 10,000 mentors who work for the Messiah, but not many fathers. For in the Messiah Jesus I became your father through the gospel.

And you are being arrogant instead of being filled with grief and seeing to it that the man who did this is removed from among you.

Even though I am away from you physically, I am with you in spirit. I have already passed judgment on the man who did this, as though I were present with you.

I wrote to you in my letter to stop associating with people who are sexually immoral

not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, greedy, robbers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

After all, is it my business to judge outsiders? You are to judge those who are in the community, aren't you?

When one of you has a complaint against another, does he dare to take the matter before those who are unrighteous and not before the saints?

So if you have cases dealing with this life, why do you appoint as judges people who have no standing in the church?

I say this to make you feel ashamed. Has it come to this, that there is not one person among you who is wise enough to settle disagreements between brothers?

You know that the person who unites himself with a prostitute becomes one body with her, don't you? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."

But the person who unites himself with the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

Keep on running away from sexual immorality. Any other sin that a person commits is outside his body, but the person who sins sexually sins against his own body.

You know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, don't you? You do not belong to yourselves,

I say to those who are unmarried, especially to widows: It is good for them to remain like me.

I (not the Lord) say to the rest of you: If a brother has a wife who is an unbeliever and she is willing to live with him, he must not abandon her.

And if a woman has a husband who is an unbeliever and he is willing to live with her, she must not abandon him.

For the slave who has been called to belong to the Lord is the Lord's free person. In the same way, the free person who has been called is the Messiah's slave.

Now concerning virgins, although I do not have any command from the Lord, I will give you my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.

This is what I mean, brothers: The time is short. From now on, those who have wives should live as though they had none,

and those who mourn as though they did not mourn, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they did not own a thing,

and those who use the things in the world as though they were not dependent on them. For the world in its present form is passing away.

So then the man who marries the virgin acts appropriately, but the man who refrains from marriage does even better.

But anyone who loves God is known by him.

yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus the Messiah, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live.

But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block for those who are weak.

For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, who know better, eating in an idol's temple, he will be encouraged to eat what has been offered to idols, won't he?

In that case, the weak brother for whom the Messiah died is ruined by your knowledge.

This is my defense to those who would examine me:

Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to keep on working for a living?

Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its grapes? Or who takes care of a flock and does not drink any of its milk?

Isn't he really speaking for our benefit? Yes, this was written for our benefit, because the one who plows should plow in hope, and the one who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.

You know that those who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who serve at the altar get their share of its offerings, don't you?

In the same way, the Lord has ordered that those who proclaim the gospel should make their living from the gospel.

To those who do not have the Law, I became like a man who does not have the Law in order to win those who do not have the Law. However, I am not free from God's Law, but I'm subject to the Messiah's law.

Everyone who enters an athletic contest practices self-control in everything. They do it to win a wreath that withers away, but we run to win a prize that never fades.

Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the fact that all of our ancestors who left Egypt were under the cloud. They all went through the sea,

These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down as a warning for us in whom the culmination of the ages has been attained.

Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, because all of us eat from the same loaf.

Look at the Israelis from a human point of view. Those who eat the sacrifices share in what is on the altar, don't they?

However, if someone says to you, "This was offered as a sacrifice," don't eat it, both out of consideration for the one who told you and also for the sake of conscience.

Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head,

and every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, which is the same as having her head shaved.

You have homes in which to eat and drink, don't you? Or do you despise God's church and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this!

For this reason I want you to be aware that no one who is speaking by God's Spirit can say, "Jesus is cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

There are varieties of results, but it is the same God who produces all the results in everyone.

God has appointed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then those who perform miracles, those who have gifts of healing, those who help others, administrators, and those who speak various kinds of languages.

For the person who speaks in a foreign language is not actually speaking to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands him, because he is talking about secrets by the Spirit.

But the person who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding, encouragement, and comfort.

The person who speaks in a foreign language builds himself up, but the person who prophesies builds up the church.

Now I wish that all of you could speak in foreign languages, but especially that you could prophesy. The person who prophesies is more important than the person who speaks in a foreign language, unless he interprets it so that the church may be built up.

For example, if a bugle doesn't sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?

Therefore, the person who speaks in a foreign language should pray for the ability to interpret it.

If a revelation is made to another person who is seated, the first person should be silent.

After that, he was seen by more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.

In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God because we testified on God's behalf that he raised the Messiah whom he did not raise if in fact it is true that the dead are not raised.

Yes, even those who have died believing in the Messiah are lost.

But at this moment the Messiah stands risen from the dead, the first one offered in the harvest of those who have died.

However, this will happen to each person in the proper order: first the Messiah, then those who belong to the Messiah when he comes.

for "God has put everything under his feet." Now when he says, "Everything has been put under him," this clearly excludes the one who put everything under him.

But when everything has been put under him, then the Son himself will also become subject to the one who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

Otherwise, what will those people do who are being baptized because of those who have died? If the dead are not raised at all, why are they being baptized because of them?

Those who are made of the dust are like the man from the dust; those who are heavenly are like the man who is from heaven.

Just as we have borne the likeness of the man who was made from dust, we will also bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus the Messiah!

to submit yourselves to people like these and to anyone else who shares their labor and hard work.