Now I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know if I baptized anyone else.

The Message of the Cross is indeed mere folly to those who are in the path to Ruin, but to us who are in the path of Salvation it is the very power of God.

We are proclaiming Christ crucified!-to the Jews an obstacle, to the Gentiles mere folly,

The merely intellectual man rejects the teaching of the Spirit of God; for to him it is mere folly; he cannot grasp it, because it is to be understood only by spiritual insight.

However, brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as to spiritual people, but [only] as to worldly people [dominated by human nature], mere infants [in the new life] in Christ!

For I fed you with milk, not with solid food [i.e., with basic fundamentals instead of more advanced teaching. See Heb. 5:12-13] because you were not able to absorb it,

You are still worldly [controlled by ordinary impulses, the sinful capacity]. For as long as there is jealousy and strife and discord among you, are you not unspiritual, and are you not walking like ordinary men [unchanged by faith]?

For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?

Then what is Apollos? Or what is Paul? Mere servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord gave each of us his task.

If any one is marring the Sanctuary of God, him will God mar; for the Sanctuary of God is holy, which you all are.

For this world's wisdom is mere nonsense to God. For the Scripture says, "He who catches the wise with their own cunning,"

So then, no more boasting about mere mortals! For everything belongs to you,

Now I have applied these things, brothers, to myself and to Apollos as an illustration for your benefit, so that you might learn to "follow the written message." [Note: This is thought to have been a common way of referring, in that day, to the importance of adhering to Old Testament Scripture]. So, none of you should be more proud of one [leader] than of another.

[You behave as if] you are already filled [with spiritual wisdom and in need of nothing more]. Already you have become rich [in spiritual gifts]! You [in your conceit] have ascended your thrones and become kings without us; and how I wish [that it were true and] that you did reign as kings, so that we might reign with you.

We, for Christ's sake, are labeled as "foolish"; you, as Christians, are men of shrewd intelligence. We are mere weaklings: you are strong. You are in high repute: we are outcasts.

when slandered, we try to conciliate. We have come to be regarded as the mere dirt and filth of the world--the refuse of the universe, even to this hour.

For even if you had ten thousand teachers in Christ, you have not more than one father: for in Christ Jesus I have given birth to you through the good news.

Some swell, as though I would come no more at you:

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people??10 not that you are to have nothing whatever to do with the immoral people of the world, any more than with its greedy and grasping people or idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world altogether.

not that in this world you are to keep wholly aloof from such as they, any more than from people who are avaricious and greedy of gain, or from worshippers of idols. For that would mean that you would be compelled to go out of the world altogether.

Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

How much more things pertaining to this life? If then ye have any controversies of things pertaining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are of no esteem in the church?

To say no more, then, it is altogether a defect in you that you have law-suits with one another. Why not rather endure injustice? Why not rather submit to being defrauded?

or thieves or greedy graspers for more or drunkards or slanderers or swindlers will not have a share in the kingdom of God.

Defraud not one another, except it may be by consent occasionally, that ye may have more leisure for fasting and prayer; and come together again, lest Satan tempt you through your incontinence.

But I am saying this as a concession, not as a command.

Though, if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned: such however will probably have more trouble in life: but I spare you.

But in my opinion a widow is happier if she stays as she is. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God [in this matter].

Now about food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge [concerning this]. Knowledge [alone] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that unselfishly seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom].

But food does not bring us close to God. For neither if we eat do we have more, nor if we do not eat do we lack.

If indeed meat causes my brother to stumble, I never eat any more meat, in order that I may not lay a stumblingblock in the way of my brother.

If others partake of this right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right; but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

What I am proud of is not the mere preaching of the gospel; that I am constrained to do. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

I get a reward if I do it of my own accord, whereas to do it otherwise is no more than for a steward to discharge his trust.

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

No trial has come upon you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tried more than you are able to bear; but he will, with the trial, make a way to escape, so that you be able to bear up under it.

Therefore, my beloved, run [keep far, far away] from [any sort of] idolatry [and that includes loving anything more than God, or participating in anything that leads to sin and enslaves the soul].

(Of course, in the Lord, woman does not exist apart from man, any more than man apart from woman;

But in giving you these instructions, I have a criticism to make [about you people]. It is that your assemblies are doing more harm than good.

Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:

But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

If I have the ability to speak in the languages of human beings and angels [Note: Perhaps the idea is supernaturally and eloquently], but do not have love [for people], I have become [no more than] a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I should dole out everything I have for charity, and give my body up to torture in mere boasting pride, but have no love, I get from it no good at all.

Though the prophet's word may come to an end, tongues come to nothing, and knowledge have no more value, love has no end.

Pursue love, and be zealous for the spiritual things, but more that ye may prophesy.

and I wish you all to speak with tongues, and more that ye may prophecy, for greater is he who is prophesying than he who is speaking with tongues, except one may interpret, that the assembly may receive edification.

I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:

Brothers, do not be children in the sphere of intelligence; in evil be mere infants, but be mature in your intelligence.

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:

And let the prophets give their words, but not more than two or three, and let the others be judges of what they say.

After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep [in death].

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

and if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is empty talk, and your faith even meer amusement.

Nay more, we are actually being discovered to be bearing false witness about God, because we have testified that God raised Christ to life, whom He did not raise, if in reality none of the dead are raised.

and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless and powerless [mere delusion]; you are still in your sins [and under the control and penalty of sin].

More than that: those who have slept the sleep of death in Christ have perished after all.

If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.

Else what will they do who are baptised? for the dead, if wholly dead they rise no more. Why are they then baptised for the dead?

If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

Be sober-minded [be sensible, wake up from your spiritual stupor] as you ought, and stop sinning; for some [of you] have no knowledge of God [you are disgracefully ignorant of Him, and ignore His truths]. I say this to your shame.

And when you sow, you sow not the body that will be, but a mere grain-perhaps of wheat, or something else.

Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].

I do not want to see you right now in a mere stop-over visit, for later I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits me.