What I mean is this, that each one of you says, "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?

God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,

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

None of the rulers of this age understood it; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

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

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness";

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not acquitted by this. It is the Lord who judges me.

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

I do not write this to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

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.

And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to have mourned? Let the one who has done this be removed from your midst.

For though I am absent in body, I am present in spirit, and have already passed judgment on the one who has committed this, as if I were present.

you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

not at all meaning the immoral people of this world, or with the greedy 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!

I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between his brethren,

Instead, you yourselves defraud and do wrong, and you even do this to your brethren.

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

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

Only, let each one lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have troubles in this flesh, and I am trying to spare you.

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 good and to secure undivided devotion to the Lord.

But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has control over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well.

However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, being accustomed to idols, eat food as really 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.

And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.

This is my defense to those who would examine me.

Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Does not the Law say the same thing?

If others share this right of support from you, do not we all the more? Nevertheless, we did not make use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.

But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting.

For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if it is not of my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me.

What then is my reward? Just this: that in my preaching I may offer the gospel free of charge, and so not make full use of my right in the gospel.

But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who informed you and for conscience' sake

What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? No, I will not.

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.

In the law it is written, "By men of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord."

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

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

Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

Now I tell you 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.

I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.