I mean by this that one of you says, "I am a follower of Paul"; another, "I of Apollos"; another, "I of Cephas"; another, "I of Christ."

Sage, rabbi, skeptic of this present age??here are they all? Has not God made foolish the philosophy of the world?

For the philosophy of this world is foolishness in God's sight. It is written, He snares the wise in their own craftiness,

When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when defamed, we conciliate. We have been made, as it were, scum-o'-the-earth, the very refuse of the world, to this very hour!

I am not writing this to shame you, but to admonish you, as my beloved children.

With this in mind I have sent Timothy to you. He is my dear and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ; the manner in which I ever teach everywhere in every church.

Yet you are puffed up instead of mourning and removing from among you the man who has done this thing.

For I, although absent in body, yet present in spirit, have already passed sentence, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, on him who has done this thing.

Not that in this world you were actually to have no contact with the immoral, the avaricious, the thievish, or with idolaters; for then you would have to leave the world, altogether.

I say this to shame you. Is it so that there is not among you a single wise man, capable of deciding between a man and his brother?

I would that every one lived as I do; but each man has his own special gift from God, one this, another that.

It is in your own interest that I say this; not that I may entangle you in a snare, but that I may help you to serve the Lord with fitting and undistracted service.

But see to it lest this right of yours become a stumbling-block to the weak.

So he is lost, this weak man, lost by your "knowledge." this brother for whom Christ died.

This is my reply to my critics.

Am I saying this on human authority only, or does not the Law also say the same?

If others share this authority over you, do not I far more? Yet I have not availed myself of it, but am patiently enduring; so that I may not in any way hinder the progress of Christ's gospel.

But for my part, I have never availed myself of any of these rights. I do not say this to bring it about in my own case. I would rather die than let any one make void this boast of mine.

For if I do this of my own accord, I have my pay; but if unwilling, I have at least discharged my stewardship.

What then is my wage? This, that I can make the gospel free where I carry it; and that I can refrain from using my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

Now this happened as a warning for us, that we might not long for evil things as they longed.

But if any one tells you, "This food has been offered in sacrifice," do not eat it, for the sake of him who told you,

For this reason the woman ought to have authority over her head, because of her guardian angels.

Judge of this for your own selves. It is fitting that a woman should pray to God with her head unveiled.

What! Have you no houses in which to eat or drink? or do you wish to show your contempt for the church of God, and to shame those who have no homes to eat in? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I certainly do not praise you.

and when he had given thanks, he broke it, saying, "This is my body, broken for you; this do in memory of me."

In the same way also, he took the cup after supper, saying. "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in memory of me."

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming your Lord's death until he come.

This is why many among you are feeble and sickly, and many sleep.

So, my brothers, whenever you come together for this meal, wait for one another.

And we can see this, for in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jew or Gentile, whether slave or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Hotly pursue this love, yet seek earnestly spiritual gifts, and chiefly that you may prophesy.

In the Law it is written. With men of other tongues, and by the lips of strangers, will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.

for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. This custom prevails in all the churches of the saints.

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all mankind most pitiable.

I tell you this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor can corruption inherit incorruption.

For this corruptible must be clothed with incorruption, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality.

And when this mortal has been clothed with immortality, then will the words of Scripture come to pass, Death has been swallowed up in victory.

For I do not wish at this present time to see you merely in passing; but if the Lord permits, I hope to remain some time with you.

As for our Apollos, I have many times urged him to go to you with the others, but he was always unwilling to go to you at this time. He will come, however, whenever he has a good opportunity.

I beg you this, my brothers??ou know the household of Stephanus, that they were the first-fruits of Achaia, and that they devoted themselves to the service of the saints??16 so I want you also to show deference to such, and to every fellow worker, and laborer.