True; it was because of their want of faith that they were broken off, and it is because of your faith that you are standing. Do not think too highly of yourself, but beware.

And they, too, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God has it in his power to graft them in again.

If you were cut off from your natural stock--a wild olive-- and were grafted, contrary to the course of nature, upon a good olive, much more will they--the natural branches--be grafted back into their parent tree.

And they shall see the fulfillment of my Covenant, when I have taken away their sins.'

From the stand-point of the Good News, the Jews are God's enemies on your account; but from the stand-point of God's selection, they are dear to him on account of the Patriarchs.

So, too, they have now become disobedient in your day of mercy, in order that they also in their turn may now find mercy.

For they are God's servants appointed for your good. But, if you do what is wrong, you may well be afraid; for the sword they carry is not without meaning! They are God's servants to inflict his punishments on those who do wrong.

But as Scripture says--'They to whom he had never been proclaimed shall see; and they who have never heard shall understand!'

Yes, they were glad to do so; and indeed it is a duty which they owe to them. For the Gentile converts who have shared their spiritual blessings are in duty bound to minister to them in the things of this world.

For such persons are not serving Christ, our Master, but are slaves to their own appetites; and, by their smooth words and flattery, they deceive simple-minded people.

To the Church of God in Corinth, to those who have been consecrated by union with Christ Jesus and called to become his People, and also to all, wherever they may be, who invoke the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Master and ours,

This philosophy is not known to any of the leaders of to-day; for, had they known it, they would not have crucified our glorified Lord.

Now what we look for in stewards is that they should be trustworthy.

But come to you I will, and that soon, if it please the Lord; and then I shall find out, not what words these men use who are so puffed up, but what power they possess;

But, if they cannot control themselves, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to be consumed with passion.

For, through his wife, the husband who is an unbeliever has become associated with Christ's People; and the wife who is an unbeliever has become associated with Christ's People through our Brother whom she has married. Otherwise your children would be 'defiled,' but, as it is, they belong to Christ's People.

What I mean, Brothers, is this-The time is short. Meanwhile, let those who have wives live as if they had none,

Every athlete exercises self-restraint in everything; they, indeed, for a crown that fades, we for one that is unfading.

That in the cloud and in the sea they all underwent baptism as followers of Moses;

And that they all ate the same supernatural food,

and all drank the same supernatural water, for they used to drink from a supernatural rock which followed them, and that rock was the Christ.

Yet with most of them God was displeased; for they were 'struck down in the desert.'

Nor let us try the patience of the Lord too far, as some of them tried it, with the result that they 'were, one after another, destroyed by the snakes.'

For I, also, try to please everybody in everything, not seeking my own advantage, but that of men in general, that they may be saved.

For just as the human body is one whole, and yet has many parts, and all its parts, many though they are, form but one body, so it is with the Christ;

If, however, they all made up only one part, where would the body be?

Even with inanimate things, such as a flute or a harp, though they produce sounds, yet unless the notes are quite distinct, how can the tune played on the flute or the harp be recognized?

If, however, I do not happen to know the language, I shall be a foreigner to those who speak it, and they will be foreigners to me.

It is said in the Law-'In strange tongues and by the lips of strangers will I speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.'

So, when the whole Church meets, if all present use the gift of 'tongues,' and some men who are without the gift, or who are unbelievers, come in, will not they say that you are mad?

If there is no one able to interpret what is said, they should remain silent at the meeting of the Church, and speak to themselves and to God.

At the meetings of the Church married women should remain silent, for they are not allowed to speak in public; they should take a subordinate place, as the Law itself directs.

If they want information on any point, they should ask their husbands about it at home; for it is unbecoming for a married woman to speak at a meeting of the Church.

Whether, then, it was I or whether it was they, this we proclaim, and this you believed.

Yes, and they, who have passed to their rest in union with Christ, perished!

Again, what good will they be doing who are baptized on behalf of the dead? If it is true that the dead do not rise, why are people baptized on their behalf?

Some one, however, may ask 'How do the dead rise? and in what body will they come?'

And, if it appears to be worth while for me to go also, they shall go with me.

I have another request to make of you, Brothers. You remember Stephanas and his household, and that they were the first-fruits gathered in from Greece, and set themselves to serve Christ's People.

I am glad Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus have come, for they have made up for your absence;

They have cheered my heart, and your hearts also. Recognize the worth of such men as these.

Men whose minds have been blinded by the God of this Age, unbelievers as they are, so that the light from the Good News of the glory of the Christ, who is the very incarnation of God, should not shine for them.

Therefore, because we know the fear inspired by the Lord, it is true that we are trying to win men, but our motives are plain to God; and I hope that in your inmost hearts they are plain to you also.

What agreement can thee be between a temple of God and idols? And we are a temple of the Living God. That is what God meant when he said--'I will dwell among them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

How, tired though they were by many a trouble, their overflowing happiness, and even their deep poverty, resulted in a flood of generosity.

And with many an appeal to us for permission, they showed their love, and contributed their share towards the fund for their fellow-Christians.

And that, not only in the way we had expected; but first they gave themselves to the Lord, and to us also, in accordance with God's will.

On the present occasion, what you can spare may supply their need, so that at another time what they can spare may supply your need, and thus matters may be equalized.

If I must say anything about Titus, he is my intimate companion, and he shares my work for you; if it is our Brothers, they are delegates of the Churches, an honor to Christ.

And they also, in their prayers for you, express their longing to see you, because of the surpassing love of God displayed toward you.

We have not indeed the audacity to class or compare ourselves with some of those who indulge in self-commendation! But, when such persons measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they show a want of wisdom.

What I am doing now I shall continue to do, that I may cut away the ground from under those who are wishing for some ground for attacking me, so that as regards the thing of which they boast they may appear in their true characters, just as we do.

Are they Hebrews? So am I! Are they Israelites? So am I! Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I!

Are they 'Servants of Christ'? Though it is madness to talk like this, I am more so than they! I have had more of toil, more of imprisonment! I have been flogged times without number. I have been often at death's door.

I am afraid lest, on my next visit, my God may humble me in regard to you, and that I may have to mourn over many who have long been sinning, and have not repented of the impurity, immorality, and sensuality, in which they have indulged.

All that they had heard was--'The man who once persecuted us is now telling the Good News of the very Faith of which he once made havoc.'

And they praised God on my account.

Of those who are thought somewhat highly of--what they once were makes no difference to me; God does not recognize human distinctions--those, I say, who are thought highly of added nothing to my Message.

On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the Gentiles, just as Peter had been for the Jews.

Recognizing the charge entrusted to me, James, Peter, and John, who were regarded as pillars of the Church, openly acknowledged Barnabas and me as fellow-workers, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.

Before certain persons came from James, he had been in the habit of eating with the Gentile converts; but, when they came, he began to withdraw and hold aloof, for fear of offending those who still held to circumcision.

But, when I saw that they were not dealing straightforwardly with the Truth of the Good News, I said to Peter, before them all, "If you, who were born a Jew, adopt Gentile customs, instead of Jewish, why are you trying to compel the Gentile converts to adopt Jewish customs?"

Certain people are seeking your favor, but with no honorable object. No, indeed, they want to isolate you, so that you will have to seek their favor.

For these cravings of our earthly nature conflict with the Spirit, and the Spirit with our earthly nature--they are two contrary principles--so that you cannot do what you wish.

The sins of our earthly nature are unmistakable. They are sins like these--unchastity, impurity, indecency,

Those who wish to appear to advantage in regard to outward observances are the very people who are trying to compel you to be circumcised; and they do it only to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Jesus, the Christ.

Even these men who are circumcised do not themselves keep the Law; yet they want you to be circumcised, so that they may boast of your observance of the rite.

May all who rule their conduct by this principle find peace and mercy--they who are the Israel of God.

That, by union with Christ Jesus and through the Good News, the Gentiles are co-heirs with us and members of one Body, and that they share with us in God's Promise.

Therefore I beg you not to be disheartened at the sufferings that I am undergoing for your sakes; for they redound to your honor.

Lost to all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, in order to practice every kind of impurity without restraint.

Never let any foul word pass your lips, but only such good words as the occasion demands, that they may be a help to those who hear them.

Nor shameful conduct, nor foolish talk or jesting, for they are wholly out of place among you; but rather thanksgiving.

That is how husbands ought to love their wives--as if they were their own bodies. A man who loves his wife is really loving himself;

They are all pursuing their own aims and not those of Christ Jesus.

The end of such men is Ruin; for their appetites are their God, and they glory in their shame; their minds are given up to earthly things.

Yes, and I ask you, my true comrade, to help them, remembering that they toiled by my side in spreading the Good News; and so, too, did Clement and my other fellow-workers, whose names are 'in the Book of Life.'

In the hope that they, being bound to one another by love, and keeping in view the full blessedness of a firm conviction, may be encouraged to strive for a perfect knowledge of God's hidden Truth,

Fathers, never irritate your children, lest they should become disheartened.

Those who do wrong will reap the wrong they have done; and there will be no partiality.

With him will be Onesimus, our dear faithful Brother, who is one of yourselves. They will tell you all that is going on here.

The men who killed both the Lord Jesus and the Prophets, and persecuted us also. They do not try to please God, and they are enemies to all mankind,

For they would prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles with a view to their Salvation, and thus are always 'filling up the measure of their iniquity.' But the Wrath of God has come upon them to the full!

to the ruin of those who are on the path to destruction, because they have never received and loved the Truth to their own Salvation.

And it is because they have not aimed at these things that the attention of certain people has been diverted to unprofitable subjects.

They want to be Teachers of the Law, and yet do not understand either the words they use, or the subjects on which they speak so confidently.

with faith, and with a clear conscience; and it is because they have thrust this aside, that, as regards the Faith, some have wrecked their lives.

Hymenaeus and Alexander are instances--the men whom I delivered over to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

But women will find their salvation in motherhood, if they never abandon faith, love, or holiness, and behave with modesty.

They should be tested first, and only appointed to their Office if no objection is raised against them.

It should be the same with the women. They should be serious, not gossips, sober, and trustworthy in all respects.

Those who have filled that post with honour gain for themselves an honorable position, as well as great confidence through the faith that they place in Christ Jesus.

and they discourage marriage and enjoin abstinence from certain kinds of food; though God created these foods to be enjoyed thankfully by those who hold the Faith and have attained a full knowledge of the Truth.

But you should exclude the younger widows from the list; for, when they grow restive under the yoke of the Christ, they want to marry,

and so they bring condemnation upon themselves for having broken their previous promise.

And not only that, but they learn to be idle as they go about from house to house. Nor are they merely idle, but they also become gossips and busy-bodies, and talk of what they ought not.

Those who have Christian masters should not think less of them because they are their Brothers, but on the contrary they should serve them all the better, because those who are to benefit by their good work are dear to them as their fellow Christians. Those are the things to insist upon in your teaching.

storing up for themselves what in the future will prove to be a good foundation, that they may gain the only true Life.

and that is why I submit to anything for the sake of God's People, that they also may obtain the Salvation which comes from union with Christ Jesus, and imperishable glory.

They have gone completely astray as regards the Truth; they say that a resurrection has already taken place, and so upset some people's faith.