Therefore I consider this to be good because of the present distress: It is fine for a man to remain as he is.

However, if you do get married, you have not sinned, and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But such people will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you.

And I say this, brothers: The time is limited, so from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none,

and those who use the world as though they did not make full use of it. For this world in its current form is passing away.

Now I am saying this for your own benefit, not to put a restraint on you, but because of what is proper and so that you may be devoted to the Lord without distraction.

However, not everyone has this knowledge. In fact, some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food offered to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak.

For if someone sees you, the one who has this knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols?

Now when you sin like this against the brothers and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ.

My defense to those who examine me is this:

Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing?

Or isn’t He really saying it for us? Yes, this is written for us, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes should do so in hope of sharing the crop.

If others have this right to receive benefits from you, don’t we even more?

However, we have not made use of this right; instead we endure everything so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ.

But I have used none of these rights, and I have not written this to make it happen that way for me. For it would be better for me to die than for anyone to deprive me of my boast!

For if I do this willingly, I have a reward, but if unwillingly, I am entrusted with a stewardship.

Now I do all this because of the gospel, so I may become a partner in its benefits.

But if someone says to you, “This is food offered to an idol,” do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake.

This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

But if anyone wants to argue about this, we have no other custom, nor do the churches of God.

Don’t you have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you look down on the church of God and embarrass those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you for this!

gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by 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.

So a man should examine himself; in this way he should eat the bread and drink from the cup.

This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep.

If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body.

And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” in spite of this it still belongs to the body.

It is written in the law:

I will speak to these people
by people of other languages
and by the lips of foreigners,
and even then, they will not listen to Me,

says the Lord.

But if anyone ignores this, he will be ignored.

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

Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame.

Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption.

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

When this corruptible is clothed
with incorruptibility,
and this mortal is clothed
with immortality,
then the saying that is written will take place:
Death has been swallowed up in victory.

This greeting is in my own hand—Paul.

For this is our confidence: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly wisdom but by God’s grace.

I planned with this confidence to come to you first, so you could have a double benefit,

So when I planned this, was I irresponsible? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human way so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” simultaneously?

In fact, I made up my mind about this: I would not come to you on another painful visit.

I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn’t have pain from those who ought to give me joy, because I am confident about all of you that my joy will also be yours.

As a result, you should instead forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, this one may be overwhelmed by excessive grief.

I wrote for this purpose: to test your character to see if you are obedient in everything.

To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life. And who is competent for this?

We have this kind of confidence toward God through Christ.

In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it.

but their minds were closed. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ.

Even to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts,

We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up.

In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.

Indeed, everything is for your benefit, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving to increase to God’s glory.

Indeed, we groan in this body, desiring to put on our dwelling from heaven,

Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life.

And the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died.

I don’t say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to live together and to die together.

For consider how much diligence this very thing—this grieving as God wills—has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter.

For this reason we have been comforted.

In addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.

So we urged Titus that just as he had begun, so he should also complete this grace to you.

Now as you excel in everything—faith, speech, knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love for us—excel also in this grace.

I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.

Now I am giving an opinion on this because it is profitable for you, who a year ago began not only to do something but also to desire it.

And not only that, but he was also appointed by the churches to accompany us with this gift that is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help.

We are taking this precaution so no one can criticize us about this large sum administered by us.

Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.

They will glorify God for your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with others through the proof provided by this service.

Look at what is obvious. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to Christ, so do we.

Such a person should consider this: What we are in the words of our letters when absent, we will be in actions when present.

As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia.

What I say in this matter of boasting, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but foolishly.

I say this to our shame: We have been weak.

But in whatever anyone dares to boast—I am talking foolishly—I also dare:

I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I don’t know, God knows—

I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses.

Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me.

So in what way were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I personally did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

Now I am ready to come to you this third time. I will not burden you, for I am not seeking what is yours, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

This is the third time I am coming to you. Every fact must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

In fact, we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. We also pray that you become fully mature.

This is why I am writing these things while absent, that when I am there I will not use severity, in keeping with the authority the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.

who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.

This issue arose because of false brothers smuggled in, who came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.

I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing with faith?

And I say this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not revoke a covenant that was previously ratified by God and cancel the promise.

Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed.

The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith.

But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

What happened to this sense of being blessed you had? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.

These things are illustrations, for the women represent the two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar.

This persuasion did not come from the One who called you.

For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.

Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

May peace come to all those who follow this standard, and mercy to the Israel of God!

This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

He demonstrated this power in the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens—

far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient.

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—

He did this so that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it.