For we are God's co-workers. You are God's farmland and God's building.

You know that you are God's sanctuary and that God's Spirit lives in you, don't you?

If anyone destroys God's sanctuary, God will destroy him, for God's sanctuary is holy. And you are that sanctuary!

and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless."

We are fools for the Messiah's sake, but you are wise in the Messiah. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored.

We are hungry, thirsty, dressed in rags, brutally treated, and homeless, right up to the present.

But I will come to you soon if it's the Lord's will. Then I'll discover not only what these arrogant people are saying but also what power they have,

And you are being arrogant instead of being filled with grief and seeing to it that the man who did this is removed from among you.

In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are gathered together (and I am there in spirit), and the power of our Lord Jesus is there, too,

Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be a new batch of dough, since you are to be free from yeast. For the Messiah, our Passover, has been sacrificed.

I wrote to you in my letter to stop associating with people who are sexually immoral

not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, greedy, robbers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

After all, is it my business to judge outsiders? You are to judge those who are in the community, aren't you?

When one of you has a complaint against another, does he dare to take the matter before those who are unrighteous and not before the saints?

I say to those who are unmarried, especially to widows: It is good for them to remain like me.

For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified because of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

For even if there are "gods" in heaven and on earth (as indeed there are many so-called "gods" and "lords"),

But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are so accustomed to idolatry that when they eat food that has been offered to an idol, their conscience becomes contaminated because it is weak.

However, food will not bring us closer to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat food that has been offered to an idol, and no better off if we do.

But you must see to it that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block for those who are weak.

When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak consciences, you are sinning against the Messiah.

I am free, am I not? I am an apostle, am I not? I have seen Jesus our Lord, haven't I? You are the result of my work in the Lord, aren't you?

If I am not an apostle to other people, surely I am one to you, for you are the evidence of my apostolic authority from the Lord.

Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, because all of us eat from the same loaf.

or you'll provoke the Lord to jealousy, won't you? Are we stronger than he is?

For in the first place, I hear that when you gather as a church there are divisions among you, and I partly believe it.

Of course, there must be factions among you to show which of you are genuine!

That's why so many of you are weak and sick and a considerable number are dying.

Now, while we are being judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so we won't be condemned along with the world.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit,

and there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord.

There are varieties of results, but it is the same God who produces all the results in everyone.

So there are many parts, but one body.

On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are in fact indispensable,

and the parts of the body that we think are less honorable are treated with special honor, and we make our less attractive parts more attractive.

Now you are the Messiah's body and individual parts of it.

Not all are apostles, are they? Not all are prophets, are they? Not all are teachers, are they? Not all perform miracles, do they?

Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. If there are languages, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with.

There are, I suppose, many different languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.

Foreign languages, then, are meant to be a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers, while prophecy is meant, not for unbelievers, but for believers.

Now if the whole church gathers in the same place and everyone is speaking in foreign languages, when uneducated people or unbelievers come in, they will say that you are out of your mind, won't they?

The spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets,

As in all the churches of the saints, the women must keep silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak out, but must place themselves in submission, as the oral law also says.

Did God's word originate with you? Are you the only ones it has reached?

and by which you are also being saved if you hold firmly to the message I proclaimed to you unless, of course, your faith was worthless.

After that, he was seen by more than 500 brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.

In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God because we testified on God's behalf that he raised the Messiah whom he did not raise if in fact it is true that the dead are not raised.

For if the dead are not raised, then the Messiah has not been raised,

and if the Messiah has not been raised, your faith is worthless and you are still imprisoned by your sins.

Yes, even those who have died believing in the Messiah are lost.

Otherwise, what will those people do who are being baptized because of those who have died? If the dead are not raised at all, why are they being baptized because of them?

And why in fact are we being endangered every hour?

If I have fought with wild animals in Ephesus from merely human motives, what do I get out of it? If the dead are not raised, "Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come back?"

There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of those in heaven is of one kind, and that of those on earth is of another.

Those who are made of the dust are like the man from the dust; those who are heavenly are like the man who is from heaven.

because a door has opened wide for me to do effective work, although many people are opposing me.

who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God.

If we suffer, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are suffering.

For what we are writing you is nothing more than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely,

just as you have already understood us partially, so that on the Day of our Lord Jesus we can be your reason to boast, even as you are ours.

When I planned this, I did not do it lightly, did I? Are my plans so fickle that I can say "Yes" and "No" at the same time?

For all God's promises are "Yes" in him. And so through him we can say "Amen," to the glory of God.

It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.

so that we may not be outsmarted by Satan. After all, we are not unaware of his intentions.

To God we are the aroma of the Messiah among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost.

To some people we are a deadly fragrance, while to others we are a living fragrance. Who is qualified for this?

At least we are not commercializing God's word like so many others. Instead, we speak with sincerity in the Messiah's name, like people who are sent from God and are accountable to God.

Are we beginning to recommend ourselves again? Unlike some people, we do not need letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we?

You are our letter, written in our hearts and known and read by everyone.

You are demonstrating that you are the Messiah's letter, produced by our service, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

By ourselves we are not qualified to claim that anything comes from us. Rather, our credentials come from God,

As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit.

So if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are dying.

We are always carrying around the death of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our bodies.

While we are alive, we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our mortal bodies.

That's why we are not discouraged. No, even if outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are being renewed each and every day.

because we do not look for things that can be seen but for things that cannot be seen. For things that can be seen are temporary, but things that cannot be seen are eternal.

So while we are still in this tent, we sigh under our burdens, because we do not want to put it off but to put it on, so that our dying bodies may be swallowed up by life.

Therefore, we are always confident, and we know that as long as we are at home in this body we are away from the Lord.

We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from this body and to live with the Lord.

So whether we are at home or away from home, our goal is to be pleasing to him.

Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences.

We are not recommending ourselves to you again but are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who are proud of outward things rather than inward character.

So if we were crazy, it was for God; if we are sane, it is for you.

The love of the Messiah controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died.

Therefore, we are the Messiah's representatives, as though God were pleading through us. We plead on the Messiah's behalf: "Be reconciled to God!"

Since, then, we are working with God, we plead with you not to accept God's grace in vain.

Instead, in every way we demonstrate that we are God's servants by tremendous endurance in the midst of difficulties, hardships, and calamities;

We have spoken frankly to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are wide open.

What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said: "I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

I am not saying this to condemn you. I told you before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together.

See what great earnestness godly sorrow has produced in you! How ready you are to clear yourselves, how indignant, how alarmed, how full of longing and enthusiasm, how eager to seek justice! In every way you have demonstrated that you are innocent in this matter.

At the present time, your surplus fills their need, so that their surplus may fill your need. In this way things are fair.

More than that, he has also been selected by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this work of kindness for the glory of the Lord and as evidence of our eagerness to help.

We are trying to avoid any criticism of the way we are administering this great undertaking.

As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker on your behalf. Our brothers, emissaries from the churches, are bringing glory to the Messiah.

For I know how willing you are, and I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year, and your enthusiasm has stimulated most of them.

Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find out that you are not ready, we would be humiliated to say nothing of you in this undertaking.

Because your service in giving proves your love, you will be glorifying God as you obey what your confession of the Messiah's gospel demands, since you are generous in sharing with them and with everyone else.