For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the Law as follows: "The person who obeys these things will find life by them."

But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do not say in your heart, "Who will go up to heaven?' (that is, to bring the Messiah down),

or "Who will go down into the depths?' (that is, to bring the Messiah back from the dead)."

The Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will never be ashamed."

There is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, who gives richly to all who call on him.

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are those who bring the good news!"

But not everyone has obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah asks, "Lord, who has believed our message?"

Again I ask, "Did Israel not understand?" Moses was the first to say, "I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that doesn't understand."

And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who were not looking for me; I was revealed to those who were not asking for me."

God has not rejected his people whom he chose long ago. Do you not know what the Scripture says in the story about Elijah, when he pleads with God against Israel?

But what was the divine reply to him? "I have reserved for myself 7,000 people who have not knelt to worship Baal."

Consider, then, the kindness and severity of God: his severity toward those who fell, but God's kindness toward you if you continue receiving his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off.

Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his advisor?

Or who has given him something only to have him pay it back?"

Bless those who persecute you. Keep on blessing them, and never curse them.

Rejoice with those who are rejoicing. Cry with those who are crying.

so that whoever resists the authorities opposes what God has established, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for it is not without reason that they bear the sword. Indeed, they are God's servants to administer punishment to anyone who does wrong. Therefore, it is necessary for you to be acquiescent to the authorities, not only for the sake of God's punishment, but also for the sake of your own conscience.

Pay everyone whatever you owe them taxes to whom taxes are due, tolls to whom tolls are due, fear to whom fear is due, honor to whom honor is due.

Do not owe anyone anything except to love one another. For the one who loves another has fulfilled the Law.

Let's behave decently, as people who live in the light of day. No wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, quarreling, or jealousy!

Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of arguing over differences of opinion.

The person who eats any kind of food must not ridicule the person who does not eat them, and the person who does not eat certain foods must not criticize the person who eats them, for God has accepted him.

Who are you to criticize someone else's servant? He stands or falls before his own Lord and stand he will, because the Lord makes him stand.

The one who observes a special day, observes it to honor the Lord. The one who eats, eats to honor the Lord, since he gives thanks to God. And the one who does not eat, refrains from eating to honor the Lord; yet he, too, gives thanks to God.

I know and have been persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it is unclean to a person who thinks it is unclean.

For if your brother is being hurt by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not destroy the person for whom the Messiah died by what you eat.

For the person who serves the Messiah in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.

As for the faith you do have, have it as your own conviction before God. How blessed is the person who has no reason to condemn himself because of what he approves!

But the person who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not act in faith; and anything that is not done in faith is sin.

Now we who are strong ought to be patient with the weaknesses of those who are not strong and must stop pleasing ourselves.

For even the Messiah did not please himself. Instead, as it is written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."

Rather, as it is written, "Those who were never told about him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."

Now may the God who grants peace be with all of you! Amen.

Greet Prisca and Aquila, who work with me for the Messiah Jesus,

and who risked their necks for my life. I am thankful to them, and so are all the churches among the gentiles.

Greet also the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first convert to the Messiah in Asia.

Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you.

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who are in prison with me and are prominent among the apostles. They belonged to the Messiah before I did.

Greet Apelles, who has been approved by the Messiah. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.

Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the family of Narcissus, who belong to the Lord.

Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard for the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has toiled diligently for the Lord.

Greet Rufus, the one chosen by the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them.

Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the saints who are with them.

Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and sinful enticements that oppose the teaching you have learned. Stay away from them,

I, Tertius, who penned this letter, greet you in the Lord.

Gaius, who is host to me and the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you.

Now to the one who is able to strengthen you with my gospel and the message that I preach about Jesus, the Messiah, by revealing the secret that was kept hidden from long ago

To: God's church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah their Lord and ours.

Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

For the message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God's power to us who are being saved.

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe through the nonsense of our preaching.

but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is God's power and God's wisdom.

It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

Therefore, as it is written, "The person who boasts must boast in the Lord."

However, when we are among mature people, we do speak a message of wisdom, but not the wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, who are passing off the scene.

But as it is written, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him."

Is there anyone who can understand his own thoughts except his own inner spirit? In the same way, no one can know the thoughts of God except God's Spirit.

Now, we have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we can understand the things that were freely given to us by God.

A person who isn't spiritual doesn't accept the things of God's Spirit, for they are nonsense to him. He can't understand them because they are spiritually evaluated.

For "Who has known the mind of the Lord so that he can advise him?" However, we have the mind of the Messiah.

Who is Apollos, anyhow? Or who is Paul? They're merely servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord gave to each of us his task.

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is significant, but God, who keeps everything growing, is the one who matters.

The one who plants and the one who waters have the same goal, and each will receive a reward for his own action.

For my conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who examines me.

For who makes you superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not receive it?

You may have 10,000 mentors who work for the Messiah, but not many fathers. For in the Messiah Jesus I became your father through the gospel.

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.

Even though I am away from you physically, I am with you in spirit. I have already passed judgment on the man who did this, as though I were present with you.

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?

So if you have cases dealing with this life, why do you appoint as judges people who have no standing in the church?

I say this to make you feel ashamed. Has it come to this, that there is not one person among you who is wise enough to settle disagreements between brothers?

You know that the person who unites himself with a prostitute becomes one body with her, don't you? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."

But the person who unites himself with the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

Keep on running away from sexual immorality. Any other sin that a person commits is outside his body, but the person who sins sexually sins against his own body.

You know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, don't you? You do not belong to yourselves,

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

I (not the Lord) say to the rest of you: If a brother has a wife who is an unbeliever and she is willing to live with him, he must not abandon her.

And if a woman has a husband who is an unbeliever and he is willing to live with her, she must not abandon him.

For the slave who has been called to belong to the Lord is the Lord's free person. In the same way, the free person who has been called is the Messiah's slave.

Now concerning virgins, although I do not have any command from the Lord, I will give you my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.

This is what I mean, brothers: The time is short. From now on, those who have wives should live as though they had none,

and those who mourn as though they did not mourn, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they did not own a thing,

and those who use the things in the world as though they were not dependent on them. For the world in its present form is passing away.

So then the man who marries the virgin acts appropriately, but the man who refrains from marriage does even better.

But anyone who loves God is known by him.

yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus the Messiah, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live.

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

For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, who know better, eating in an idol's temple, he will be encouraged to eat what has been offered to idols, won't he?

In that case, the weak brother for whom the Messiah died is ruined by your knowledge.

This is my defense to those who would examine me:

Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to keep on working for a living?

Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its grapes? Or who takes care of a flock and does not drink any of its milk?

Isn't he really speaking for our benefit? Yes, this was written for our benefit, because the one who plows should plow in hope, and the one who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.

You know that those who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple and that those who serve at the altar get their share of its offerings, don't you?