About food offered to idols: We know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up.

About eating food offered to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.”

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.

Therefore, if food causes my brother to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother to fall.

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.

Don’t you know that those who perform the temple services eat the food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the offerings of the altar?

In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.

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!

To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some.

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

Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.

Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea,

and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.

Now these things became examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

The cup of blessing that we give thanks for, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?

Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for all of us share that one bread.

What am I saying then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to participate with demons!

Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

Eat everything that is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake,

for the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.

If one of the unbelievers invites you over and you want to go, eat everything that is set before you, without raising questions of conscience.

just as I also try to please all people in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, so that they may be saved.

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But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.

But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved.

Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair it is a disgrace to him,

but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her as a covering.

For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

There must, indeed, be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you.

but when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned with the world.

If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. And I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.

Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.

But even more, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are necessary.

And those parts of the body that we think to be less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unpresentable parts have a better presentation.

so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other.

If I have the gift of prophecy
and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith
so that I can move mountains
but do not have love, I am nothing.

Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and above all that you may prophesy.

I wish all of you spoke in other languages, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in languages, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

Therefore the person who speaks in another language should pray that he can interpret.

I thank God that I speak in other languages more than all of you;

yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than 10,000 words in another language.

It follows that speaking in other languages is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers. But prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.

Therefore, if the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in other languages and people who are uninformed or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?

But if there is no interpreter, that person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God.

For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged.

If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command.

For I passed on to you as most important what I also received:

that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures,

that He was buried,
that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures,

and that He appeared to Cephas,
then to the Twelve.

But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me.

In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised.

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

For God has put everything under His feet. But when it says “everything” is put under Him, it is obvious that He who puts everything under Him is the exception.

And when everything is subject to Christ, then the Son Himself will also be subject to the One who subjected everything to Him, so that God may be all in all.

I affirm by the pride in you that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord: I die every day!

If I fought wild animals in Ephesus with only human hope, what good did that do me? If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is different from that of the earthly ones.

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.

Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he prospers, so that no collections will need to be made when I come.

and perhaps I will remain with you or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way wherever I go.

If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear from you, because he is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am.

The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, along with the church that meets in their home.

He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in your endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer.

And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will share in the comfort.

For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia: we were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life.

Indeed, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.

He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and He will deliver us. We have put our hope in Him that He will deliver us again

while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.

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.

Now we are writing nothing to you other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely—

as you have partially understood us—that we are your reason for pride, as you are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.

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?

I call on God as a witness, on my life, that it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth.

I do not mean that we have control of your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand by faith.

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For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me?

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.

For I wrote to you with many tears out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart—not that you should be hurt, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you.

I have done this so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

It is clear that you are Christ’s letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God—not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.

It is not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.

Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses’ face because of the glory from his face—a fading glory—

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

We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not stare at the end of what was fading away,

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

We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

For we who live are always given over to death because of Jesus, so that Jesus’ life may also be revealed in our mortal flesh.

We know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and present us with you.

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

For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.

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.

So, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or worthless.

We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in the outward appearance rather than in the heart.

And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.