Now in response to the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have relations with a woman.”

I say the following as a concession, not as a command.

I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am.

But if they do not have self-control, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with desire.

I command the married—not I, but the Lord—a wife is not to leave her husband.

But if she does leave, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband—and a husband is not to leave his wife.

But I (not the Lord) say to the rest: If any brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not leave her.

Also, if any woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not leave her husband.

For the unbelieving husband is set apart for God by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is set apart for God by the husband. Otherwise your children would be corrupt, but now they are set apart for God.

But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. A brother or a sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to live in peace.

However, each one must live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches.

For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ’s slave.

About virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I do give an opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.

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

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

those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess,

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.

I want you to be without concerns. An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord.

But a married man is concerned about the things of the world—how he may please his wife—

and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world—how she may please her husband.

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.

But if any man thinks he is acting improperly toward his virgin, if she is past marriageable age, and so it must be, he can do what he wants. He is not sinning; they can get married.

But he who stands firm in his heart (who is under no compulsion, but has control over his own will) and has decided in his heart to keep his own virgin, will do well.

A wife is bound as long as her husband is living. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to anyone she wants—only in the Lord.

But she is happier if she remains as she is, in my opinion. And I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it.

But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

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.”

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”—

yet for us there is one God, the Father.
All things are from Him,
and we exist for Him.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ.
All things are through Him,
and we exist through Him.

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.

Food will not make us acceptable to God. We are not inferior if we don’t eat, and we are not better if we do eat.

Then the weak person, the brother for whom Christ died, is ruined by your knowledge.

My defense to those who examine me is this:

Or do Barnabas and I alone have no right to refrain from working?

For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain. Is God really concerned with oxen?

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 we have sown spiritual things for you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you?

For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because an obligation is placed on me. And woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

What then is my reward? To preach the gospel and offer it free of charge and not make full use of my authority in the gospel.

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

Don’t become idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to play.

Let us not commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in a single day 23,000 people fell dead.

Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes.

Nor should we complain as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer.

Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.

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.

I am speaking as to wise people. Judge for yourselves what I say.

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?

“Everything is permissible,” but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up.

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.

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.

I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged by another person’s 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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Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

Now I praise you because you always remember me and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.

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.

So if a woman’s head is not covered, her hair should be cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should be covered.

A man, in fact, should not cover his head, because he is God’s image and glory, but woman is man’s glory.

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

In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, and man is not independent of woman.

For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God.

Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

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.

Therefore, when you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s Supper.

For at the meal, each one eats his own supper ahead of others. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk!

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.

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

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.

And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person.

A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial:

to one is given a message of wisdom
through the Spirit,
to another, a message of knowledge
by the same Spirit,

But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.

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.

So the body is not one part but many.

But now God has placed each one of the parts in one body just as He wanted.

So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Love is patient, love is kind.
Love does not envy,
is not boastful, is not conceited,

does not act improperly,
is not selfish, is not provoked,
and does not keep a record of wrongs.

Love never ends.
But as for prophecies,
they will come to an end;
as for languages, they will cease;
as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
Now I know in part,
but then I will know fully,
as I am fully known.

Now these three remain:
faith, hope, and love.
But the greatest of these is love.

For the person who speaks in another language is not speaking to men but to God, since no one understands him; however, he speaks mysteries in the Spirit.

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.

Even inanimate things that produce sounds—whether flute or harp—if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized?

In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air.

For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up.

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.

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.