so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.

For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached.

Brothers, consider your calling: Not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth.

When I came to you, brothers, announcing the testimony of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom.

My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a powerful demonstration by the Spirit,

so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.

However, we do speak a wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.

We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.

But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.

Brothers, I was not able to speak to you as spiritual people but as people of the flesh, as babies in Christ.

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, because you were not yet ready for it. In fact, you are still not ready,

because you are still fleshly. For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and living like unbelievers?

For whenever someone says, “I’m with Paul,” and another, “I’m with Apollos,” are you not unspiritual people?

For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified by this. The One who evaluates me is the Lord.

I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.

Now some are inflated with pride, as though I were not coming to you.

But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will know not the talk but the power of those who are inflated with pride.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

It is widely reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and the kind of sexual immorality that is not even tolerated among the Gentiles—a man is living with his father’s wife.

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast permeates the whole batch of dough?

Therefore, let us observe the feast, not with old yeast or with the yeast of malice and evil but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.

But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.

For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside?

If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to court before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases?

Don’t you know that we will judge angels—not to mention ordinary matters?

I say this to your shame! Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his brothers?

Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather be cheated?

Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality,

“Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything.

“Food for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will do away with both of them. The body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not!

Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh.

Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

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

A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does.

Do not deprive one another sexually—except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

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

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.

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.

Was anyone already circumcised when he was called? He should not undo his circumcision. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? He should not get circumcised.

Circumcision does not matter and uncircumcision does not matter, but keeping God’s commands does.

Were you called while a slave? It should not be a concern to you. But if you can become free, by all means take the opportunity.

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be loosed. Are you loosed from a wife? Do not seek a wife.

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.

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.

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.

So then he who marries his virgin does well, but he who does not marry will do better.

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

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.

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock?

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?

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?

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 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.

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law.

To those who are without that law, like one without the law—not being without God’s law but within Christ’s law—to win those without the law.

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.

Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air.

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

But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.

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

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.

So, whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall.

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?

Look at the people of Israel. Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in what is offered on the altar?

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!

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

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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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.

For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man.

And man was not created for woman, but woman for man.

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

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

Now in giving the following instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.

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

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!

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread,

If we were properly evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged,