This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to the Messiah."

Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? God has turned the wisdom of the world into nonsense, hasn't he?

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.

None of the rulers of this world understood it, because if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Whether a person builds on this foundation with gold, silver, expensive stones, wood, hay, or straw,

Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in the ways of this world, he must become a fool to become really wise.

For the wisdom of this world is nonsense in God's sight. For it is written, "He catches the wise with their own trickery,"

Brothers, I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what the Scriptures say. Then you will stop boasting about one person at the expense of another.

I'm not writing this to make you feel ashamed, but to warn you as my dear children.

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.

turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

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.

You know that we will rule angels, not to mention things in this life, don't you?

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?

But I say this as a concession, not as a command.

I would like everyone to be unmarried, like I am. However, each person has a special gift from God, one this and another that.

To married people I give this command (not really I, but the Lord): A wife must not leave her husband.

Nevertheless, everyone should live the life that the Lord gave him and to which God called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

But if you do get married, you have not sinned. And if a virgin gets married, she has not sinned. However, these people will experience trouble in this life, and I want to spare you from that.

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

But a married man is concerned about things of this world, that is, about how he can please his wife,

An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the affairs of the Lord, so that she may be holy in body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, that is, about how she can please her husband. I'm saying this for your benefit, not to put a noose around your necks, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord.

However, in my opinion she will be happier if she stays as she is. And in saying this, I think that I, too, have God's Spirit.

Now concerning eating food offered to idols: We know that no idol is real in this world and that there is only one God.

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.

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.

This is my defense to those who would examine me:

I am not saying this on human authority, am I? The Law says the same thing, doesn't it?

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.

If others enjoy this right over you, don't we have a stronger claim? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we tolerate everything in order not to put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of the Messiah.

But I have not used any of these rights, and I'm not writing this so that they may be applied in my case. I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my reason for boasting.

For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, for this obligation has been entrusted to me. How terrible it would be for me if I didn't preach the gospel!

I do all this for the sake of the gospel in order to have a share in its blessings.

However, if someone says to you, "This was offered as a sacrifice," don't eat it, both out of consideration for the one who told you and also for the sake of conscience.

This is why a woman should have authority over her own head: because of the angels.

But if anyone wants to argue about this, we do not have any custom like this, nor do any of God's churches.

You have homes in which to eat and drink, don't you? Or do you despise God's church and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I will not praise you for this!

gave thanks for it, and broke it in pieces, saying, "This is my body that is for you. Keep doing this in memory of me."

He did the same with the cup after the supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you drink from it, keep doing this in memory of me."

For as often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

For this reason I want you to be aware that no one who is speaking by God's Spirit can say, "Jesus is cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

However, our attractive parts don't need this. But God has put the body together and has given special honor to the parts that lack it,

What does this mean? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing psalms with my spirit, but I will also sing psalms with my mind.

In the Law it is written, "By means of foreign languages and through the mouths of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me," declares the Lord.

What, then, does this mean, brothers? When you gather, everyone has a psalm, teaching, revelation, foreign language, or interpretation. Everything must be done for upbuilding.

But if anyone ignores this, he should be ignored.

So, whether it was I or the others, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

If we have set our hopes on the Messiah in this life only, we deserve more pity than any other people.

But at this moment the Messiah stands risen from the dead, the first one offered in the harvest of those who have died.

However, this will happen to each person in the proper order: first the Messiah, then those who belong to the Messiah when he comes.

for "God has put everything under his feet." Now when he says, "Everything has been put under him," this clearly excludes the one who put everything under him.

Come back to your senses as you should, and stop sinning! For some of you I say this to your shame don't fully know God.

This is how it will be at the resurrection of the dead. What is planted is decaying, what is raised cannot decay.

This, indeed, is what is written: "The first man, Adam, became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

Brothers, this is what I mean: Mortal bodies cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and what decays cannot inherit what does not decay.

I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand.