Stewards of the Mysteries of God
4 Let a man so consider us, as aservants of Christ band stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human 1court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. 5 cTherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to dlight the hidden things of darkness and ereveal the 2counsels of the hearts. fThen each one’s praise will come from God.
6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be 3puffed up on behalf of one against the other. 7 For who 4makes you differ from another? And gwhat do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
8 You are already full! hYou are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! 9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a ispectacle 5to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are jfools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! kWe are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 lAnd we labor, working with our own hands. mBeing reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we 6entreat. nWe have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
14 I do not write these things to shame you, but oas my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for pin Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, qimitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent rTimothy to you, swho is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will tremind you of my ways in Christ, as I uteach everywhere vin every church.
18 wNow some are 7puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. 19 xBut I will come to you shortly, yif the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. 20 For zthe kingdom of God is not in word but in apower. 21 What do you want? bShall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even 1named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s awife! 2 bAnd you are 2puffed up, and have not rather cmourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 dFor I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the ename of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, fwith the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 gdeliver such a one to hSatan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord 3Jesus.
6 iYour glorying is not good. Do you not know that ja little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore 4purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed kChrist, our lPassover, was sacrificed 5for us. 8 Therefore mlet us keep the feast, nnot with old leaven, nor owith the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my epistle pnot to 6keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go qout of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company rwith anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner— snot even to eat with such a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore t“put away from yourselves the evil person.”
6 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the asaints? 2 Do you not know that bthe saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall cjudge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have 1judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. dWhy do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. eNeither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor 2homosexuals, nor 3sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were fsome of you. gBut you were washed, but you were 4sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Glorify God in Body and Spirit
12 hAll things are lawful for me, but all things are not 5helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of 6any. 13 iFoods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for jsexual immorality but kfor the Lord, land the Lord for the body. 14 And mGod both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up nby His power.
15 Do you not know that oyour bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For p“the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 qBut he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 rFlee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins sagainst his own body. 19 Or tdo you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, uand you are not your own? 20 For vyou were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body 7and in your spirit, which are God’s.
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