1 Corinthians 4-6

English Standard Version

The Ministry of Apostles

4 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and ^(A)stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. ³ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. ^4 (B)For I am not aware of anything against myself, ^(C)but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore ^(D)do not pronounce judgment before the time, ^(E)before the Lord comes, ^(F)who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. ^(G)Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

⁶ I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers,^[a] that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may ^(H)be puffed up in favor of one against another. ⁷ For who sees anything different in you? ^(I)What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

⁸ Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! ⁹ For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, ^(J)like men sentenced to death, because we ^(K)have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. ^10 (L)We are fools for Christ's sake, but ^(M)you are wise in Christ. ^(N)We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. ¹¹ To the present hour ^(O)we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and ^(P)buffeted and ^(Q)homeless, ¹² and we ^(R)labor, working with our own hands. ^(S)When reviled, we bless; ^(T)when persecuted, we endure; ¹³ when slandered, we entreat. ^(U)We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, ^(V)the refuse of all things.

¹⁴ I do not write these things ^(W)to make you ashamed, but to admonish you ^(X)as my beloved children. ¹⁵ For ^(Y)though you have countless^[b] guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For ^(Z)I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ¹⁶ I urge you, then, ^(AA)be imitators of me. ¹⁷ That is why ^(AB)I sent^[c] you Timothy, ^(AC)my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ,^{[d] (AD)}as I teach them everywhere in every church. ¹⁸ Some are ^(AE)arrogant, ^(AF)as though I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But ^(AG)I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. ²⁰ For ^(AH)the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. ²¹ What do you wish? ^(AI)Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

Sexual Immorality Defiles the Church

5 It is actually reported that there is ^(AJ)sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, ^(AK)for a man has his father's wife. ² And ^(AL)you are arrogant! Ought you ^(AM)not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

³ For though ^(AN)absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. ⁴ When you are assembled ^(AO)in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ you are ^(AP)to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so ^(AQ)that his spirit may be saved ^(AR)in the day of the Lord.^[e]

^6 (AS)Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that ^(AT)a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Let us therefore celebrate the festival, ^(AU)not with the old leaven, ^(AV)the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter ^(AW)not to associate with sexually immoral people— ^10 (AX)not at all meaning ^(AY)the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, ^(AZ)since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone ^(BA)who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. ¹² For what have I to do with judging ^(BB)outsiders? ^(BC)Is it not those inside the church^[f] whom you are to judge? ¹³ God judges^[g] those outside. ^(BD)“Purge the evil person from among you.”

Lawsuits Against Believers

6 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous ^(BE)instead of the saints? ² Or do you not know that ^(BF)the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? ³ Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! ⁴ So if you have such cases, ^(BG)why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? ^5 (BH)I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, ⁶ but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? ⁷ To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. ^(BI)Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? ⁸ But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even ^(BJ)your own brothers!^[h]

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous^[i] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: ^(BK)neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,^{[j] 10} nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And ^(BL)such were some of you. But ^(BM)you were washed, ^(BN)you were sanctified, ^(BO)you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Flee Sexual Immorality

^12 (BP)“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ^13 (BQ)“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one ^(BR)and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but ^(BS)for the Lord, and ^(BT)the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ And ^(BU)God raised the Lord and ^(BV)will also raise us up ^(BW)by his power. ¹⁵ Do you not know that ^(BX)your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Or do you not know that he who is joined^[k] to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ^(BY)“The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord ^(BZ)becomes one spirit with him. ^18 (CA)Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin^[l] a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person ^(CB)sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or ^(CC)do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? ^(CD)You are not your own, ^20 (CE)for you were bought with a price. ^(CF)So glorify God in your body.