On Divisions in the Corinthian Church

3 And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people but rather as fleshly, as infants in Christ.^{(A) 2} I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready,^{(B) 3} for you are still fleshly. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling^[a] among you, are you not fleshly and behaving according to human inclinations?^{(C) 4} For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not all too human?^(D)

⁵ What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and each will receive wages according to their own labor.^{(E) 9} For we are God’s coworkers, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.^(F)

¹⁰ According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Let each builder choose with care how to build on it.^{(G) 11} For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.^{(H) 12} Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— ¹³ the work of each builder will become visible, for the day^[b] will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done.^{(I) 14} If the work that someone has built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a wage. ¹⁵ If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.

¹⁶ Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?^{[c](J) 17} If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

¹⁸ Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise.^{(K) 19} For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,

²⁰ and again,

²¹ So let no one boast about people.^[d] For all things are yours,^{(M) 22} whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, ²³ and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.^(N)

Lawsuits among Believers

6 When any of you has a grievance against another, do you dare to take it to court before the unrighteous, instead of taking it before the saints? ² Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?^{(A) 3} Do you not know that we are to judge angels, to say nothing of ordinary matters? ⁴ If you have ordinary cases, then, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? ⁵ I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one person wise enough to decide between brothers and sisters? ⁶ Instead, brothers and sisters go to court against one another, and this before the unbelievers.^(B)

⁷ In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?^{(C) 8} But you yourselves wrong and defraud—and brothers and sisters at that.

⁹ Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes,^[a] men who engage in illicit sex,^{[b](D) 10} thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, swindlers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ^[c] and in the Spirit of our God.^(E)

Glorify God in Body and Spirit

¹² “All things are permitted for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are permitted for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³ “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,”^[d] and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for sexual immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body.^{(F) 14} And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.^{(G) 15} Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!^{(H) 16} Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.”^{(I) 17} But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.^{(J) 18} Shun sexual immorality!^[e] Every sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person^[f] sins against the body itself.^{(K) 19} Or do you not know that your body is a temple^[g] of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?^{(L) 20} For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.^(M)