The Church and Its Leaders

3 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit^(A) but as people who are still worldly^(B)—mere infants^(C) in Christ. ² I gave you milk, not solid food,^(D) for you were not yet ready for it.^(E) Indeed, you are still not ready. ³ You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling^(F) among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

⁴ Love is patient,^(A) love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.^{(B) 5} It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,^(C) it is not easily angered,^(D) it keeps no record of wrongs.^{(E) 6} Love does not delight in evil^(F) but rejoices with the truth.^{(G) 7} It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.^(H)

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,^(I) they will cease; where there are tongues,^(J) they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Submit Yourselves to God

4 What causes fights and quarrels^(A) among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle^(B) within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill.^(C) You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive,^(D) because you ask with wrong motives,^(E) that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

⁴ You adulterous^(F) people,^[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world^(G) means enmity against God?^(H) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.^{(I) 5} Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us^[b]?^{(J) 6} But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,^(L) and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you.^(M) Wash your hands,^(N) you sinners, and purify your hearts,^(O) you double-minded.^{(P) 9} Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.^{(Q) 10} Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.^(R)

¹¹ Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.^(S) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister^[d] or judges them^(T) speaks against the law^(U) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,^(V) but sitting in judgment on it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,^(W) the one who is able to save and destroy.^(X) But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?^(Y)

More on Love and Hatred

¹¹ For this is the message you heard^(A) from the beginning:^(B) We should love one another.^{(C) 12} Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one^(D) and murdered his brother.^(E) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.^{(F) 13} Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,^[a] if the world hates you.^{(G) 14} We know that we have passed from death to life,^(H) because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.^{(I) 15} Anyone who hates a brother or sister^(J) is a murderer,^(K) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.^(L)