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Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
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To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
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God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
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Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
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The Church and Its Leaders
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.
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But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have.
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I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—
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not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.
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But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
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Lawsuits Among Believers
If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?
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Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
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But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
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Concerning Change of Status
Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.
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Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.
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Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
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Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so.
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For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave.
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Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.
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For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),
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But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
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To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
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Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”
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I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.
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Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?
