Beginning

Love forgoes the thing that she may do according to the law. Paul exhorts them to keep on running in the course that they have begun.

9 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? ² If I am not an apostle to others, yet I am to you. For you in the Lord are the seal of my apostleship.

³ My answer to those who ask me is this: ⁴ Do we not have the right to eat and to drink? ⁵ Or do we not have the right to have with us a sister as wife, as well as the other apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? ⁶ Or do only Barnabas and I not have the right to do this?

Who goes to war any time at his own expense? ⁷ Who plants a vineyard, and eats not of the fruit? Who feeds a flock, and drinks not of the milk? ⁸ Do I say these things after the manner of men, or does the law not say the same also? ⁹ For it is written in the law of Moses: You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the grain. Is God taking thought for oxen, ¹⁰ or does he say it not altogether for our sakes? For our sakes no doubt this is written, because he who plows should plow in hope, and because he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. ¹¹ If we sow spiritual things unto you, is it a great matter if we reap your carnal things? ¹² If others are partakers of this right over you, why not rather we? Nevertheless, we have not exercised this right, but endure all things, lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.

¹³ Do you not understand that those who minister in the temple have their provision from the temple? And those who wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? ¹⁴ Likewise also did the Lord ordain that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. ¹⁵ But I have availed myself of none of these things. Neither have I written these things so that it would be done so for me. For it would be better for me to die than for anyone to take this claim from me.

¹⁶ In that I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is put upon me; woe it is to me, if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ If I do it with a good will, I have a reward. But if I do it against my will, an office is committed to me. ¹⁸ What is my reward then? Truly, that when I preach the gospel, I make the gospel of Christ free: that I do not misuse my authority in the gospel.

¹⁹ For though no man is my master, yet I have made myself a servant to all, so that I might win the more. ²⁰ To the Jews I became as a Jew, to win the Jews. To those who were under the law, I was as though under the law, to win those who were under the law. ²¹ To those who were without law, I became as though I were without law (when I was not without law as pertaining to God, but under a law as concerning Christ), to win those who were without law. ²² To the weak I became as weak, to win the weak. In all things I fashioned myself to all men, to save at least some. ²³ And this I do for the gospel’s sake, so that I may have my part in it.

²⁴ Do you not perceive that of those who run in a race, all run, yet but one receives the reward? So run that you may prevail. ²⁵ Athletes who compete discipline themselves in all things. And they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we to obtain an incorruptible crown. ²⁶ I therefore run accordingly: not as at an uncertain thing. I fight accordingly: not as one who beats the air, ²⁷ but I tame my body, and bring it into subjection, lest after I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

He puts them in fear with examples from the Old Testament, and exhorts them to lead godly lives. Of the Lord’s Supper.

10 Brethren, I would not want you to be ignorant of this: that our fathers were all under a cloud, and all passed through the sea, ² and were all baptized under Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ and did all eat of the same spiritual food, ⁴ and did all drink of the same spiritual drink. And they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, which rock was Christ. ⁵ But in many of them, God had no delight. For they were overthrown in the wilderness. ⁶ These are examples for us, so that we will not lust after evil things like they did.

⁷ Neither be worshippers of images like some of them were, as it is written: The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up again to play. ⁸ Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and in one day 23,000 were destroyed. ⁹ Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. ¹⁰ Neither murmur as some of them murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

¹¹ All these things happened to them for examples, and were written to make us mindful – we upon whom the ends of the world have come. ¹² Therefore let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall.

¹³ No trial has taken you but such as follows the nature of man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tried above your strength, but will in the midst of the trial make a way to escape out.

¹⁴ And so, my dear beloveds, flee from the worshipping of idols. ¹⁵ I speak as to people who have discernment. Judge what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the cup of blessing that we bless, partaking of the blood of Christ? Is not the bread that we break, partaking of the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because we, though we be many, yet are one bread and one body, inasmuch as we are all partakers of one bread. ¹⁸ Observe Israel which walks carnally; are not those who eat of the sacrifice, partakers of the altar?

¹⁹ What am I saying then? That the idol is anything? or that what is offered to idols is anything? ²⁰ No, but I say that these things that the Gentiles offer, they offer to devils, and not to God. And I do not want you to have fellowship with the devils. ²¹ You cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and of the cup of the devils. You cannot be partakers of the Lord’s Table and of the table of devils. ²² Or shall we provoke the Lord? Are we stronger than he?

All things are lawful to me, but all things are not helpful. ²³ All things are lawful to me, but all things do not edify. ²⁴ Let no one seek his own profit, but let each seek the welfare of the other. ²⁵ Whatever is sold in the market, eat it, and ask no questions for conscience’ sake. ²⁶ For the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it. ²⁷ If any unbelievers invite you to a feast and if you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. ²⁸ But if anyone says to you, This is dedicated to idols, then do not eat of it – for the sake of the one who told you and for injury of conscience.

The earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.

²⁹ Conscience, I say: not yours, but the conscience of that other. For why should my liberty be judged by another man’s conscience? ³⁰ For if I share in the meal with thanks, why am I ill spoken of for the thing I give thanks for? ³¹ Whether therefore you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ³² See that you give no occasion of evil, neither to the Jews nor yet to the Gentiles, nor to the congregation of God – ³³ even as I please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of many, so that they might be saved. 11 ¹ Follow me, as I do Christ.

He rebukes them for abuse and for disorder concerning the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, and brings them again to the first institution.

² I commend you, brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the observances even as I delivered them to you.

³ I would that you understood that Christ is the head of every man. And the man is the woman’s head. And God is Christ’s head.  ⁴ Every man praying or prophesying, having anything on his head, dishonours his head. ⁵ Every woman who prays or prophesies bare-headed dishonours her head, for it is one and the very same thing as if she were shaven. ⁶ If the woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. If it is dishonourable for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her cover her head. 

⁷ A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God. The woman is the glory of the man, ⁸ for the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. ⁹ Neither was the man created for the woman’s sake, but the woman for the man’s sake. ¹⁰ For this reason, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head – for the angels’ sakes. ¹¹ Nevertheless, neither is the man independent of the woman, nor the woman independent of the man in the Lord. ¹² For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man by the woman; but all is of God.

¹³ Judge in yourselves if it is befitting that a woman pray to God bare-headed. ¹⁴ Or does not nature teach you that it is discreditable for a man if he has long hair, ¹⁵ and brings praise to a woman if she has long hair? For her hair is given her to cover her with. ¹⁶ If there is anyone among you who is inclined to argue, let him know that we have no such custom, nor do the congregations of God.

¹⁷ Now this I warn you of and do not commend: that you come together not for the better, but for the worse. ¹⁸ First of all, when you come together in the congregation, I hear that there is dissension among you. And I believe it as to some, ¹⁹ for there must be sects among you, so that those who are sound among you may be known.

²⁰ When you come together, a person cannot eat the Lord’s Supper, ²¹ because everyone begins ahead to eat his own supper. And one is hungry, and another is drunk. ²² Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you think nothing of the congregation of God, and shame those who have not? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I do not praise you.

²³ That which I delivered to you, I received from the Lord. For the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and thanked, and broke, and said, Take ye, and eat; this is my body which is broken for you. This do in the remembrance of me. ²⁵ In the same manner he took the cup when supper was done, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood; this do as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show the Lord’s death till he comes. ²⁷ Therefore whosoever eats of this bread or drinks of this cup unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Let a person therefore examine himself, and thus let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For he who eats or drinks unworthily, eats and drinks his own damnation, because he does not discern the Lord’s body. ³⁰ For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. ³¹ If we truly judged ourselves, we would not be judged. ³² But when we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened, so that we may not be condemned with the world.

³³ Therefore my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴ If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you do not come together unto condemnation.

Other things I will set in order when I come.