Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Servants of Christ

4 Let a man regard us in this manner, as ^(A)servants of Christ and ^(B)stewards of ^(C)the mysteries of God. ² In this case, moreover, it is required ^[a]of stewards that one be found trustworthy. ³ But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human ^[b]court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. ⁴ For I ^(D)am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this ^(E)acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. ⁵ Therefore ^(F)do not go on ^[c]passing judgment before ^[d]the time, but wait ^(G)until the Lord comes who will both ^(H)bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s ^(I)praise will come to him from God.

⁶ Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed ^(J)what is written, so that no one of you will ^(K)become ^[e]arrogant ^(L)in behalf of one against the other. ⁷ For who regards you as superior? ^(M)What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

⁸ You are ^(N)already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you. ⁹ For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men ^(O)condemned to death; because we ^(P)have become a spectacle to the world, ^[f]both to angels and to men. ¹⁰ We are ^(Q)fools for Christ’s sake, but ^(R)you are prudent in Christ; ^(S)we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. ¹¹ To this present hour we are both ^(T)hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; ¹² and we toil, ^(U)working with our own hands; when we are ^(V)reviled, we bless; when we are ^(W)persecuted, we endure; ¹³ when we are slandered, we try to ^[g]conciliate; we have ^(X)become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.

¹⁴ I do not write these things to ^(Y)shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved ^(Z)children. ¹⁵ For if you were to have countless ^(AA)tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in ^(AB)Christ Jesus I ^(AC)became your father through the ^(AD)gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I exhort you, be ^(AE)imitators of me. ¹⁷ For this reason I ^(AF)have sent to you ^(AG)Timothy, who is my ^(AH)beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, ^(AI)just as I teach everywhere in every church. ¹⁸ Now some have become ^[h](AJ)arrogant, as though I were not ^(AK)coming to you. ¹⁹ But I ^(AL)will come to you soon, ^(AM)if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the ^[i]words of those who are ^(AN)arrogant but their power. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God does ^(AO)not consist in ^[j]words but in power. ²¹ What do you desire? ^(AP)Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

Immorality Rebuked

5 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has ^(AQ)his father’s wife. ^2 [k]You ^(AR)have become ^[l]arrogant and ^[m]have not ^(AS)mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be ^(AT)removed from your midst.

³ For I, on my part, though ^(AU)absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. ^4 (AV)In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and ^[n]I with you in spirit, ^(AW)with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ I have decided to ^(AX)deliver such a one to ^(AY)Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in ^(AZ)the day of the Lord ^[o]Jesus.

^6 (BA)Your boasting is not good. ^(BB)Do you not know that ^(BC)a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? ⁷ Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our ^(BD)Passover also has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us celebrate the feast, ^(BE)not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote you in my letter ^(BF)not to associate with immoral people; ¹⁰ I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with ^(BG)idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. ¹¹ But ^[p]actually, I wrote to you not to associate ^[q]with any so-called ^(BH)brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or ^(BI)an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. ¹² For what have I to do with judging ^(BJ)outsiders? ^(BK)Do you not judge those who are within the church? ¹³ But those who are outside, God ^[r]judges. ^(BL)Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

Lawsuits Discouraged

6 Does any one of you, when he has a ^[s]case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and ^(BM)not before the ^[t]saints? ² Or ^(BN)do you not know that ^(BO)the ^[u]saints will judge ^(BP)the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to ^[v]constitute the smallest law courts? ^3 (BQ)Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? ⁴ So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, ^[w]do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? ^5 (BR)I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his ^(BS)brethren, ⁶ but brother goes to law with brother, and that before ^(BT)unbelievers?

⁷ Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. ^(BU)Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? ⁸ On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your ^(BV)brethren.

⁹ Or ^(BW)do you not know that the unrighteous will not ^(BX)inherit the kingdom of God? ^(BY)Do not be deceived; ^(BZ)neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor ^[x]effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will ^(CA)inherit the kingdom of God. ^11 (CB)Such were some of you; but you were ^(CC)washed, but you were ^(CD)sanctified, but you were ^(CE)justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

The Body Is the Lord’s

^12 (CF)All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. ^13 (CG)Food is for the ^[y]stomach and the ^[z]stomach is for food, but God will ^(CH)do away with both ^[aa]of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but ^(CI)for the Lord, and ^(CJ)the Lord is for the body. ¹⁴ Now God has not only ^(CK)raised the Lord, but ^(CL)will also raise us up through His power. ^15 (CM)Do you not know that ^(CN)your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? ^(CO)May it never be! ¹⁶ Or ^(CP)do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “^(CQ)The two shall become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But the one who joins himself to the Lord is ^(CR)one spirit with Him. ^18 (CS)Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the ^[ab]immoral man sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or ^(CT)do you not know that ^(CU)your body is a ^[ac]temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from ^[ad]God, and that ^(CV)you are not your own? ²⁰ For ^(CW)you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in ^(CX)your body.