Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

True Apostles of Christ

4 So here is how you should think of us. We serve Christ. We are trusted with the mysteries God has shown us. ² Those who have been given a trust must prove that they are faithful. ³ I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court. I don’t even judge myself. ⁴ I don’t feel I have done anything wrong. But that doesn’t mean I’m not guilty. The Lord judges me. ⁵ So don’t judge anything before the appointed time. Wait until the Lord returns. He will bring to light what is hidden in the dark. He will show the real reasons why people do what they do. At that time each person will receive their praise from God.

⁶ Brothers and sisters, I have used myself and Apollos as examples to help you. You can learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Don’t go beyond what is written.” Then you won’t be proud that you follow one of us instead of the other. ⁷ Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you brag as though you did not?

⁸ You already have everything you want, don’t you? Have you already become rich? Have you already begun to rule? And did you do that without us? I wish that you really had begun to rule. Then we could also rule with you! ⁹ It seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of a parade. We are like people sentenced to die in front of a crowd. We have been made a show for the whole creation to see. Angels and people are staring at us. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ. But you are so wise in Christ! We are weak. But you are so strong! You are honored. But we are looked down on! ¹¹ Up to this very hour we are hungry and thirsty. We are dressed in rags. We are being treated badly. We have no homes. ¹² We work hard with our own hands. When others curse us, we bless them. When we are attacked, we put up with it. ¹³ When others say bad things about us, we answer with kind words. We have become the world’s garbage. We are everybody’s trash, right up to this moment.

Paul Warns Against Pride

¹⁴ I am not writing this to shame you. You are my dear children, and I want to warn you. ¹⁵ Suppose you had 10,000 believers in Christ watching over you. You still wouldn’t have many fathers. I became your father by serving Christ Jesus and telling you the good news. ¹⁶ So I’m asking you to follow my example. ¹⁷ That’s the reason I have sent Timothy to you. He is like a son to me, and I love him. He is faithful in serving the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in serving Christ Jesus. And that agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

¹⁸ Some of you have become proud. You act as if I weren’t coming to you. ¹⁹ But I will come very soon, if that’s what the Lord wants. Then I will find out how those proud people are talking. I will also find out what power they have. ²⁰ The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk. It is a matter of power. ²¹ Which do you want? Should I come to you to correct and punish you? Or should I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

Throw Out the Evil Person!

5 It is actually reported that there is sexual sin among you. I’m told that a man is sleeping with his father’s wife. Even people who don’t know God don’t let that kind of sin continue. ² And you are proud! Shouldn’t you be very sad instead? Shouldn’t you have thrown out of your church the man doing this? ³ Even though I am not right there with you, I am with you in spirit. And because I am with you in spirit, I have already judged the man doing this. I have judged him in the name of our Lord Jesus. ⁴ So when you come together, I will be with you in spirit. The power of our Lord Jesus will also be with you. ⁵ When you come together like this, hand this man over to Satan. Then the power of sin in his life will be destroyed. His spirit will be saved on the day the Lord returns.

⁶ Your bragging is not good. It is like yeast. Don’t you know that just a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise? ⁷ Get rid of the old yeast. Then you can be like a new batch of dough without yeast. That is what you really are. That’s because Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been offered up for us. ⁸ So let us keep the Feast, but not with the old bread made with yeast. The yeast I’m talking about is hatred and evil. Let us keep the Feast with bread made without yeast. Let us keep it with bread that is honesty and truth.

⁹ I wrote a letter to you to tell you to stay away from people who commit sexual sins. ¹⁰ I didn’t mean the people of this world who sin in this way. I didn’t mean those who always want more and more. I didn’t mean those who cheat or who worship statues of gods. In that case you would have to leave this world! ¹¹ But here is what I am writing to you now. You must stay away from anyone who claims to be a believer but does evil things. Stay away from anyone who commits sexual sins. Stay away from anyone who always wants more and more things. Stay away from anyone who worships statues of gods. Stay away from anyone who tells lies about others. Stay away from anyone who gets drunk or who cheats. Don’t even eat with people like these.

¹² Is it my business to judge those outside the church? Aren’t you supposed to judge those inside the church? ¹³ God will judge those outside. Scripture says, “Get rid of that evil person!” (Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21,24; 24:7)

Do Not Take Believers to Court

6 Suppose one of you wants to bring a charge against another believer. Should you take it to ungodly people to be judged? Why not take it to the Lord’s people? ² Or don’t you know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? Since this is true, aren’t you able to judge small cases? ³ Don’t you know that we will judge angels? Then we should be able to judge the things of this life even more! ⁴ So suppose you disagree with one another in matters like this. Who do you ask to decide which of you is right? Do you ask people who live in a way the church disapproves of? Of course not! ⁵ I say this to shame you. Is it possible that no one among you is wise enough to judge matters between believers? ⁶ Instead, one believer goes to court against another. And this happens in front of unbelievers!

⁷ When you take another believer to court, you have lost the battle already. Why not be treated wrongly? Why not be cheated? ⁸ Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong. And you do it to your brothers and sisters. ⁹ Don’t you know that people who do wrong will not receive God’s kingdom? Don’t be fooled. Those who commit sexual sins will not receive the kingdom. Neither will those who worship statues of gods or commit adultery. Neither will men who sleep with other men. ¹⁰ Neither will thieves or those who always want more and more. Neither will those who are often drunk or tell lies or cheat. People who live like that will not receive God’s kingdom. ¹¹ Some of you used to do those things. But your sins were washed away. You were made holy. You were made right with God. All of this was done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was also done by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Sins

¹² Some of you say, “I have the right to do anything.” But not everything is helpful. Again some of you say, “I have the right to do anything.” But I will not be controlled by anything. ¹³ Some of you say, “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food. And God will destroy both of them.” But the body is not meant for sexual sins. The body is meant for the Lord. And the Lord is meant for the body. ¹⁴ By his power God raised the Lord from the dead. He will also raise us up. ¹⁵ Don’t you know that your bodies belong to the body of Christ? Should I take what belongs to Christ and join it to a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ When you join yourself to a prostitute, you become one with her in body. Don’t you know this? Scripture says, “The two will become one.” (Genesis 2:24) ¹⁷ But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one with him in spirit.

¹⁸ Keep far away from sexual sins. All the other sins a person commits are outside the body. But sexual sins are sins against their own body. ¹⁹ Don’t you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is in you, and you have received the Spirit from God. You do not belong to yourselves. ²⁰ Christ has paid the price for you. So use your bodies in a way that honors God.