1 W hy do you go to court when you have something against another Christian? You are asking people who are not Christians to judge who is guilty. You should go to those who belong to Christ and ask them.

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

2 D id you not know that those who belong to Christ will someday judge this world? If you judge the people of the world as guilty, are you not able to do this in small things?

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

3 D id you not know that we are to judge angels? So you should be able to take care of your problem here in this world without any trouble.

Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

4 W hen you have things to decide about this life, why do you go to men in courts who are not even Christians?

If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?

5 Y ou should be ashamed! Is it true that there is not one person wise enough in your church to decide who is right when people argue?

I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?

6 I nstead, one Christian takes another Christian to court. And that court is made up of people who are not Christians!

But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!

7 T his shows you are wrong when you have to go to court against each other. Would it not be better to let someone do something against you that is wrong? Would it not be better to let them rob you?

Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?

8 I nstead, you rob and do wrong to other Christians. The Body Is to Be Holy

No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!

9 D o you not know that sinful men will have no place in the holy nation of God? Do not be fooled. A person who does sex sins, or who worships false gods, or who is not faithful in marriage, or men who act like women, or people who do sex sins with their own sex, will have no place in the holy nation of God.

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

10 A lso those who steal, or those who always want to get more of everything, or who get drunk, or who say bad things about others, or take things that are not theirs, will have no place in the holy nation of God.

nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 S ome of you were like that. But now your sins are washed away. You were set apart for God-like living to do His work. You were made right with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of our God.

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Glorify God in Body and Spirit

12 I am allowed to do all things, but not everything is good for me to do! Even if I am free to do all things, I will not do them if I think it would be hard for me to stop when I know I should.

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

13 F ood was meant for the stomach. The stomach needs food, but God will bring to an end both food and the stomach. The body was not meant for sex sins. It was meant to work for the Lord. The Lord is for our body.

Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

14 G od raised the Lord from death. He will raise us from death by His power also. The Body Belongs to the Lord

And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

15 D o you not know that your bodies are a part of Christ Himself? Am I to take a part of Christ and make it a part of a woman who sells the use of her body? No! Never!

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!

16 D o you not know that a man who joins himself to a woman who sells the use of her body becomes a part of her? The Holy Writings say, “The two will become one.”

Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”

17 B ut if you join yourself to the Lord, you are one with Him in spirit.

But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 H ave nothing to do with sex sins! Any other sin that a man does, does not hurt his own body. But the man who does a sex sin sins against his own body.

Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

19 D o you not know that your body is a house of God where the Holy Spirit lives? God gave you His Holy Spirit. Now you belong to God. You do not belong to yourselves.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

20 G od bought you with a great price. So honor God with your body. You belong to Him.

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.