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 his neighbor, 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?

Don’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is 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.

Don’t you know that we will 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 to judge things pertaining to this life, do you set them to judge who are of no account in the assembly?

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 move you to shame. Isn’t there even one wise man among you who would be able to decide between his brothers?

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 with 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?

Therefore it is already altogether a defect in you, that you have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

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

No, but you yourselves do wrong, and defraud, and that against your brothers.

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.

Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,

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 slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom.

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.

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 in the Spirit of our God.

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 not all things are expedient. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be brought under the power of anything.

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 belly, and the belly for foods,” but God will bring to nothing both it and them. But 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

Now God 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!

Don’t you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

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 don’t you know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For, “The two”, he says, “will 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.

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 don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? 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 with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.