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Bible (WNT) NT 07: 1 Corinthians

Produced by Martin Ward Weymouth New Testament in Modern Speech, 1 Corinthians R. F. Weymouth <h2 id="id00011" style="margin-top: 4em">Book 46 1 Corinthians</h2> 001:001 Paul, called to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God—and our brother Sosthenes: 001:002 To the Church of God in Corinth, men and women consecrated in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all in every place who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ— their Lord as well as ours. 001:003 May grace and peace be granted to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 001:004 I thank my God continually on your behalf for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus— 001:005 that you have been so richly blessed in Him, with readiness of speech and fulness of knowledge. 001:006 Thus my testimony as to the Christ has been confirmed in your experience, 001:007 so that there is no gift of God in which you consciously come short while patiently waiting for the reappearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 001:008 who will also keep you stedfast to the very End, so that you will be free from reproach on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 001:009 God is ever true to His promises, and it was by Him that you were, one and all, called into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. 001:010 Now I entreat you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to cultivate a spirit of harmony—all of you—and that there be no divisions among you, but rather a perfect union through your having one mind and one judgement. 001:011 For I have been distinctly informed, my brethren, about you by Chloe's people, that there are dissensions among you. 001:012 What I mean is that each of you is a partisan. One man says "I belong to Paul;" another "I belong to Apollos;" a third "I belong to Peter;" a fourth "I belong to Christ." 001:013 Is the Christ in fragments? Is it Paul who was crucified on your behalf? Or were you baptized to be Paul's adherents? 001:014 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius— 001:015 for fear people should say that you were baptized to be my adherents. 001:016 I did, however, baptize Stephanas' household also: but I do not think that I baptized any one else. 001:017 Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the Good News; and not in merely wise words—lest the Cross of Christ should be deprived of its power. 001:018 For the Message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are on the way to perdition, but it is the power of God to those whom He is saving. 001:019 For so it stands written, "I will exhibit the nothingness of the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will bring to nought." 001:020 Where is your wise man? Where your expounder of the Law? Where your investigator of the questions of this present age? Has not God shown the world's wisdom to be utter foolishness? 001:021 For after the world by its wisdom—as God in His wisdom had ordained— had failed to gain the knowledge of God, God was pleased, by the apparent foolishness of the Message which we preach, to save those who accepted it. 001:022 Seeing that Jews demand miracles, and Greeks go in search of wisdom, 001:023 while we proclaim a Christ who has been crucified—to the Jews a stumbling-block, to Gentiles foolishness, 001:024 but to those who have received the Call, whether Jews or Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 001:025 Because that which the world deems foolish in God is wiser than men's wisdom, and that which it deems feeble in God is mightier than men's might. 001:026 For consider, brethren, God's call to you. Not many who are wise with merely human wisdom, not many of position and influence, not many of noble birth have been called. 001:027 But God has chosen the things which the world regards as foolish, in order to put its wise men to shame; and God has chosen the things which the world regards as destitute of influence, in order to put its powerful things to shame; 001:028 and the things which the world regards as base, and those which it sets utterly at nought—things that have no existence— God has chosen in order to reduce to nothing things that do exist; 001:029 to prevent any mortal man from boasting in the presence of God. 001:030 But you—and it is all God's doing—are in Christ Jesus: He has become for us a wisdom which is from God, consisting of righteousness and sanctification and deliverance; 001:031 in order that it may be as Scripture says, "He who boasts— let his boast be in the Lord." 002:001 And as for myself, brethren, when I came to you, it was not with surpassing power of eloquence or earthly wisdom that I came, announcing to you that which God had commanded me to bear witness to. 002:002 For I determined to be utterly ignorant, when among you, of everything except of Jesus Christ, and of Him as having been crucified. 002:003 And so far as I myself was concerned, I came to you in conscious feebleness and in fear and in deep anxiety. 002:004 And my language and the Message that I proclaimed were not adorned with persuasive words of earthly wisdom, but depended upon truths which the Spirit taught and mightily carried home; 002:005 so that your trust might rest not on the wisdom of man but on the power of God. 002:006 Yet when we are among mature believers we do speak words of wisdom; a wisdom not belonging, however, to the present age nor to the leaders of the present age who are soon to pass away. 002:007 But in dealing with truths hitherto kept secret we speak of God's wisdom—that hidden wisdom which, before the world began, God pre-destined, so that it should result in glory to us; 002:008 a wisdom which not one of the leaders of the present age possesses, for if they had possessed it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. 002:009 But—to use the words of Scripture—we speak of things which eye has not seen nor ear heard, and which have never entered the heart of man: all that God has in readiness for them that love Him. 002:010 For us, however, God has drawn aside the veil through the teaching of the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, including the depths of the divine nature. 002:011 For, among human beings, who knows a man's inner thoughts except the man's own spirit within him? In the same way, also, only God's Spirit is acquainted with God's inner thoughts. 002:012 But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which comes forth from God, that we may know the blessings that have been so freely given to us by God. 002:013 Of these we speak—not in language which man's wisdom teaches us, but in that which the Spirit teaches—adapting, as we do, spiritual words to spiritual truths. 002:014 The unspiritual man rejects the things of the Spirit of God, and cannot attain to the knowledge of them, because they are spiritually judged. 002:015 But the spiritual man judges of everything, although he is himself judged by no one. 002:016 For who has penetrated the mind of the Lord, and will instruct Him? But *we* have the mind of Christ. 003:001 And as for myself, brethren, I found it impossible to speak to you as spiritual men. It had to be as to worldlings— mere babes in Christ. 003:002 I fed you with milk and not with solid food, since for this you were not yet strong enough. And even now you are not strong enough: 003:003 you are still unspiritual. For so long as jealousy and strife continue among you, can it be denied that you are unspiritual and are living and acting like mere men of the world? 003:004 For when some one says, "I belong to Paul," and another says, "I belong to Apollos," is not this the way men of the world speak? 003:005 What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are just God's servants, through whose efforts, and as the Lord granted power to each, you accepted the faith. 003:006 I planted and Apollos watered; but it was God who was, all the time, giving the increase. 003:007 So that neither the planter nor the waterer is of any importance. God who gives the increase is all in all. 003:008 Now in aim and purpose the planter and the waterer are one; and yet each will receive his own special reward, answering to his own special work. 003:009 Apollos and I are simply fellow workers for and with God, and you are *God's* field—God's* building. 003:010 In discharge of the task which God graciously entrusted to me, I— like a competent master-builder—have laid a foundation, and others are building upon it. But let every one be careful how and what he builds. 003:011 For no one can lay any other foundation in addition to that which is already laid, namely Jesus Christ. 003:012 And whether the building which any one is erecting on that foundation be of gold or silver or costly stones, of timber or hay or straw— 003:013 the true character of each individual's work will become manifest. For the day of Christ will disclose it, because that day is soon to come upon us clothed in fire, and as for the quality of every one's work—the fire is the thing which will test it. 003:014 If any one's work—the building which he has erected— stands the test, he will be rewarded. 003:015 If any one's work is burnt up, he will suffer the loss of it; yet he will himself be rescued, but only, as it were, by passing through the fire. 003:016 Do you not know that you are God's Sanctuary, and that the Spirit of God has His home within you? 003:017 If any one is marring the Sanctuary of God, him will God mar; for the Sanctuary of God is holy, which you all are. 003:018 Let no one deceive himself. If any man imagines that he is wise, compared with the rest of you, with the wisdom of the present age, let him become "foolish" so that he may be wise. 003:019 This world's wisdom is "foolishness" in God's sight; for it is written, "He snares the wise with their own cunning." 003:020 And again, "The Lord takes knowledge of the reasonings of the wise— how useless they are." 003:021 Therefore let no one boast about his human teachers. 003:022 For everything belongs to you—be it Paul or Apollos or Peter, the world or life or death, things present or future— everything belongs to you; 003:023 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. 004:001 As for us Apostles, let any one take this view of us— we are Christ's officers, and stewards of God's secret truths. 004:002 This being so, it follows that fidelity is what is required in stewards. 004:003 I however am very little concerned at undergoing your scrutiny, or that of other men; in fact I do not even scrutinize myself. 004:004 Though I am not conscious of having been in any way unfaithful, yet I do not for that reason stand acquitted; but He whose scrutiny I must undergo is the Lord. 004:005 Therefore form no premature judgements, but wait until the Lord returns. He will both bring to light the secrets of darkness and will openly disclose the motives that have been in people's hearts; and then the praise which each man deserves will come to him from God. 004:006 In writing this much, brethren, with special reference to Apollos and myself, I have done so for your sakes, in order to teach you by our example what those words mean, which say, "Nothing beyond what is written!"—so that you may cease to take sides in boastful rivalry, for one teacher against another. 004:007 Why, who gives you your superiority, my brother? Or what have you that you did not receive? And if you really did receive it, why boast as if this were not so? 004:008 Every one of you already has all that heart can desire; already you have grown rich; without waiting for us, you have ascended your thrones! Yes indeed, would to God that you had ascended your thrones, that we also might reign with you! 004:009 God, it seems to me, has exhibited us Apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; for we have come to be a spectacle to all creation—alike to angels and to men. 004:010 We, for Christ's sake, are labeled as "foolish"; you, as Christians, are men of shrewd intelligence. We are mere weaklings: you are strong. You are in high repute: we are outcasts. 004:011 To this very moment we endure both hunger and thirst, with scanty clothing and many a blow. 004:012 Homes we have none. Wearily we toil, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we bear it patiently; 004:013 when slandered, we try to conciliate. We have come to be regarded as the mere dirt and filth of the world— the refuse of the universe, even to this hour. 004:014 I am not writing all this to shame you, but I am offering you advice as my dearly-loved children. 004:015 For even if you were to have ten thousand spiritual instructors— for all that you could not have several fathers. It is I who in Christ Jesus became your father through the Good News. 004:016 I entreat you therefore to become like me. 004:017 For this reason I have sent Timothy to you. Spiritually he is my dearly-loved and faithful child. He will remind you of my habits as a Christian teacher— the manner in which I teach everywhere in every Church. 004:018 But some of you have been puffed up through getting the idea that I am not coming to Corinth. 004:019 But, if the Lord is willing, I shall come to you without delay; and then I shall know not the fine speeches of these conceited people, but their power. 004:020 For Apostolic authority is not a thing of words, but of power. 004:021 Which shall it be? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in a loving and tender spirit? 005:001 It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and of a kind unheard of even among the Gentiles—a man has his father's wife! 005:002 And you, instead of mourning and removing from among you the man who has done this deed of shame, are filled with self-complacency! 005:003 I for my part, present with you in spirit although absent in body, have already, as though I were present, judged him who has so acted. 005:004 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are all assembled and my spirit is with you, together with the power of our Lord Jesus, 005:005 I have handed over such a man to Satan for the destruction of his body, that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord Jesus. 005:006 It is no good thing—this which you make the ground of your boasting. Do you not know that a little yeast corrupts the whole of the dough? 005:007 Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be dough of a new kind; for in fact you *are* free from corruption. For our Passover Lamb has already been offered in sacrifice—even Christ. 005:008 Therefore let us keep our festival not with old yeast nor with the yeast of what is evil and mischievous, but with bread free from yeast—the bread of transparent sincerity and of truth. 005:009 I wrote to you in that letter that you were not to associate with fornicators; 005:010 not that in this world you are to keep wholly aloof from such as they, any more than from people who are avaricious and greedy of gain, or from worshippers of idols. For that would mean that you would be compelled to go out of the world altogether. 005:011 But what I meant was that you were not to associate with any one bearing the name of "brother," if he was addicted to fornication or avarice or idol-worship or abusive language or hard-drinking or greed of gain. With such a man you ought not even to eat. 005:012 For what business of mine is it to judge outsiders? Is it not for you to judge those who are within the Church 005:013 while you leave to God's judgement those who are outside? Remove the wicked man from among you. 006:001 If one of you has a grievance against an opponent, does he dare to go to law before irreligious men and not before God's people? 006:002 Do you not know that God's people will sit in judgement upon the world? And if you are the court before which the world is to be judged, are you unfit to deal with these petty matters? 006:003 Do you not know that we are to sit in judgement upon angels— to say nothing of things belonging to this life? 006:004 If therefore you have things belonging to this life which need to be decided, is it men who are absolutely nothing in the Church— is it *they* whom you make your judges? 006:005 I say this to put you to shame. Has it come to this, that there does not exist among you a single wise man competent to decide between a man and his brother, 006:006 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers? 006:007 To say no more, then, it is altogether a defect in you that you have law-suits with one another. Why not rather endure injustice? Why not rather submit to being defrauded? 006:008 On the contrary you yourselves inflict injustice and fraud, and upon brethren too. 006:009 Do you not know that unrighteous men will not inherit God's Kingdom? Cherish no delusion here. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor any who are guilty of unnatural crime, 006:010 nor theives, nor avaricious people, nor any who are addicted to hard drinking, to abusive language or to greed of gain, will inherit God's Kingdom. 006:011 And all this describes what some of you were. But now you have had every stain washed off: now you have been set apart as holy: now you have been pronounced free from guilt; in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God. 006:012 Everything is allowable to me, but not everything is profitable. Everything is allowable to me, but to nothing will I become a slave. 006:013 Food of all kinds is meant for the stomach, and the stomach is meant for food, and God will cause both of them to perish. Yet the body does not exist for the purpose of fornication, but for the Master's service, and the Master exists for the body; 006:014 and as God by His power raised the Master to life, so He will also raise us up. 006:015 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them the members of a prostitute? No, indeed. 006:016 Or do you not know that a man who has to do with a prostitute is one with her in body? For God says, "The two shall become one." 006:017 But he who is in union with the Master is one with Him in spirit. 006:018 Flee from fornication. Any other sin that a human being commits lies outside the body; but he who commits fornication sins against his own body. 006:019 Or do you not know that your bodies are a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is within you—the Spirit whom you have from God? 006:020 And you are not your own, for you have been redeemed at infinite cost. Therefore glorify God in your bodies. <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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