Nov 26 - 1 Corinthians 4-6
1 Corinthians
1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.2Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.6Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.7For 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 boast as though you did not?8Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings--and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you!9For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.10We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!11To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.12We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;13when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.14I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children.15Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.16Therefore I urge you to imitate me.17For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.18Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.19But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have.20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.21What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?
1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife.2And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?3Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. And I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.4When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,5hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.6Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?7Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.8Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?13God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."
1If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?2Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?3Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!4Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!5I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?6But instead, one brother goes to law against another--and this in front of unbelievers!7The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?8Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.12"Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything.13"Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.14By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!16Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."17But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.