The Rights of Those Who Preach the Gospel

91 Am I not free? am I not an Apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an Apostle, at least I am one to you: for the fact that you are Christians is the sign that I am an Apostle.

3 My answer to those who are judging me is this. 4 Have we no right to take food and drink? 5 Have we no right to take about with us a Christian wife, like the rest of the Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or I only and Barnabas, have we no right to take a rest from work? 7 Who ever goes to war without looking to someone to be responsible for his payment? who puts in vines and does not take the fruit of them? or who takes care of sheep without drinking of their milk? 8 Am I talking as a man? does not the law say the same? 9 For it says in the law of Moses, It is not right to keep the ox from taking the grain when he is crushing it. Is it for the oxen that God is giving orders? 10 Or has he us in mind? Yes, it was said for us; because it is right for the ploughman to do his ploughing in hope, and for him who is crushing the grain to do his work hoping for a part in the fruits of it. 11 If we have been planting the things of the Spirit for you, does it seem a great thing for you to give us a part in your things of this world? 12 If others have a part in this right over you, have we not even more? But we did not make use of our right, so that we might put nothing in the way of the good news of Christ. 13 Do you not see that the servants of the holy things get their living from the Temple, and the servants of the altar have their part in the food which is offered on the altar? 14 Even so did the Lord give orders that the preachers of the good news might get their living from the good news.

15 But I have not made use of any of these things: and I am not writing this in the hope that it may be so for me: for it would be better for me to undergo death, than for any man to make this pride of mine of no effect. 16 For if I am a preacher of the good news, I have no cause for pride in this; because I am forced to do so, for a curse is on me if I do not. 17 But if I do it gladly, I have a reward; and if not, I am under orders to do it. 18 What then is my reward? This, that when I am giving the good news, I may give it without payment, not making use of my rights as a preacher of the good news.

19 For though I was free from all men, I made myself a servant to all, so that more might have salvation. 20 And to the Jews I was as a Jew, so that I might give the good news to them; to those under the law I was the same, not as being myself under the law, but so that I might give the good news to those under the law. 21 To those without the law I was as one without the law, not as being without law to God, but as under law to Christ, so that I might give the good news to those without the law. 22 To the feeble, I was as one who is feeble, so that they might have salvation: I have been all things to all men, so that some at least might have salvation. 23 And I do all things for the cause of the good news, so that I may have a part in it.

24 Do you not see that in a running competition all take part, but only one gets the reward? So let your minds be fixed on the reward. 25 And every man who takes part in the sports has self-control in all things. Now they do it to get a crown which is of this world, but we for an eternal crown. 26 So then I am running, not uncertainly; so I am fighting, not as one who gives blows in the air: 27 But I give blows to my body, and keep it under control, for fear that, after having given the good news to others, I myself might not have God's approval.

Warning against Idolatry

101 For it is my desire, my brothers, that you may keep in mind how all our fathers were under the cloud, and they all went through the sea; 2 And they all had baptism from Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And they all took the same holy food; 4 And the same holy drink: for they all took of the water from the holy rock which came after them: and the rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not pleased: for they came to their end in the waste land.

6 Now these things were for an example to us, so that our hearts might not go after evil things, as they did. 7 Then do not go after false gods, as some of them did; as it is said in the holy Writings, After resting and feasting, the people got up to take their pleasure. 8 Again, let us not give way to the desires of the flesh, as some of them did, of whom twenty-three thousand came to their end in one day. 9 And let us not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did, and came to their death by snakes. 10 And do not say evil things against the Lord, as some of them did, and destruction overtook them. 11 Now these things were done as an example; and were put down in writing for our teaching, on whom the last days have come. 12 So let him who seems to himself to be safe go in fear of a fall. 13 You have been put to no test but such as is common to man: and God is true, who will not let any test come on you which you are not able to undergo; but he will make with the test a way out of it, so that you may be able to go through it. 14 For this cause, my dear brothers, give no worship to false gods.

15 What I am saying is for wise men, do you be the judges of it. 16 The cup of blessing which we take, does it not give us a part in the blood of Christ? and is not the broken bread a taking part in the body of Christ? 17 Because we, being a number of persons, are one bread, we are one body: for we all take part in the one bread. 18 See Israel after the flesh: do not those who take as food the offerings of the altar take a part in the altar? 19 Do I say, then, that what is offered to images is anything, or that the image is anything? 20 What I say is that the things offered by the Gentiles are offered to evil spirits and not to God; and it is not my desire for you to have any part with evil spirits. 21 It is not possible for you, at the same time, to take the cup of the Lord and the cup of evil spirits; you may not take part in the table of the Lord and the table of evil spirits. 22 Or may we be the cause of envy to the Lord? are we stronger than he?

Do All to the Glory of God

23 We are free to do all things, but there are things which it is not wise to do. We are free to do all things, but not all things are for the common good. 24 Let a man give attention not only to what is good for himself, but equally to his neighbour's good. 25 Whatever meat may be had at the public market, take as food without question of right or wrong; 26 For the earth is the Lord's and all things in it. 27 If a Gentile makes a feast for you, and you are pleased to go as a guest, take whatever is put before you, without question of right or wrong. 28 But if anyone says to you, This food has been used as an offering, do not take it, on account of him who said it, and on account of his sense of right and wrong: 29 Right and wrong, I say, not for you, but for the other man; for the fact that I am free is not dependent on another man's sense of right or wrong. 30 But if I give praise to God for the food which I take, let no man say evil of me for that reason. 31 So then, if it is a question of food or drink, or any other thing, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no cause of trouble to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the church of God. 33 Even as I give way to all men in all things, not looking for profit for myself, but for the good of others, that they may get salvation.

111 So take me for your example, even as I take Christ for mine.

The Covering of Women's Heads

2 Now I am pleased to see that you keep me in memory in all things, and that you give attention to the teaching which was handed down from me to you. 3 But it is important for you to keep this fact in mind, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who takes part in prayer, or gives teaching as a prophet, with his head covered, puts shame on his head. 5 But every woman who does so with her head unveiled, puts shame on her head: for it is the same as if her hair was cut off. 6 For if a woman is not veiled, let her hair be cut off; but if it is a shame to a woman to have her hair cut off, let her be veiled. 7 For it is not right for a man to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For the man did not come from the woman, but the woman from the man. 9 And the man was not made for the woman, but the woman for the man. 10 For this reason it is right for the woman to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 But the woman is not separate from the man, and the man is not separate from the woman in the Lord. 12 For as the woman is from the man, so the man is through the woman; but all things are from God. 13 Be judges yourselves of the question: does it seem right for a woman to take part in prayer unveiled? 14 Does it not seem natural to you that if a man has long hair, it is a cause of shame to him? 15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 But if any man will not be ruled in this question, this is not our way of doing things, and it is not done in the churches of God.

Disorder at the Lord's Supper

17 But in giving you this order, there is one thing about which I am not pleased: it is that when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For first of all, it has come to my ears that when you come together in the church, there are divisions among you, and I take the statement to be true in part. 19 For divisions are necessary among you, in order that those who have God's approval may be clearly seen among you. 20 But now, when you come together, it is not possible to take the holy meal of the Lord: 21 For when you take your food, everyone takes his meal before the other; and one has not enough food, and another is the worse for drink. 22 What? have you not houses to take your meals in? or have you no respect for the church of God, putting the poor to shame? What am I to say to you? am I to give you praise? certainly not.

The Institution of the Lord's Supper

23 For it was handed down to me from the Lord, as I gave it to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when Judas was false to him, took bread, 24 And when it had been broken with an act of praise, he said, This is my body which is for you: do this in memory of me. 25 In the same way, with the cup, after the meal, he said, This cup is the new testament in my blood: do this, whenever you take it, in memory of me. 26 For whenever you take the bread and the cup you give witness to the Lord's death till he comes.

Partaking of the Supper Unworthily

27 If, then, anyone takes the bread or the cup of the Lord in the wrong spirit, he will be responsible for the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let no man take of the bread and the cup without testing himself. 29 For a man puts himself in danger, if he takes part in the holy meal without being conscious that it is the Lord's body. 30 For this cause a number of you are feeble and ill, and a number are dead. 31 But if we were true judges of ourselves, punishment would not come on us. 32 But if punishment does come, it is sent by the Lord, so that we may be safe when the world is judged. 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to the holy meal of the Lord, let there be waiting for one another. 34 If any man is in need of food, let him take his meal in his house; so that you may not come together to your damage. And the rest I will put in order when I come.