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 e I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord .
3 My defense to those who examine me is this : 4 Do we not have a right to eat and drink ? 5 Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife , even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas ? 6 Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working ? 7 Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense ? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock ? 8 I am not speaking these things according to human judgment , am I? Or does not the Law also say these things ? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses , " YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING ." God is not concerned about oxen , is He? 10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake ? Yes , for our sake it was written , because the plowman ought to plow in hope , and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. 11 If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share the right over you, do we not more ? Nevertheless , we did not use this right , but we endure all things so that we will cause no e hindrance to the gospel of Christ . 13 Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple , and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar ? 14 So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel .
15 But I have used none of these things . And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case ; for it would be better e for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. 16 For if I preach the gospel , I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion ; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel . 17 For if I do this voluntarily , I have a reward ; but if against my will , I have a stewardship entrusted to me. 18 What then is my reward ? That, when I preach the gospel , I may offer the gospel without charge , so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel .
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all , so that I may win more . 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew , so that I might win Jews ; to those who are under the Law , as under the Law though not being myself under the Law , so that I might win those who are under the Law ; 21 to those who are without law , as without law , though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ , so that I might win those who are without law . 22 To the weak I became weak , that I might win the weak ; I have become all things to all men , so that I may by all means save some . 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel , so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run , but only one receives the prize ? Run in such a way that you may win . 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things . They then do it to receive a perishable wreath , but we an imperishable . 26 Therefore I run in such a way , as not without aim ; I box in such a way , as not beating the air ; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave , so that, after I have preached to others , I myself will not be disqualified .
31 And I, brethren , could not speak to you as to spiritual men , but as to men of flesh , as to infants in Christ . 2 I gave you milk to drink , not solid food ; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed , even now you are not yet able , 3 for you are still fleshly . For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly , and are you not walking like mere men ? 4 For when one says , "I am of Paul ," and another , "I am of Apollos ," are you not mere men ?
5 What then is Apollos ? And what is Paul ? Servants through whom you believed , even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one . 6 I planted , Apollos watered , but God was causing the growth . 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything , but God who causes the growth . 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one ; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor . 9 For we are God's fellow workers ; you are God's field , God's building . 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation , and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.
11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid , which is Jesus Christ . 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold , silver , precious stones , wood , hay , straw , 13 each man's work will become evident ; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire , and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work . 14 If any man's work which he has built on it remains , he will receive a reward . 15 If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss ; but he himself will be saved , yet so as through fire .
16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God , God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy , and that is what you are.
18 Let no man deceive himself . If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age , he must become foolish , so that he may become wise . 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God . For it is written , "He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS "; 20 and again , " THE Lord KNOWS THE REASONINGS of the wise , THAT THEY ARE USELESS ."
21 So then let no one boast in men . For all things belong to you, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come ; all things belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ ; and Christ belongs to God .
