Judgment of Immorality

51 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles , that someone has his father's wife . 2 You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead , so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst . 3 For I, on my part , though absent in body but present in spirit , have already judged him who has so committed this , as though I were present . 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus , when you are assembled , and I with you in spirit , with the power of our Lord Jesus , 5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh , so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus . 6 Your boasting is not good . Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?

7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump , just as you are in fact unleavened . For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed . 8 Therefore let us celebrate the feast , not with old leaven , nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness , but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth .

9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people ; 10 I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world , or with the covetous and swindlers , or with idolaters , for then you would have to go out of the world . 11 But actually , I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person , or covetous , or an idolater , or a reviler , or a drunkard , or a swindler -not even to eat with such a one . 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders e ? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside , God judges . REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES e .

Going to Law before Unbelievers

61 Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor , dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints ? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world ? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts ? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels ? How much more matters of this life ? 4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life , do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church ? 5 I say this to your shame . Is it so , that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between e his brethren , 6 but brother goes to law with brother , and that before unbelievers ? 7 Actually , then , it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another . Why e not rather be wronged ? Why e not rather be defrauded ? 8 On the contrary , you yourselves wrong and defraud . You do this even to your brethren .

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God ? Do not be deceived ; neither fornicators , nor idolaters , nor adulterers , nor effeminate , nor homosexuals , 10 nor thieves , nor the covetous , nor drunkards , nor revilers , nor swindlers , will inherit the kingdom of God . 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed , but you were sanctified , but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God .

Glorify God in Your Body

12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable . All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything . 13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food , but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality , but for the Lord , and the Lord is for the body . 14 Now God has not only raised the Lord , but will also raise us up through His power . 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute ? May it never be! 16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says , " THE TWO SHALL BECOME e ONE FLESH ." 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee immorality . Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body , but the immoral man sins against his own body . 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God , and that you are not your own ? 20 For you have been bought with a price : therefore glorify God in your body .

Problems concerning Marriage

71 Now concerning the things about which you wrote , it is good for a man not to touch a woman . 2 But because of immoralities , each man is to have his own wife , and each woman is to have her own husband . 3 The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife , and likewise also the wife to her husband . 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body , but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body , but the wife does. 5 Stop depriving one another , except by agreement for a time , so e that you may devote yourselves to prayer , and come together e e again so e that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control . 6 But this I say by way of concession , not of command . 7 Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However , each man has his own gift from God , one in this manner , and another e in that. 8 But I say to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I. 9 But if they do not have self-control , let them marry ; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

10 But to the married I give instructions , not I, but the Lord , that the wife should not leave her husband 11 (but if she does leave , she must remain unmarried , or else be reconciled to her husband ), and that the husband should not divorce his wife . 12 But to the rest I say , not the Lord , that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever , and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband , and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away . 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife , and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband ; for otherwise your children are unclean , but now they are holy . 15 Yet if the unbelieving one leaves , let him leave ; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace . 16 For how do you know , O wife , whether you will save your husband ? Or how do you know , O husband , whether you will save your wife ?

17 Only e , as the Lord has assigned to each one , as God has called each , in this manner let him walk . And so I direct in all the churches . 18 Was any man called when he was already circumcised ? He is not to become uncircumcised . Has anyone been called in uncircumcision ? He is not to be circumcised . 19 Circumcision is nothing , and uncircumcision is nothing , but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God . 20 Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called . 21 Were you called while a slave ? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free , rather do that. 22 For he who was called in the Lord while a slave , is the Lord's freedman ; likewise he who was called while free , is Christ's slave . 23 You were bought with a price ; do not become slaves of men . 24 Brethren , each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called .

25 Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord , but I give an opinion as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy . 26 I think then that this is good in view of the present distress , that it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you bound to a wife ? Do not seek to be released . Are you released from a wife ? Do not seek a wife . 28 But if you marry , you have not sinned ; and if a virgin marries , she has not sinned . Yet such will have trouble in this life , and I am trying to spare you. 29 But this I say , brethren , the time has been shortened , so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none ; 30 and those who weep , as though they did not weep ; and those who rejoice , as though they did not rejoice ; and those who buy , as though they did not possess ; 31 and those who use the world , as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away . 32 But I want you to be free from concern . One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord , how he may please the Lord ; 33 but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world , how he may please his wife , 34 and his interests are divided . The woman who is unmarried , and the virgin , is concerned about the things of the Lord , that she may be holy both in body and spirit ; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world , how she may please her husband . 35 This I say for your own benefit ; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord .

36 But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is past her youth , and if it must be so , let him do what he wishes , he does not sin ; let her marry . 37 But he who stands firm in his heart , being under no constraint , but has authority over his own will , and has decided this in his own heart , to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well . 38 So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well , and he who does not give her in marriage will do better .

39 A wife is bound as long as her husband lives ; but if her husband is dead , she is free to be married to whom she wishes , only in the Lord . 40 But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God .

Food Offered to Idols

81 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols , we know that we all have knowledge . Knowledge makes arrogant , but love edifies . 2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything , he has not yet known as he ought to know ; 3 but if anyone loves God , he is known by Him.

4 Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols , we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world , and that there is no God but one . 5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth , as indeed there are many gods and many lords , 6 yet for us there is but one God , the Father , from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord , Jesus Christ , by whom are all things , and we exist through Him.

7 However not all men have this knowledge ; but some , being accustomed to the idol until now , eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol ; and their conscience being weak is defiled . 8 But food will not commend us to God ; we are neither the worse if we do not eat , nor the better if we do eat . 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak . 10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge , dining in an idol's temple , will not his conscience , if he is weak , be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols ? 11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined , the brother for whose sake Christ died . 12 And so , by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak , you sin against Christ . 13 Therefore , if food causes my brother to stumble , I will never e eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble .