1 Corinthians 4-6

New International Version

The Nature of True Apostleship

4 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants^(A) of Christ and as those entrusted^(B) with the mysteries^(C) God has revealed. ² Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. ³ I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ My conscience^(D) is clear, but that does not make me innocent.^(E) It is the Lord who judges me.^{(F) 5} Therefore judge nothing^(G) before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.^(H) He will bring to light^(I) what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.^(J)

⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, 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.”^(K) Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.^{(L) 7} For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?^(M) And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

⁸ Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich!^(N) You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! ⁹ For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die^(O) in the arena. We have been made a spectacle^(P) to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ,^(Q) but you are so wise in Christ!^(R) We are weak, but you are strong!^(S) You are honored, we are dishonored! ¹¹ To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.^{(T) 12} We work hard with our own hands.^(U) When we are cursed, we bless;^(V) when we are persecuted,^(W) we endure it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage^(X) of the world—right up to this moment.

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

¹⁴ I am writing this not to shame you^(Y) but to warn you as my dear children.^{(Z) 15} Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father^(AA) through the gospel.^{(AB) 16} Therefore I urge you to imitate me.^{(AC) 17} For this reason I have sent to you^(AD) Timothy,^(AE) my son^(AF) 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.^(AG)

¹⁸ Some of you have become arrogant,^(AH) as if I were not coming to you.^{(AI) 19} But I will come to you very soon,^(AJ) if the Lord is willing,^(AK) and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of^(AL) talk but of power.^{(AM) 21} What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline,^(AN) or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

Dealing With a Case of Incest

5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.^{(AO) 2} And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning^(AP) and have put out of your fellowship^(AQ) the man who has been doing this? ³ For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit.^(AR) As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus^(AS) on the one who has been doing this. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over^(AT) to Satan^(AU) for the destruction of the flesh,^[a][b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.^(AV)

⁶ Your boasting is not good.^(AW) Don’t you know that a little yeast^(AX) leavens the whole batch of dough?^{(AY) 7} Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.^{(AZ) 8} Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread^(BA) of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate^(BB) with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world^(BC) who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister^[c](BD) but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater^(BE) or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.^(BF)

¹² What business is it of mine to judge those outside^(BG) the church? Are you not to judge those inside?^{(BH) 13} God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”^[d](BI)

Lawsuits Among Believers

6 If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?^{(BJ) 2} Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world?^(BK) And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? ³ Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! ⁴ Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? ⁵ I say this to shame you.^(BL) Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?^{(BM) 6} But instead, one brother^(BN) takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!^(BO)

⁷ The 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?^{(BP) 8} Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.^{(BQ) 9} Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?^(BR) Do not be deceived:^(BS) Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers^(BT) nor men who have sex with men^{[e](BU) 10} nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers^(BV) will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were.^(BW) But you were washed,^(BX) you were sanctified,^(BY) you were justified^(BZ) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Immorality

¹² “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.^(CA) “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³ You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.”^(CB) The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord,^(CC) and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ By his power God raised the Lord from the dead,^(CD) and he will raise us also.^{(CE) 15} Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?^(CF) Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Do 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.”^{[f](CG) 17} But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.^[g](CH)

¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality.^(CI) All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.^{(CJ) 19} Do you not know that your bodies are temples^(CK) of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;^{(CL) 20} you were bought at a price.^(CM) Therefore honor God with your bodies.^(CN)