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Transcript

00:00:001 Corinthians chapter 1

00:00:30May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

00:00:37Blessings in Christ

00:00:38I always give thanks to my God for you because of the grace He has given you through Christ Jesus.

00:00:46For in union with Christ you have become rich in all things, including all speech and all knowledge.

00:00:53The message about Christ has become so firmly established in you that you have not failed to receive a single blessing

00:01:02as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

00:01:06He will also keep you firm to the end so that you will be faultless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

00:01:14God is to be trusted, the God who called you to have fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

00:01:21Divisions in the Church

00:01:23By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, I appeal to all of you, my friends, to agree in what you say

00:01:31so that there will be no divisions among you.

00:01:36Be completely united with only one thought and one purpose.

00:01:41For some people from Chloe's family have told me quite plainly, my friends, that there are quarrels among you.

00:01:48Let me put it this way.

00:01:50Each one of you says something different.

00:01:53One says, I follow Paul.

00:01:56Another, I follow Apollos.

00:01:59Another, I follow Peter.

00:02:01And another, I follow Christ.

00:02:03Christ has been divided into groups.

00:02:07Was it Paul who died on the cross for you?

00:02:10Were you baptized as Paul's disciples?

00:02:12I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius.

00:02:19No one can say then that you were baptized as my disciples.

00:02:23Oh yes, I also baptized Stephanus and his family.

00:02:28But I can't remember whether I baptized anyone else.

00:02:30Christ did not send me to baptize.

00:02:34He sent me to tell the good news and to tell it without using the language of human wisdom

00:02:40in order to make sure that Christ's death on the cross is not robbed of its power.

00:02:45Christ the power and the wisdom of God.

00:02:49For the message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost.

00:02:56But for us who are being saved, it is God's power.

00:03:00The scripture says,

00:03:02I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and set aside the understanding of the scholars.

00:03:09So then, where does that leave the wise?

00:03:12Or the scholars?

00:03:14Or the skillful debaters of this world?

00:03:17God has shown that this world's wisdom is foolishness.

00:03:21For God in his wisdom made it impossible for people to know him by means of their own wisdom.

00:03:28Instead, by means of the so-called foolish message we preach,

00:03:33God decided to save those who believe.

00:03:37Jews want miracles for proof.

00:03:39And Greeks look for wisdom.

00:03:42As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ,

00:03:46a message that is offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Gentiles.

00:03:51But for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles,

00:03:56this message is Christ,

00:03:59who is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

00:04:02For what seems to be God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom.

00:04:08And what seems to be God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

00:04:13Now remember what you were, my friends, when God called you.

00:04:16From the human point of view, few of you were wise or powerful or of high social standing.

00:04:24God purposely chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise.

00:04:30And he chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful.

00:04:36He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing

00:04:41in order to destroy what the world thinks is important.

00:04:46This means that no one can boast in God's presence.

00:04:50But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus.

00:04:54And God has made Christ to be our wisdom.

00:04:57By him, we are put right with God.

00:05:00We become God's holy people and are set free.

00:05:04So then, as the scripture says,

00:05:05Whoever wants to boast, must boast of what the Lord has done.

00:05:14Chapter 2

00:05:15The Message About the Crucified Christ

00:05:18When I came to you, my friends, to preach God's secret truth,

00:05:23I did not use big words and great learning.

00:05:27For while I was with you,

00:05:28I made up my mind to forget everything except Jesus Christ,

00:05:33and especially his death on the cross.

00:05:35So when I came to you,

00:05:38I was weak and trembled all over with fear,

00:05:41and my teaching and message were not delivered with skillful words of human wisdom,

00:05:47but with convincing proof of the power of God's Spirit.

00:05:51Your faith, then, does not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power.

00:05:57God's Wisdom

00:05:58Yet I do proclaim a message of wisdom to those who are spiritually mature.

00:06:03But it is not the wisdom that belongs to this world,

00:06:08or to the powers that rule this world,

00:06:10powers that are losing their power.

00:06:13The wisdom, I proclaim, is God's secret wisdom,

00:06:17which is hidden from human beings,

00:06:19but which he had already chosen for our glory even before the world was made.

00:06:25None of the rulers of this world knew this wisdom.

00:06:28If they had known it,

00:06:30they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

00:06:34However, as the Scripture says,

00:06:36what no one ever saw or heard,

00:06:39what no one ever thought could happen,

00:06:41is the very thing God prepared for those who love him.

00:06:46But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit.

00:06:51The Spirit searches everything,

00:06:54even the hidden depths of God's purposes.

00:06:58It is only our own Spirit within us that knows all about us.

00:07:03In the same way,

00:07:04only God's Spirit knows all about God.

00:07:08We have not received this world's Spirit.

00:07:11Instead, we have received the Spirit sent by God,

00:07:15so that we may know all that God has given us.

00:07:18So then, we do not speak in words taught by human wisdom,

00:07:23but in words taught by the Spirit,

00:07:26as we explain spiritual truths to those who have the Spirit.

00:07:31Whoever does not have the Spirit

00:07:32cannot receive the gifts that come from God's Spirit.

00:07:36Such a person really does not understand them,

00:07:39and they seem to be nonsense,

00:07:41because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis.

00:07:46Whoever has the Spirit, however,

00:07:48is able to judge the value of everything.

00:07:51But no one is able to judge Him.

00:07:54As the Scripture says,

00:07:56Who knows the mind of the Lord?

00:07:58Who is able to give Him advice?

00:08:01We, however, have the mind of Christ.

00:08:03As a matter of fact, my friends,

00:08:13I could not talk to you as I talk to people who have the Spirit.

00:08:17I had to talk to you as though you belonged to this world,

00:08:21as children in the Christian faith.

00:08:23I had to feed you milk,

00:08:25not solid food,

00:08:27because you were not ready for it.

00:08:28And even now,

00:08:30you are not ready for it,

00:08:32because you still live as the people of this world live.

00:08:35When there is jealousy among you,

00:08:38and you quarrel with one another,

00:08:40doesn't this prove that you belong to this world,

00:08:43living by its standards?

00:08:44When one of you says,

00:08:46I follow Paul,

00:08:48and another I follow Apollos,

00:08:50aren't you acting like worldly people?

00:08:53After all,

00:08:54who is Apollos?

00:08:55And who is Paul?

00:08:57We are simply God's servants,

00:08:59by whom you were led to believe.

00:09:01Each one of us does the work,

00:09:03which the Lord gave him to do.

00:09:06I planted the seed,

00:09:07Apollos watered the plant,

00:09:09but it was God who made the plant grow.

00:09:13The one who plants,

00:09:14and the one who waters,

00:09:15really do not matter.

00:09:17It is God who matters,

00:09:19because he makes the plant grow.

00:09:21There is no difference between the one who plants,

00:09:24and the one who waters.

00:09:26God will reward each one,

00:09:28according to the work each has done.

00:09:31For we are partners,

00:09:32working together for God,

00:09:34and you are God's field.

00:09:36You are also God's building.

00:09:40Using the gift that God gave me,

00:09:42I did the work of an expert builder,

00:09:45and laid the foundation,

00:09:47and someone else is building on it.

00:09:49But each of you must be careful how you build.

00:09:53For God has already placed Jesus Christ

00:09:55as the one and only foundation,

00:09:58and no other foundation can be laid.

00:10:01Some will use gold,

00:10:03or silver,

00:10:04or precious stones

00:10:05in building on the foundation.

00:10:08Others will use wood,

00:10:09or grass,

00:10:10or straw.

00:10:12And the quality of each person's work

00:10:14will be seen when the day of Christ exposes it.

00:10:18For on that day,

00:10:19fire will reveal everyone's work.

00:10:22The fire will test it,

00:10:24and show its real quality.

00:10:26If what was built on the foundation

00:10:28survives the fire,

00:10:30the builder will receive a reward.

00:10:32But if your work is burnt up,

00:10:34then you will lose it.

00:10:37But you yourself will be saved

00:10:38as if you had escaped through the fire.

00:10:42Surely you know that you are God's temple,

00:10:44and that God's Spirit lives in you.

00:10:47God will destroy anyone who destroys God's temple.

00:10:51For God's temple is holy,

00:10:53and you yourselves are His temple.

00:10:55You should not fool yourself.

00:10:57If any of you think that you are wise

00:11:00by this world's standards,

00:11:02you should become a fool,

00:11:03in order to be really wise.

00:11:06For what this world considers to be wisdom

00:11:08is nonsense in God's sight.

00:11:11As the scripture says,

00:11:13God traps the wise in their cleverness.

00:11:16And another scripture says,

00:11:18the Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise

00:11:21are worthless.

00:11:21No one then should boast about

00:11:24what human beings can do.

00:11:27Actually, everything belongs to you.

00:11:30Paul, Apollos, and Peter.

00:11:33This world, life and death,

00:11:35the present and the future,

00:11:37all these are yours.

00:11:39And you belong to Christ.

00:11:41And Christ belongs to God.

00:11:43Chapter 4

00:11:48Apostles of Christ

00:11:51You should think of us as Christ's servants

00:11:54who have been put in charge of God's secret truths.

00:11:58The one thing required of such servants

00:12:00is that they be faithful to their master.

00:12:03Now, I am not at all concerned about being judged by you

00:12:07or by any human standard.

00:12:09I don't even pass judgment on myself.

00:12:12My conscience is clear.

00:12:15But that does not prove that I am really innocent.

00:12:18The Lord is the one who passes judgment on me.

00:12:21So you should not pass judgment on anyone

00:12:23before the right time comes.

00:12:26Final judgment must wait until the Lord comes.

00:12:30He will bring to light the dark secrets

00:12:32and expose the hidden purposes of people's minds.

00:12:36And then all will receive from God

00:12:38the praise they deserve.

00:12:40For your sake, my friends,

00:12:42I have applied all this to Apollos and me,

00:12:45using the two of us as an example,

00:12:48so that you may learn what the saying means,

00:12:51observe the proper rules.

00:12:53None of you should be proud of one person

00:12:55and despise another.

00:12:58Who made you superior to others?

00:13:00Didn't God give you everything you have?

00:13:03Well then, how can you boast

00:13:05as if what you have were not a gift?

00:13:08Do you already have everything you need?

00:13:12Are you already rich?

00:13:13Have you become kings even though we are not?

00:13:17Well, I wish you really were kings,

00:13:19so that we could be kings together with you.

00:13:22For it seems to me

00:13:23that God has given the very last place to us apostles,

00:13:27like people condemned to die in public

00:13:30as a spectacle for the whole world of angels

00:13:33and of human beings.

00:13:36For Christ's sake, we are fools,

00:13:38but you are wise in union with Christ.

00:13:41We are weak, but you are strong.

00:13:44We are despised, but you are honored.

00:13:48To this very moment, we go hungry and thirsty.

00:13:51We are clothed in rags.

00:13:53We are beaten.

00:13:54We wander from place to place.

00:13:56We wear ourselves out with hard work.

00:13:58When we are cursed, we bless.

00:14:01When we are persecuted, we endure.

00:14:04When we are insulted, we answer back with kind words.

00:14:08We are no more than this world's garbage.

00:14:11We are the scum of the earth to this very moment.

00:14:14I write this to you,

00:14:16not because I want to make you feel ashamed,

00:14:19but to instruct you as my own dear children.

00:14:22For even if you have 10,000 guardians in your Christian life,

00:14:27you have only one Father.

00:14:30For in your life in union with Christ Jesus,

00:14:33I have become your Father by bringing the good news to you.

00:14:38I beg you then to follow my example.

00:14:41For this purpose, I am sending to you Timothy,

00:14:44who is my own dear and faithful son in the Christian life.

00:14:48He will remind you of the principles which I follow

00:14:52in the new life in union with Christ Jesus,

00:14:56and which I teach in all the churches everywhere.

00:15:00Some of you have become proud

00:15:01because you have thought that I would not be coming to visit you.

00:15:05If the Lord is willing, however,

00:15:07I will come to you soon,

00:15:09and then I will find out for myself the power

00:15:12which these proud people have,

00:15:14and not just what they say.

00:15:16For the kingdom of God is not a matter of words,

00:15:19but of power.

00:15:21Which do you prefer?

00:15:22Shall I come to you with a whip,

00:15:24or in a spirit of love and gentleness?

00:15:31Chapter 5

00:15:32Immorality in the Church

00:15:34Now, it is actually being said

00:15:38that there is sexual immorality among you

00:15:40so terrible

00:15:41that not even the heathen would be guilty of it.

00:15:44I am told that a man is sleeping with his stepmother.

00:15:49How then can you be proud?

00:15:51On the contrary,

00:15:53you should be filled with sadness,

00:15:55and the man who has done such a thing

00:15:57should be expelled from your fellowship.

00:16:00And even though I am far away from you in body,

00:16:03still I am there with you in spirit.

00:16:06And as though I were there with you,

00:16:08I have in the name of our Lord Jesus

00:16:11already passed judgment on the man

00:16:13who has done this terrible thing.

00:16:16As you meet together,

00:16:17and I meet with you in my spirit,

00:16:20by the power of our Lord Jesus present with us,

00:16:23you are to hand this man over to Satan

00:16:25for his body to be destroyed,

00:16:28so that his spirit may be saved

00:16:30in the day of the Lord.

00:16:32It is not right for you to be proud.

00:16:34You know the saying,

00:16:36a little bit of yeast

00:16:37makes the whole batch of dough rise.

00:16:40You must remove the old yeast of sin

00:16:42so that you will be entirely pure.

00:16:46Then you will be like a new batch of dough

00:16:48without any yeast,

00:16:50as indeed I know you actually are.

00:16:53For our Passover festival is ready,

00:16:56now that Christ, our Passover lamb,

00:16:58has been sacrificed.

00:16:59Let us celebrate our Passover then,

00:17:02not with bread having the old yeast

00:17:04of sin and wickedness,

00:17:06but with the bread that has no yeast,

00:17:09the bread of purity and truth.

00:17:11In the letter that I wrote you,

00:17:13I told you not to associate

00:17:15with immoral people.

00:17:17Now I did not mean pagans

00:17:19who are immoral or greedy

00:17:21or are thieves

00:17:22or who worship idols.

00:17:24To avoid them,

00:17:25you would have to get out

00:17:26of the world completely.

00:17:28What I meant was that

00:17:29you should not associate

00:17:30with a person who calls himself

00:17:33a believer,

00:17:34but is immoral or greedy

00:17:36or worships idols

00:17:37or is a slanderer

00:17:39or a drunkard or a thief.

00:17:41Don't even sit down

00:17:42to eat with such a person.

00:17:45After all,

00:17:45it is none of my business

00:17:47to judge outsiders.

00:17:48God will judge them.

00:17:50But should you not judge

00:17:51the members of your own fellowship?

00:17:54As the scripture says,

00:17:55remove the evil person

00:17:57from your group.

00:18:00Chapter 6

00:18:03Lawsuits Against Fellow Christians

00:18:06If any of you have a dispute

00:18:08with another Christian,

00:18:10how dare you go before

00:18:11heathen judges

00:18:12instead of letting God's people

00:18:14settle the matter?

00:18:16Don't you know that God's people

00:18:18will judge the world?

00:18:19Well then,

00:18:20if you are to judge the world,

00:18:22aren't you capable

00:18:23of judging small matters?

00:18:25Do you not know

00:18:26that we shall judge the angels?

00:18:28How much more than

00:18:30the things of this life?

00:18:32If such matters come up,

00:18:34are you going to take them

00:18:36to be settled by people

00:18:37who have no standing

00:18:38in the church?

00:18:40Shame on you.

00:18:41Surely there is at least

00:18:43one wise person

00:18:44in your fellowship

00:18:45who can settle a dispute

00:18:47between fellow Christians.

00:18:49Instead,

00:18:50one Christian goes to court

00:18:51against another

00:18:52and lets unbelievers

00:18:54judge the case.

00:18:55The very fact

00:18:56that you have legal disputes

00:18:58among yourselves

00:18:59shows that you have

00:19:00failed completely.

00:19:02Would it not be better

00:19:03for you to be wronged?

00:19:05Would it not be better

00:19:06for you to be robbed?

00:19:08Instead,

00:19:09you yourselves

00:19:09wrong one another

00:19:10and rob one another,

00:19:12even other believers.

00:19:15Surely you know

00:19:16that the wicked

00:19:16will not possess

00:19:17God's kingdom.

00:19:19Do not fool yourselves.

00:19:21People who are immoral

00:19:22or who worship idols

00:19:23or are adulterers

00:19:25or homosexual perverts

00:19:27or who steal

00:19:28or are greedy

00:19:29or are drunkards

00:19:31or who slander others

00:19:32or are thieves.

00:19:34None of these

00:19:35will possess

00:19:36God's kingdom.

00:19:37Some of you

00:19:38are like that,

00:19:39but you have been

00:19:40purified from sin.

00:19:42You have been

00:19:43dedicated to God.

00:19:44You have been

00:19:45put right with God

00:19:46by the Lord Jesus Christ

00:19:48and by the Spirit

00:19:49of our God.

00:19:50Use your bodies

00:19:52for God's glory.

00:19:54Someone will say,

00:19:56I am allowed

00:19:57to do anything.

00:19:58Yes,

00:19:59but not everything

00:20:00is good for you.

00:20:01I could say

00:20:02that I am allowed

00:20:03to do anything,

00:20:04but I am not going

00:20:05to let anything

00:20:06make me its slave.

00:20:08Someone else will say,

00:20:10Food is for the stomach

00:20:11and the stomach

00:20:12is for food.

00:20:14Yes,

00:20:14but God will put

00:20:15an end to both.

00:20:17The body is not

00:20:18to be used

00:20:18for sexual immorality,

00:20:20but to serve

00:20:21the Lord.

00:20:22And the Lord

00:20:22provides for the body.

00:20:25God raised

00:20:25the Lord from death

00:20:26and He will also

00:20:28raise us

00:20:28by His power.

00:20:30You know

00:20:31that your bodies

00:20:31are parts

00:20:32of the body

00:20:33of Christ.

00:20:34Shall I take

00:20:35a part of Christ's body

00:20:36and make it part

00:20:38of the body

00:20:38of a prostitute?

00:20:40Impossible!

00:20:41Or perhaps

00:20:42you don't know

00:20:43that the man

00:20:44who joins his body

00:20:45to a prostitute

00:20:46becomes physically

00:20:47one with her.

00:20:48The scripture

00:20:49says quite plainly

00:20:51the two

00:20:52will become

00:20:52one body.

00:20:54But he

00:20:54who joins himself

00:20:55to the Lord

00:20:56becomes spiritually

00:20:57one with Him.

00:20:59Avoid

00:21:00immorality.

00:21:02Any other sin

00:21:03a man commits

00:21:04does not affect

00:21:05his body,

00:21:06but the man

00:21:07who is guilty

00:21:07of sexual immorality

00:21:09sins against

00:21:10his own body.

00:21:12Don't you know

00:21:12that your body

00:21:13is the temple

00:21:14of the Holy Spirit?

00:21:15who lives

00:21:16in you

00:21:17and who was

00:21:17given to you

00:21:18by God?

00:21:19You do not

00:21:20belong to yourselves

00:21:21but to God.

00:21:23He bought you

00:21:24for a price.

00:21:25So use your bodies

00:21:26for God's glory.

00:21:32Chapter 7

00:21:33Questions

00:21:34About Marriage

00:21:35Now to deal

00:21:37with the matters

00:21:37you wrote about.

00:21:39Man does well

00:21:40not to marry,

00:21:41but because

00:21:42there is so much

00:21:43immorality,

00:21:43every man

00:21:45should have

00:21:45his own wife

00:21:46and every woman

00:21:47should have

00:21:48her own husband.

00:21:50A man should

00:21:50fulfill his duty

00:21:51as a husband

00:21:52and a woman

00:21:53should fulfill

00:21:54her duty

00:21:55as a wife

00:21:55and each

00:21:57should satisfy

00:21:58the other's needs.

00:22:00A wife is not

00:22:01the master

00:22:01of her own body,

00:22:02but her husband is.

00:22:04In the same way,

00:22:06a husband is not

00:22:07the master

00:22:07of his own body,

00:22:09but his wife is.

00:22:10Do not deny

00:22:11yourselves

00:22:12to each other

00:22:13unless you first

00:22:14agree to do so

00:22:15for a while

00:22:16in order to spend

00:22:17your time in prayer,

00:22:19but then

00:22:20resume normal

00:22:21marital relations.

00:22:23In this way,

00:22:24you will be kept

00:22:25from giving in

00:22:26to Satan's temptation

00:22:27because of your

00:22:28lack of self-control.

00:22:30I tell you this

00:22:31not as an order,

00:22:32but simply

00:22:33as a permission.

00:22:35Actually,

00:22:35I would prefer

00:22:36that all of you

00:22:37were as I am,

00:22:38but each one

00:22:40has a special gift

00:22:41from God.

00:22:42One person

00:22:43this gift,

00:22:44another one

00:22:45that gift.

00:22:46Now,

00:22:47to the unmarried

00:22:48and to the widows,

00:22:49I say that it

00:22:50would be better

00:22:51for you

00:22:51to continue

00:22:52to live alone

00:22:53as I do.

00:22:55But if you cannot

00:22:56restrain your desires,

00:22:57go ahead

00:22:58and marry.

00:22:59It is better

00:23:00to marry

00:23:00than to burn

00:23:01with passion.

00:23:03For married people,

00:23:04I have a command

00:23:05which is not my own,

00:23:06but the Lord's.

00:23:08A wife must not

00:23:09leave her husband.

00:23:10But if she does,

00:23:12she must remain single

00:23:13or else be reconciled

00:23:15to her husband.

00:23:16And a husband

00:23:17must not divorce

00:23:18his wife.

00:23:19To the others,

00:23:20I say,

00:23:21I,

00:23:22myself,

00:23:23not the Lord.

00:23:24If a Christian man

00:23:25has a wife

00:23:26who is an unbeliever

00:23:27and she agrees

00:23:29to go on living

00:23:29with him,

00:23:30he must not

00:23:31divorce her.

00:23:32And if a Christian woman

00:23:33is married to a man

00:23:35who is an unbeliever

00:23:36and he agrees

00:23:37to go on living

00:23:38with her,

00:23:39she must not

00:23:39divorce him.

00:23:41For the unbelieving

00:23:42husband is made

00:23:43acceptable to God

00:23:44by being united

00:23:45to his wife.

00:23:47And the unbelieving

00:23:47wife is made

00:23:49acceptable to God

00:23:50by being united

00:23:51to her Christian husband.

00:23:53If this were not so,

00:23:55their children

00:23:55would be like

00:23:56pagan children.

00:23:58But as it is,

00:23:59they are acceptable

00:24:00to God.

00:24:01However,

00:24:02if the one

00:24:03who is not

00:24:03a believer

00:24:04wishes to leave

00:24:05the Christian partner,

00:24:07let it be so.

00:24:08In such cases,

00:24:10the Christian partner,

00:24:11whether husband

00:24:12or wife,

00:24:13is free to act.

00:24:15God has called you

00:24:16to live in peace.

00:24:17How can you be sure,

00:24:18Christian wife,

00:24:20that you will not

00:24:20save your husband?

00:24:22Or how can you be sure,

00:24:23Christian husband,

00:24:24that you will not

00:24:25save your wife?

00:24:27Live as God

00:24:28called you.

00:24:29Each of you

00:24:30should go on living

00:24:31according to the Lord's gift

00:24:33to you,

00:24:34and as you were

00:24:35when God called you.

00:24:37This is the rule

00:24:38I teach in all the churches.

00:24:40If a circumcised man

00:24:42has accepted God's call,

00:24:44he should not try

00:24:45to remove the marks

00:24:46of circumcision.

00:24:47If an uncircumcised man

00:24:49has accepted God's call,

00:24:51he should not get circumcised.

00:24:53For whether or not

00:24:54a man is circumcised

00:24:56means nothing.

00:24:57What matters

00:24:58is to obey

00:24:59God's commandments.

00:25:00Each of you

00:25:01should remain

00:25:02as you were

00:25:03when you accepted

00:25:04God's call.

00:25:06Were you a slave

00:25:07when God called you?

00:25:09Well, never mind,

00:25:10but if you have a chance

00:25:11to become free,

00:25:12use it.

00:25:13For a slave

00:25:14who has been called

00:25:15by the Lord

00:25:15is the Lord's

00:25:16free person.

00:25:18In the same way,

00:25:19a free person

00:25:20who has been called

00:25:21by Christ

00:25:22is his slave.

00:25:24God bought you

00:25:24for a price.

00:25:26So do not become

00:25:27slaves of people.

00:25:28My friends,

00:25:30each of you

00:25:30should remain

00:25:31in fellowship

00:25:32with God

00:25:33in the same condition

00:25:34that you were

00:25:35when you were called.

00:25:37Questions about

00:25:38the unmarried

00:25:39and the widows.

00:25:41Now,

00:25:42concerning what you

00:25:43wrote about

00:25:43unmarried people,

00:25:45I do not have

00:25:46a command from

00:25:46the Lord,

00:25:47but I give my opinion

00:25:48as one who,

00:25:49by the Lord's mercy,

00:25:51is worthy of trust.

00:25:53Considering the

00:25:54present distress,

00:25:55I think it is better

00:25:56for a man to stay

00:25:57as he is.

00:25:59Do you have a wife?

00:26:00Then don't try

00:26:01to get rid of her.

00:26:02Are you unmarried?

00:26:04Then don't look

00:26:04for a wife.

00:26:06But if you do marry,

00:26:07you haven't committed

00:26:08a sin.

00:26:09And if an unmarried

00:26:10woman marries,

00:26:11she hasn't committed

00:26:12a sin.

00:26:14But I would rather

00:26:15spare you the

00:26:15everyday troubles

00:26:16that married people

00:26:18will have.

00:26:19What I mean,

00:26:20my friends,

00:26:20is this.

00:26:21There is not

00:26:22much time left,

00:26:23and from now on

00:26:24married people

00:26:25should live

00:26:26as though they

00:26:27were not married.

00:26:28Those who weep

00:26:29as though they

00:26:30were not sad.

00:26:31Those who laugh

00:26:32as though they

00:26:33were not happy.

00:26:35Those who buy

00:26:35as though they

00:26:36did not own

00:26:37what they bought.

00:26:39Those who deal

00:26:40in material goods

00:26:41as though they

00:26:42were not fully

00:26:43occupied with them.

00:26:45For this world,

00:26:46as it is now,

00:26:47will not last

00:26:48much longer.

00:26:50I would like you

00:26:50to be free

00:26:51from worry.

00:26:52An unmarried man

00:26:54concerns himself

00:26:55with the Lord's

00:26:56work because he

00:26:57is trying to

00:26:58please the Lord.

00:26:59But a married man

00:27:01concerns himself

00:27:02with worldly

00:27:03matters because he

00:27:04wants to please

00:27:05his wife,

00:27:06and so he is

00:27:07pulled in two

00:27:08directions.

00:27:09An unmarried woman

00:27:10or a virgin

00:27:11concerns herself

00:27:13with the Lord's

00:27:14work because she

00:27:15wants to be

00:27:16dedicated both

00:27:16in body and

00:27:18spirit.

00:27:19But a married

00:27:20woman concerns

00:27:21herself with

00:27:22worldly matters

00:27:22because she

00:27:23wants to

00:27:24please her

00:27:24husband.

00:27:26I am saying

00:27:26this because I

00:27:27want to help

00:27:28you.

00:27:28I am not

00:27:29trying to put

00:27:30restrictions on

00:27:31you.

00:27:32Instead, I

00:27:33want you to do

00:27:33what is right

00:27:34and proper,

00:27:35and to give

00:27:36yourselves

00:27:36completely to

00:27:37the Lord's

00:27:37service without

00:27:38any reservation.

00:27:41In the case

00:27:41of an engaged

00:27:42couple who

00:27:43have decided

00:27:44not to marry,

00:27:45if the man

00:27:46feels that he

00:27:47is not acting

00:27:47properly toward

00:27:49the young woman,

00:27:49and if his

00:27:50passions are

00:27:51too strong

00:27:52and he feels

00:27:53that they ought

00:27:53to marry,

00:27:55then they should

00:27:55get married as

00:27:56he wants to.

00:27:58There is no sin

00:27:59in this.

00:28:00But if a man,

00:28:01without being

00:28:02forced to do

00:28:02so, has firmly

00:28:04made up his

00:28:05mind not to

00:28:05marry, and if

00:28:07he has his

00:28:07will under

00:28:08complete control

00:28:09and has already

00:28:10decided in his

00:28:12own mind what

00:28:13to do, then he

00:28:14does well not

00:28:15to marry the

00:28:16young woman.

00:28:17So the man

00:28:18who marries does

00:28:18well, but the

00:28:19one who doesn't

00:28:20marry does even

00:28:21better.

00:28:23A married woman

00:28:24is not free as

00:28:25long as her

00:28:25husband lives, but

00:28:27if her husband

00:28:28dies, then she

00:28:29is free to be

00:28:30married to any

00:28:31man she wishes,

00:28:33but only if he

00:28:34is a Christian.

00:28:36She will be

00:28:36happier, however,

00:28:37if she stays as

00:28:38she is.

00:28:39That is my

00:28:40opinion, and I

00:28:41think that I too

00:28:42have God's

00:28:43spirit.

00:28:47Chapter 8

00:28:48The Question

00:28:49About Food

00:28:50Offered to

00:28:51Idols

00:28:52Now concerning

00:28:53what you wrote

00:28:54about food

00:28:55offered to

00:28:56idols, it is

00:28:57true, of course,

00:28:58that all of us

00:28:59have knowledge,

00:29:00as they say.

00:29:01Such knowledge,

00:29:02however, puffs a

00:29:03person up with

00:29:04pride, but love

00:29:06builds up.

00:29:07Those who think

00:29:08they know

00:29:08something really

00:29:10don't know as

00:29:10they ought to

00:29:11know, but the

00:29:12person who loves

00:29:13God is known

00:29:14by him.

00:29:15So then, about

00:29:17eating the food

00:29:18offered to

00:29:19idols.

00:29:20We know that

00:29:21an idol stands

00:29:21for something that

00:29:23does not really

00:29:24exist.

00:29:25We know that

00:29:26there is only

00:29:26the one God.

00:29:28Even if there

00:29:29are so-called

00:29:30gods, whether

00:29:31in heaven or on

00:29:33earth, and even

00:29:34though there are

00:29:35many of these

00:29:35gods and lords,

00:29:38yet there is for

00:29:38us only one God,

00:29:41the Father, who is

00:29:42the creator of

00:29:43all things, and

00:29:44for whom we

00:29:45live.

00:29:46And there is

00:29:46only one Lord,

00:29:48Jesus Christ,

00:29:50through whom all

00:29:50things were

00:29:51created, and

00:29:52through whom we

00:29:53live.

00:29:54But not everyone

00:29:55knows this truth.

00:29:57Some people have

00:29:58been so used to

00:29:59idols that to

00:30:00this day when

00:30:00they eat such

00:30:01food, they still

00:30:02think of it as

00:30:04food that belongs

00:30:05to an idol.

00:30:06Their conscience

00:30:07is weak, and

00:30:08they feel they are

00:30:09defiled by the

00:30:11food.

00:30:11Food, however,

00:30:12will not improve

00:30:13our relation with

00:30:14God.

00:30:16We shall not lose

00:30:16anything if we do

00:30:17not eat, nor shall

00:30:19we gain anything if

00:30:20we do eat.

00:30:22Be careful, however,

00:30:23not to let your

00:30:24freedom of action

00:30:25make those who are

00:30:27weak in the faith

00:30:28fall into sin.

00:30:30Suppose a person

00:30:31whose conscience

00:30:32is weak in this

00:30:33matter sees you,

00:30:35who have so-called

00:30:35knowledge, eating in

00:30:37the temple of an

00:30:38idol.

00:30:39Will not this

00:30:40encourage him to

00:30:41eat food offered

00:30:42to idols?

00:30:44And so this

00:30:44weak person, your

00:30:46brother for whom

00:30:47Christ died, will

00:30:49perish because of

00:30:50your knowledge.

00:30:52And in this way, you

00:30:53will be sinning

00:30:54against Christ by

00:30:55sinning against

00:30:56other Christians, and

00:30:58wounding their weak

00:30:59conscience.

00:31:00So then, if food

00:31:02makes a believer

00:31:02sin, I will never

00:31:04eat meat again, so

00:31:06as not to make a

00:31:07believer fall into

00:31:08sin.

00:31:12Chapter 9

00:31:14Rights and Duties

00:31:15of an Apostle

00:31:17Am I not a free

00:31:19man?

00:31:20Am I not an

00:31:21apostle?

00:31:22Haven't I seen

00:31:23Jesus our Lord?

00:31:25And aren't you the

00:31:26result of my work

00:31:27for the Lord?

00:31:28Even if others do

00:31:30not accept me as

00:31:31an apostle, surely

00:31:32you do.

00:31:34Because of your life

00:31:35in union with the

00:31:36Lord, you yourselves

00:31:38are proof of the

00:31:39fact that I am an

00:31:40apostle.

00:31:41When people

00:31:42criticize me, this

00:31:43is how I defend

00:31:44myself.

00:31:46Don't I have the

00:31:47right to be given

00:31:47food and drink for

00:31:49my work?

00:31:50Don't I have the

00:31:51right to follow the

00:31:52example of the

00:31:53other apostles and

00:31:55the Lord's brothers

00:31:56and Peter by taking

00:31:57a Christian wife with

00:31:59me on my trips?

00:32:00Or are Barnabas and

00:32:02I the only ones who

00:32:03have to work for our

00:32:04living?

00:32:05What soldiers ever

00:32:07have to pay their

00:32:08own expenses in the

00:32:09army?

00:32:10What farmers do not

00:32:11eat the grapes from

00:32:13their own vineyard?

00:32:14What shepherds do not

00:32:15use the milk from

00:32:17their own sheep?

00:32:18I don't have to limit

00:32:20myself to these

00:32:20everyday examples

00:32:22because the law says

00:32:23the same thing.

00:32:25We read in the law

00:32:26of Moses, do not

00:32:27muzzle an ox when

00:32:29you are using it to

00:32:30thresh grain.

00:32:32Now, is God

00:32:33concerned about

00:32:34oxen?

00:32:35Didn't he really

00:32:36mean us when he

00:32:37said that?

00:32:38Of course that was

00:32:39written for us.

00:32:41Anyone who plows and

00:32:42anyone who reaps

00:32:43should do their work

00:32:45in the hope of

00:32:46getting a share of

00:32:47the crop.

00:32:48We have sown

00:32:49spiritual seed among

00:32:50you.

00:32:51Is it too much if we

00:32:52reap material benefits

00:32:54from you?

00:32:55If others have the

00:32:56right to expect this

00:32:58from you, don't we

00:32:59have an even greater

00:33:00right?

00:33:00But we haven't

00:33:02made use of this

00:33:03right.

00:33:04Instead, we have

00:33:05endured everything in

00:33:07order not to put any

00:33:08obstacle in the way of

00:33:10the good news about

00:33:11Christ.

00:33:12Surely you know that

00:33:14the men who work in

00:33:15the temple get their

00:33:16food from the temple

00:33:17and that those who

00:33:19offer the sacrifices

00:33:20on the altar get a

00:33:22share of the

00:33:22sacrifices.

00:33:24In the same way, the

00:33:25Lord has ordered that

00:33:26those who preach the

00:33:27gospel should get their

00:33:29living from it.

00:33:30But I haven't made

00:33:32use of any of these

00:33:33rights.

00:33:34Nor am I writing this

00:33:36now in order to

00:33:37claim such rights for

00:33:38myself.

00:33:39I would rather die

00:33:40first.

00:33:42Nobody is going to

00:33:43turn my rightful boast

00:33:44into empty words.

00:33:47I have no right to

00:33:48boast just because I

00:33:49preach the gospel.

00:33:51After all, I am under

00:33:52orders to do so.

00:33:54And how terrible it

00:33:55would be for me if I

00:33:57did not preach the

00:33:58gospel.

00:33:59If I did my work as a

00:34:01matter of free choice,

00:34:03then I could expect to

00:34:04be paid.

00:34:05But I do it as a

00:34:06matter of duty because

00:34:08God has entrusted me

00:34:10with this task.

00:34:12What pay do I get

00:34:13then?

00:34:13It is the privilege of

00:34:15preaching the good

00:34:16news without charging

00:34:18for it, without

00:34:19claiming my rights in

00:34:20my work for the

00:34:21gospel.

00:34:22I am a free man,

00:34:25nobody's slave.

00:34:26But I make myself

00:34:27everybody's slave in

00:34:29order to win as many

00:34:30people as possible.

00:34:32While working with the

00:34:33Jews, I live like a

00:34:35Jew in order to win

00:34:36them.

00:34:37And even though I

00:34:38myself am not subject

00:34:40to the law of Moses,

00:34:41I live as though I

00:34:43were when working with

00:34:44those who are in order

00:34:46to win them.

00:34:47In the same way, when

00:34:49working with Gentiles, I

00:34:50live like a Gentile outside

00:34:52the Jewish law, in

00:34:54order to win Gentiles.

00:34:56This does not mean that

00:34:58I don't obey God's law.

00:34:59I am really under

00:35:00Christ's law.

00:35:02Among the weak in

00:35:03faith, I become weak

00:35:04like one of them, in

00:35:06order to win them.

00:35:08So I become all things

00:35:09to all people, that I

00:35:11may save some of them

00:35:12by whatever means are

00:35:14possible.

00:35:15All this I do for the

00:35:17gospel's sake, in

00:35:18order to share in its

00:35:20blessings.

00:35:20Surely you know that

00:35:22many runners take part

00:35:23in a race, but only one

00:35:26of them wins the prize.

00:35:28Run, then, in such a

00:35:29way as to win the

00:35:31prize.

00:35:32Every athlete in

00:35:33training submits to

00:35:34strict discipline, in

00:35:36order to be crowned with

00:35:37a wreath that will not

00:35:39last.

00:35:40But we do it for one

00:35:41that will last forever.

00:35:43That is why I run

00:35:45straight for the finish

00:35:46line.

00:35:47That is why I am like

00:35:48a boxer who does not

00:35:50waste his punches.

00:35:51I harden my body with

00:35:53blows and bring it under

00:35:54complete control, to

00:35:56keep myself from being

00:35:57disqualified after having

00:35:59called others to the

00:36:01contest.

00:36:05Chapter 10.

00:36:07Warnings Against Idols.

00:36:09I want you to remember,

00:36:11my friends, what happened

00:36:12to our ancestors who

00:36:14followed Moses.

00:36:15They were all under the

00:36:17protection of the cloud,

00:36:18and all passed safely

00:36:20through the Red Sea.

00:36:22In the cloud and in the

00:36:24sea, they were all

00:36:25baptized as followers of

00:36:27Moses.

00:36:28All ate the same spiritual

00:36:30bread and drank the same

00:36:32spiritual drink.

00:36:33They drank from the

00:36:34spiritual rock that went

00:36:36with them, and that rock

00:36:38was Christ himself.

00:36:40But even then, God was not

00:36:42pleased with most of

00:36:43them, and so their dead

00:36:45bodies were scattered over

00:36:47the desert.

00:36:48Now, all of this is an

00:36:50example for us, to warn

00:36:52us not to desire evil

00:36:54things as they did, nor to

00:36:56worship idols as some of

00:36:58them did.

00:36:59As the scripture says, the

00:37:01people sat down to a feast

00:37:03which turned into an orgy of

00:37:05drinking and sex.

00:37:07We must not be guilty of

00:37:08sexual immorality as some of

00:37:11them were, and in one day

00:37:12twenty-three thousand of

00:37:14them fell dead.

00:37:16We must not put the Lord to

00:37:18the test as some of them

00:37:19did, and they were killed

00:37:21by snakes.

00:37:23We must not complain as some

00:37:24of them did, and they were

00:37:26destroyed by the angel of

00:37:28death.

00:37:29All these things happened to

00:37:31them as examples for others,

00:37:33and they were written down as

00:37:35a warning for us.

00:37:37For we live at a time when

00:37:39the end is about to come.

00:37:41If you think you are

00:37:42standing firm, you had

00:37:44better be careful that you

00:37:45do not fall.

00:37:47Every test that you have

00:37:48experienced is the kind that

00:37:50normally comes to people.

00:37:52But God keeps his promise, and

00:37:55he will not allow you to be

00:37:56tested beyond your power to

00:37:58remain firm.

00:38:00At the time you are put to

00:38:01the test, he will give you the

00:38:03strength to endure it, and so

00:38:05provide you with a way out.

00:38:07So then, my dear friends, keep

00:38:10away from the worship of

00:38:12idols.

00:38:13I speak to you as sensible

00:38:14people.

00:38:16Judge for yourselves what I

00:38:17say.

00:38:18The cup we use in the Lord's

00:38:20Supper, and for which we give

00:38:22thanks to God.

00:38:24When we drink from it, we are

00:38:26sharing in the blood of Christ.

00:38:28And the bread we break, when

00:38:30we eat it, we are sharing in

00:38:32the body of Christ.

00:38:33Because there is the one loaf

00:38:36of bread, all of us, though

00:38:38many, are one body, for we all

00:38:41share the same loaf.

00:38:43Consider the people of Israel.

00:38:46Those who eat what is offered

00:38:47in sacrifice share in the altar's

00:38:50service to God.

00:38:51Do I imply, then, that an idol or

00:38:54the food offered to it really

00:38:56amounts to anything?

00:38:58No.

00:38:59What I am saying is that what is

00:39:01sacrificed on pagan altars is

00:39:03offered to demons, not to God.

00:39:06And I do not want you to be

00:39:08partners with demons.

00:39:10You cannot drink from the Lord's

00:39:12cup, and also from the cup of

00:39:14demons.

00:39:15You cannot eat at the Lord's

00:39:17table, and also at the table of

00:39:19demons.

00:39:20Or do we want to make the Lord

00:39:22jealous?

00:39:24Do we think that we are stronger

00:39:25than he?

00:39:27We are allowed to do anything,

00:39:29so they say.

00:39:30That is true, but not everything

00:39:32is good.

00:39:34We are allowed to do anything,

00:39:36but not everything is helpful.

00:39:39None of you should be looking out

00:39:41for your own interests, but for

00:39:43the interests of others.

00:39:45You are free to eat anything sold

00:39:47in the meat market without asking

00:39:49any questions because of your

00:39:51conscience.

00:39:52For as the scripture says,

00:39:54the earth and everything in it

00:39:56belong to the Lord.

00:39:58If an unbeliever invites you to a

00:40:00meal, and you decide to go,

00:40:02eat what is set before you,

00:40:04without asking any questions

00:40:06because of your conscience.

00:40:08But if someone tells you,

00:40:10this food was offered to idols,

00:40:12then do not eat the food,

00:40:14for the sake of the one who told

00:40:16you, and for conscience' sake.

00:40:18That is, not your own conscience,

00:40:20but the other person's conscience.

00:40:22Well, then, someone

00:40:24asks, why should my freedom to

00:40:26act be limited by another

00:40:28person's conscience?

00:40:30If I thank God for my food,

00:40:33why should anyone criticize me

00:40:35about food for which I give

00:40:37thanks?

00:40:38Well, whatever you do, whether you

00:40:40eat or drink, do it all for

00:40:42God's glory.

00:40:44Live in such a way as to cause no

00:40:46trouble either to Jews

00:40:48or Gentiles or to the church

00:40:50of God, just do as

00:40:52I do.

00:40:53I try to please

00:40:54everyone in all that I do,

00:40:57not thinking of my own good,

00:40:59but of the good of all,

00:41:00so that they might be saved.

00:41:06Chapter 11

00:41:07Imitate me, then, just as

00:41:10I imitate Christ.

00:41:13Covering the head

00:41:14in worship, I praise you

00:41:17because you always

00:41:18remember me and follow

00:41:20the teachings that I have

00:41:21handed on to you.

00:41:23But I want you to understand

00:41:24that Christ is supreme

00:41:26over every man.

00:41:28The husband is supreme

00:41:30over his wife, and God

00:41:32is supreme over Christ.

00:41:34So a man who prays

00:41:36or proclaims God's message

00:41:38in public worship

00:41:39with his head covered

00:41:40disgraces Christ.

00:41:42And any woman who prays

00:41:44or proclaims God's message

00:41:46in public worship

00:41:47with nothing on her head

00:41:49disgraces her husband.

00:41:51There is no difference

00:41:52between her and a woman

00:41:54whose head has been shaved.

00:41:56If the woman does not

00:41:58cover her head,

00:41:59she might as well

00:42:00cut her hair.

00:42:01And since it is

00:42:02a shameful thing

00:42:03for a woman to

00:42:04shave her head

00:42:05or cut her hair,

00:42:07she should cover her head.

00:42:09A man has no need

00:42:10to cover his head

00:42:11because he reflects

00:42:13the image and glory

00:42:14of God.

00:42:16But woman reflects

00:42:17the glory of man.

00:42:19For man was not

00:42:20created from woman,

00:42:21but woman from man.

00:42:23Nor was man created

00:42:25for woman's sake,

00:42:26but woman was created

00:42:28for man's sake.

00:42:29On account of the angels,

00:42:31then, a woman should have

00:42:33a covering over her head

00:42:34to show that she is

00:42:36under her husband's authority.

00:42:38In our life

00:42:39in the Lord, however,

00:42:41woman is not

00:42:42independent of man,

00:42:43nor is man

00:42:45independent of woman.

00:42:47For as woman

00:42:48was made from man,

00:42:49in the same way

00:42:50man is born of woman.

00:42:53And it is God

00:42:54who brings everything

00:42:55into existence.

00:42:57Judge for yourselves

00:42:59whether it is proper

00:43:00for a woman

00:43:01to pray to God

00:43:02in public worship

00:43:03with nothing on her head.

00:43:05Why, nature itself

00:43:07teaches you

00:43:08that long hair

00:43:09on a man

00:43:09is a disgrace,

00:43:11but on a woman

00:43:12it is a thing of beauty.

00:43:14Her long hair

00:43:15has been given her

00:43:16to serve as a covering.

00:43:18But if anyone

00:43:19wants to argue about it,

00:43:21all I have to say

00:43:22is that neither we

00:43:24nor the churches of God

00:43:25have any other custom

00:43:27in worship.

00:43:28The Lord's Supper

00:43:30In the following instructions,

00:43:33however,

00:43:33I do not praise you

00:43:35because your meetings

00:43:36for worship

00:43:37actually do more harm

00:43:39than good.

00:43:41In the first place,

00:43:42I have been told

00:43:43that there are opposing groups

00:43:45in your meetings,

00:43:46and this I believe

00:43:47is partly true.

00:43:49No doubt there must be

00:43:50divisions among you

00:43:52so that the ones

00:43:53who are in the right

00:43:54may be clearly seen.

00:43:56When you meet together

00:43:58as a group,

00:43:59it is not the Lord's Supper

00:44:00that you eat.

00:44:02For as you eat,

00:44:03you each go ahead

00:44:04with your own meal

00:44:06so that some are hungry

00:44:08while others get drunk.

00:44:10Don't you have

00:44:11your own homes

00:44:12in which to eat and drink?

00:44:14Or would you rather

00:44:15despise the church of God

00:44:17and put to shame

00:44:19the people who are in need?

00:44:21What do you expect me

00:44:22to say to you about this?

00:44:24Shall I praise you?

00:44:26Of course I don't.

00:44:27For I received from the Lord

00:44:30the teaching

00:44:30that I passed on to you

00:44:32that the Lord Jesus,

00:44:34on the night he was betrayed,

00:44:36took a piece of bread,

00:44:38gave thanks to God,

00:44:40broke it,

00:44:40and said,

00:44:42This is my body

00:44:43which is for you.

00:44:45Do this in memory of me.

00:44:47In the same way,

00:44:48after the supper,

00:44:50he took the cup

00:44:51and said,

00:44:51This cup is God's

00:44:53new covenant

00:44:54sealed with my blood.

00:44:57Whenever you drink it,

00:44:58do so in memory of me.

00:45:01This means that

00:45:02every time you eat this bread

00:45:03and drink from this cup,

00:45:06you proclaim the Lord's death

00:45:07until he comes.

00:45:09It follows that

00:45:10if one of you

00:45:11eats the Lord's bread

00:45:12or drinks from his cup

00:45:14in a way that dishonors him,

00:45:16you are guilty of sin

00:45:18against the Lord's body

00:45:20and blood.

00:45:21So then,

00:45:22you should each

00:45:23examine yourself first

00:45:25and then eat the bread

00:45:27and drink from the cup.

00:45:29For if you do not recognize

00:45:30the meaning of the Lord's body

00:45:32when you eat the bread

00:45:33and drink from the cup,

00:45:36you bring judgment

00:45:37on yourself

00:45:37as you eat and drink.

00:45:40That is why many of you

00:45:41are sick and weak

00:45:42and several have died.

00:45:45If we would examine

00:45:46ourselves first,

00:45:48we would not come

00:45:49under God's judgment.

00:45:51But we are judged

00:45:52and punished by the Lord

00:45:54so that we shall not be condemned

00:45:56together with the world.

00:45:59So then, my friends,

00:46:00when you gather together

00:46:01to eat the Lord's supper,

00:46:03wait for one another.

00:46:05And if any of you are hungry,

00:46:07you should eat at home

00:46:08so that you will not come

00:46:10under God's judgment

00:46:11as you meet together.

00:46:13As for the other matters,

00:46:14I will settle them

00:46:16when I come.

00:46:19Now concerning what you wrote

00:46:27about the gifts

00:46:28from the Holy Spirit,

00:46:30I want you to know

00:46:31the truth about them,

00:46:32my friends.

00:46:33You know that while

00:46:34you were still heathen,

00:46:36you were led astray

00:46:37in many ways

00:46:38to the worship

00:46:39of lifeless idols.

00:46:41I want you to know

00:46:42that no one who is led

00:46:44by God's Spirit

00:46:45can say a curse on Jesus.

00:46:48And no one can confess

00:46:50Jesus is Lord

00:46:51without being guided

00:46:52by the Holy Spirit.

00:46:54There are different kinds

00:46:56of spiritual gifts,

00:46:58but the same Spirit

00:46:59gives them.

00:47:00There are different ways

00:47:02of serving,

00:47:03but the same Lord

00:47:04is served.

00:47:05There are different abilities

00:47:07to perform service,

00:47:08but the same God

00:47:10gives ability to all

00:47:11for their particular service.

00:47:13the Spirit's presence

00:47:15is shown in some way

00:47:17in each person

00:47:18for the good of all.

00:47:21The Spirit gives

00:47:21one person a message

00:47:23full of wisdom,

00:47:25while to another person

00:47:26the same Spirit

00:47:28gives a message

00:47:29full of knowledge.

00:47:31One and the same Spirit

00:47:32gives faith

00:47:33to one person,

00:47:35while to another person

00:47:36he gives the power

00:47:37to heal.

00:47:38the Spirit

00:47:39gives one person

00:47:41the power

00:47:41to work miracles,

00:47:43to another

00:47:43the gift

00:47:44of speaking God's message,

00:47:46and to yet another

00:47:47the ability

00:47:48to tell the difference

00:47:50between gifts

00:47:50that come from the Spirit

00:47:52and those that do not.

00:47:54To one person

00:47:55he gives the ability

00:47:56to speak in strange tongues,

00:47:59and to another

00:48:00he gives the ability

00:48:01to explain

00:48:02what is said.

00:48:04But it is one

00:48:05and the same Spirit

00:48:07who does all this.

00:48:09As he wishes,

00:48:10he gives a different gift

00:48:11to each person.

00:48:13One body

00:48:14with many parts.

00:48:17Christ is like

00:48:17a single body

00:48:18which has many parts.

00:48:21It is still

00:48:22one body,

00:48:23even though

00:48:24it is made up

00:48:25of different parts.

00:48:27In the same way,

00:48:28all of us,

00:48:29whether Jews

00:48:30or Gentiles,

00:48:31whether slaves

00:48:32or free,

00:48:33have been baptized

00:48:34into the one body

00:48:36by the same Spirit.

00:48:38And we have all

00:48:39been given

00:48:40the one Spirit

00:48:41to drink.

00:48:42For the body itself

00:48:44is not made up

00:48:45of only one part,

00:48:47but of many parts.

00:48:48If the foot

00:48:49were to say,

00:48:50Because I am not a hand,

00:48:52I don't belong

00:48:53to the body,

00:48:54that would not keep it

00:48:56from being a part

00:48:57of the body.

00:48:58And if the ear

00:48:59were to say,

00:49:00Because I am not an eye,

00:49:02I don't belong

00:49:03to the body,

00:49:05that would not keep it

00:49:06from being a part

00:49:07of the body.

00:49:09If the whole body

00:49:10were just an eye,

00:49:12how could it hear?

00:49:13And if it were

00:49:14only an ear,

00:49:16how could it smell?

00:49:18As it is, however,

00:49:19God put every

00:49:20different part

00:49:21in the body

00:49:22just as He

00:49:23wanted it to be.

00:49:24There would not

00:49:25be a body

00:49:26if it were all

00:49:27only one part.

00:49:29As it is,

00:49:30there are many parts

00:49:31but one body.

00:49:33So then,

00:49:34the eye cannot say

00:49:35to the hand,

00:49:36I don't need you.

00:49:38Nor can the head

00:49:39say to the feet,

00:49:40Well,

00:49:40I don't need you.

00:49:42On the contrary,

00:49:44we cannot do

00:49:45without the parts

00:49:46of the body

00:49:46that seem

00:49:47to be weaker.

00:49:49And those parts

00:49:50that we think

00:49:51aren't worth

00:49:51very much

00:49:52are the ones

00:49:53which we treat

00:49:54with greater care.

00:49:55While the parts

00:49:56of the body

00:49:57which don't look

00:49:58very nice

00:49:58are treated

00:49:59with special modesty

00:50:01which the more

00:50:02beautiful parts

00:50:03do not need.

00:50:05God Himself

00:50:06has put the body

00:50:07together in such a way

00:50:08as to give greater

00:50:10honor to those parts

00:50:11that need it.

00:50:12And so there is

00:50:13no division

00:50:14in the body

00:50:15but all its

00:50:17different parts

00:50:18have the same

00:50:19concern for one another.

00:50:21If one part

00:50:22of the body

00:50:22suffers,

00:50:23all the other parts

00:50:25suffer with it.

00:50:26If one part

00:50:27is praised,

00:50:28all the other parts

00:50:29share its happiness.

00:50:31All of you

00:50:32are Christ's body

00:50:33and each one

00:50:35is a part of it.

00:50:36In the church

00:50:37God has put

00:50:38all in place.

00:50:40In the first place

00:50:41apostles,

00:50:42in the second place

00:50:43prophets,

00:50:44and in the third place

00:50:45teachers,

00:50:46then those

00:50:47who perform miracles,

00:50:49followed by those

00:50:50who are given

00:50:50the power to heal

00:50:52or to help others

00:50:53or to direct them

00:50:55or to speak

00:50:56in strange tongues.

00:50:58They are not

00:50:58all apostles

00:50:59or prophets

00:51:00or teachers.

00:51:02Not everyone

00:51:03has the power

00:51:03to work miracles

00:51:04or to heal diseases

00:51:06or to speak

00:51:08in strange tongues

00:51:09or to explain

00:51:10what is said.

00:51:12Set your hearts,

00:51:13then,

00:51:13on the more

00:51:14important gifts.

00:51:16Best of all,

00:51:17however,

00:51:18is the following way.

00:51:19Chapter 13

00:51:24Love

00:51:26I may be able

00:51:28to speak

00:51:29the languages

00:51:29of human beings

00:51:31and even of angels,

00:51:33but if I have

00:51:34no love,

00:51:35my speech

00:51:36is no more

00:51:37than a noisy gong

00:51:38or a clanging bell.

00:51:40I may have

00:51:41the gift

00:51:41of inspired preaching.

00:51:43I may have

00:51:44all knowledge

00:51:45and understand

00:51:46all secrets.

00:51:48I may have

00:51:48all the faith

00:51:49needed to move

00:51:50mountains,

00:51:51but if I have

00:51:52no love,

00:51:53I am nothing.

00:51:55I may give away

00:51:56everything I have

00:51:57and even give up

00:51:59my body

00:52:00to be burned,

00:52:01but if I have

00:52:02no love,

00:52:03this does me

00:52:04no good.

00:52:05Love is patient

00:52:06and kind.

00:52:08It is not

00:52:08jealous

00:52:09or conceited

00:52:10or proud.

00:52:12Love is not

00:52:13ill-mannered

00:52:13or selfish

00:52:15or irritable.

00:52:17Love does not

00:52:18keep a record

00:52:18of wrongs.

00:52:20Love is not

00:52:21happy with evil,

00:52:22but is happy

00:52:23with the truth.

00:52:25Love never

00:52:26gives up

00:52:27and its faith,

00:52:29hope,

00:52:29and patience

00:52:30never fail.

00:52:32Love is eternal.

00:52:35There are

00:52:35inspired messages,

00:52:37but they are

00:52:37temporary.

00:52:39There are gifts

00:52:39of speaking

00:52:40in strange tongues,

00:52:42but they will cease.

00:52:43There is knowledge,

00:52:45but it will pass.

00:52:46For our gifts

00:52:47of knowledge

00:52:48and of inspired

00:52:50messages

00:52:50are only partial.

00:52:52But when what

00:52:53is perfect

00:52:54comes,

00:52:55then what is

00:52:56partial

00:52:56will disappear.

00:52:58When I was a child,

00:53:00my speech,

00:53:01feelings,

00:53:02and thinking

00:53:02were all those

00:53:03of a child.

00:53:05Now that I am

00:53:06an adult,

00:53:07I have no more

00:53:08use for childish

00:53:09ways.

00:53:10What we see now

00:53:11is like a dim

00:53:12image in a mirror.

00:53:13Then we shall see

00:53:15face to face.

00:53:17What I know now

00:53:18is only partial.

00:53:20Then it will be

00:53:21complete,

00:53:22as complete as

00:53:23God's knowledge

00:53:24of me.

00:53:25Meanwhile,

00:53:26these three remain,

00:53:28faith,

00:53:29hope,

00:53:30and love.

00:53:31And the greatest

00:53:32of these

00:53:32is love.

00:53:33Chapter 14

00:53:38More About Gifts

00:53:40from the Spirit

00:53:41It is love,

00:53:43then,

00:53:44that you should

00:53:44strive for.

00:53:46Set your hearts

00:53:47on spiritual gifts,

00:53:48especially the gift

00:53:49of proclaiming

00:53:50God's message.

00:53:52Those who speak

00:53:53in strange tongues

00:53:54do not speak

00:53:55to others,

00:53:56but to God,

00:53:57because no one

00:53:58understands them.

00:53:59They are speaking

00:54:00secret truths

00:54:02by the power

00:54:02of the Spirit.

00:54:04But those who

00:54:04proclaim God's

00:54:05message speak

00:54:06to people,

00:54:07and give them

00:54:08help,

00:54:09encouragement,

00:54:10and comfort.

00:54:11Those who speak

00:54:12in strange tongues

00:54:13help only

00:54:14themselves,

00:54:16but those who

00:54:16proclaim God's

00:54:17message help

00:54:18the whole church.

00:54:20I would like

00:54:20for all of you

00:54:21to speak in

00:54:22strange tongues,

00:54:23but I would

00:54:24rather that you

00:54:25had the gift

00:54:25of proclaiming

00:54:27God's message.

00:54:28For the person

00:54:29who proclaims

00:54:30God's message

00:54:30is of greater

00:54:32value than

00:54:33the one who

00:54:33speaks in

00:54:34strange tongues,

00:54:35unless there

00:54:36is someone

00:54:37present who

00:54:38can explain

00:54:38what is said,

00:54:40so that the

00:54:40whole church

00:54:41may be helped.

00:54:43So when I

00:54:43come to you,

00:54:44my friends,

00:54:45what use will

00:54:46I be to you

00:54:47if I speak

00:54:48in strange tongues?

00:54:50Not a bit,

00:54:51unless I bring

00:54:52you some

00:54:52revelation from

00:54:53God,

00:54:54or some

00:54:55knowledge,

00:54:56or some

00:54:56inspired message,

00:54:58or some

00:54:58teaching.

00:54:59Take such

00:55:00lifeless musical

00:55:01instruments as

00:55:02the flute or

00:55:03the harp.

00:55:05How will anyone

00:55:05know the tune

00:55:06that is being

00:55:07played unless

00:55:08the notes are

00:55:09sounded distinctly?

00:55:11And if the one

00:55:12who plays the

00:55:13bugle does not

00:55:14sound a clear

00:55:15call, who will

00:55:16prepare for battle?

00:55:18In the same

00:55:19way, how will

00:55:20anyone understand

00:55:21what you are

00:55:22talking about if

00:55:23your message given

00:55:24in strange tongues

00:55:25is not clear?

00:55:26Your words will

00:55:28vanish in the

00:55:29air.

00:55:30There are many

00:55:31different languages

00:55:32in the world,

00:55:33yet none of

00:55:34them is without

00:55:35meaning.

00:55:36But if I do

00:55:37not know the

00:55:37language being

00:55:38spoken, those

00:55:39who use it will

00:55:40be foreigners to

00:55:41me, and I will

00:55:43be a foreigner

00:55:43to them.

00:55:45Since you are

00:55:45eager to have

00:55:46the gifts of

00:55:47the Spirit, you

00:55:48must try above

00:55:49everything else to

00:55:50make greater use

00:55:51of those which

00:55:52help to build

00:55:53up the church.

00:55:54The person who

00:55:56speaks in strange

00:55:57tongues, then,

00:55:58must pray for the

00:55:59gift to explain

00:56:00what is said.

00:56:01For if I pray in

00:56:03this way, my

00:56:04spirit prays

00:56:05indeed, but my

00:56:06mind has no part

00:56:07in it.

00:56:08What should I do

00:56:09then?

00:56:10I will pray with

00:56:11my spirit, but I

00:56:12will pray also with

00:56:14my mind.

00:56:15I will sing with

00:56:16my spirit, but I

00:56:17will sing also with

00:56:18my mind.

00:56:20When you give

00:56:20thanks to God in

00:56:22spirit only, how

00:56:23can ordinary

00:56:24people taking

00:56:25part in the

00:56:26meeting say amen

00:56:27to your prayer of

00:56:28thanksgiving?

00:56:30They have no way

00:56:31of knowing what

00:56:32you are saying.

00:56:33Even if your

00:56:34prayer of thanks to

00:56:35God is quite good,

00:56:37other people are

00:56:38not helped at all.

00:56:40I thank God that

00:56:41I speak in strange

00:56:42tongues much more

00:56:44than any of you.

00:56:45But in church

00:56:46worship, I would

00:56:47rather speak five

00:56:48words that can be

00:56:49understood in order

00:56:51to teach others

00:56:52than speak thousands

00:56:53of words in

00:56:55strange tongues.

00:56:56Do not be like

00:56:57children in your

00:56:58thinking, my

00:56:59friends.

00:57:00Be children so far

00:57:01as evil is

00:57:02concerned, but be

00:57:03grown up in your

00:57:04thinking.

00:57:05In the scriptures,

00:57:06it is written,

00:57:08By means of people

00:57:09speaking strange

00:57:10languages, I will

00:57:11speak to my people,

00:57:13says the Lord.

00:57:14I will speak through

00:57:15lips of foreigners,

00:57:16but even then my

00:57:18people will not

00:57:19listen to me.

00:57:19So then, the gift

00:57:21of speaking in

00:57:22strange tongues is

00:57:24proof for unbelievers,

00:57:26not for believers,

00:57:27while the gift of

00:57:28proclaiming God's

00:57:29message is proof for

00:57:31believers, not for

00:57:32unbelievers.

00:57:33If then the whole

00:57:35church meets together

00:57:36and everyone starts

00:57:38speaking in strange

00:57:39tongues, and if some

00:57:41ordinary people or

00:57:42unbelievers come in,

00:57:44won't they say that

00:57:45you are all crazy?

00:57:46But if everyone is

00:57:48proclaiming God's

00:57:49message when some

00:57:50unbelievers or

00:57:52ordinary people come

00:57:53in, they will be

00:57:54convinced of their

00:57:55sin by what they

00:57:57hear.

00:57:58They will be judged

00:57:59by all they hear.

00:58:00Their secret thoughts

00:58:02will be brought into

00:58:03the open, and they

00:58:04will bow down and

00:58:05worship God, confessing

00:58:07truly God is here

00:58:09among you.

00:58:11Order in the Church

00:58:12This is what I mean,

00:58:14my friends, when you

00:58:16meet for worship, one

00:58:17person has a hymn,

00:58:19another a teaching,

00:58:21another a revelation

00:58:22from God, another a

00:58:24message in strange

00:58:25tongues, and still

00:58:26another the explanation

00:58:28of what is said.

00:58:30Everything must be of

00:58:31help to the Church.

00:58:33If someone is going

00:58:34to speak in strange

00:58:35tongues, two or three

00:58:37at the most should

00:58:38speak, one after the

00:58:40other.

00:58:41And someone else must

00:58:43explain what is being

00:58:44said.

00:58:45But if no one is

00:58:46there who can explain,

00:58:48then the one who

00:58:49speaks in strange

00:58:50tongues must be quiet

00:58:52and speak only to

00:58:53himself and to God.

00:58:55Two or three who are

00:58:57given God's message

00:58:58should speak, while the

00:59:00others are to judge

00:59:01what they say.

00:59:03But if someone sitting

00:59:04in the meeting receives

00:59:05a message from God, the

00:59:07one who is speaking

00:59:08should stop.

00:59:10All of you may

00:59:11proclaim God's message

00:59:12one by one, so that

00:59:15everyone will learn and

00:59:16be encouraged.

00:59:18The gift of proclaiming

00:59:19God's message should be

00:59:21under the speaker's

00:59:22control, because God

00:59:24does not want us to be

00:59:25in disorder, but in

00:59:27harmony and peace.

00:59:29As in all the churches

00:59:30of God's people, the

00:59:32women should keep quiet

00:59:33in the meetings.

00:59:35They are not allowed to

00:59:36speak.

00:59:37As the Jewish law says,

00:59:38they must not be in

00:59:40charge.

00:59:41If they want to find

00:59:42out about something, they

00:59:43should ask their husbands

00:59:44at home.

00:59:46It is a disgraceful thing

00:59:47for a woman to speak in a

00:59:49church meeting.

00:59:50Or could it be that the

00:59:52word of God came from

00:59:53you?

00:59:54Or are you the only ones

00:59:55to whom it came?

00:59:57If anyone supposes he is

00:59:59God's messenger, or has a

01:00:01spiritual gift, he must

01:00:03realize that what I am

01:00:04writing to you is the

01:00:05Lord's command.

01:00:06But if he does not pay

01:00:08attention to this, pay no

01:00:10attention to him.

01:00:12So then, my friends, set

01:00:14your heart on proclaiming

01:00:15God's message.

01:00:17But do not forbid the

01:00:18speaking in strange tongues.

01:00:21Everything must be done in

01:00:22a proper and orderly way.

01:00:28Chapter 15 The Resurrection

01:00:31of Christ

01:00:32And now I want to remind

01:00:34you, my friends, of the

01:00:36good news which I preach

01:00:37to you, which you

01:00:39received, and on which

01:00:40your faith stands firm.

01:00:42That is the gospel, the

01:00:44message that I preach to

01:00:46you.

01:00:47You are saved by the

01:00:48gospel if you hold

01:00:49firmly to it, unless it

01:00:51was for nothing that you

01:00:53believed.

01:00:54I passed on to you what I

01:00:56received, which is of the

01:00:58greatest importance, that

01:01:00Christ died for our sins, as

01:01:03written in the scriptures.

01:01:04That he was buried, and that

01:01:06he was raised to life three

01:01:08days later, as written in

01:01:10the scriptures.

01:01:11That he appeared to Peter, and

01:01:13then to all twelve apostles.

01:01:16Then he appeared to more

01:01:18than five hundred of his

01:01:19followers at once, most of

01:01:22whom are still alive, although

01:01:24some have died.

01:01:26Then he appeared to James, and

01:01:28afterward to all the

01:01:29apostles.

01:01:31Last of all, he appeared

01:01:32also to me, even though I am

01:01:35like someone whose birth was

01:01:37abnormal.

01:01:38For I am the least of all the

01:01:40apostles.

01:01:41I do not even deserve to be

01:01:43called an apostle, because I

01:01:45persecuted God's church.

01:01:48But by God's grace, I am what I

01:01:50am, and the grace that he gave

01:01:53me was not without effect.

01:01:55On the contrary, I have worked

01:01:57harder than any of the other

01:01:59apostles, although it was not

01:02:01really my own doing, but God's

01:02:04grace working with me.

01:02:06So then, whether it came from

01:02:08me or from them, this is what we

01:02:10all preach, and this is what you

01:02:13believe.

01:02:14Our Resurrection.

01:02:16Now, since our message is that

01:02:19Christ has been raised from death,

01:02:21how can some of you say that the

01:02:23dead will not be raised to life?

01:02:25If that is true, it means that

01:02:28Christ was not raised.

01:02:31And if Christ has not been raised

01:02:33from death, then we have nothing

01:02:35to preach, and you have nothing

01:02:37to believe.

01:02:39More than that, we are shown to be

01:02:41lying about God, because we said

01:02:44that he raised Christ from death.

01:02:47But if it is true that the dead are

01:02:49not raised to life, then he did not

01:02:52raise Christ.

01:02:53For if the dead are not raised,

01:02:56neither has Christ been raised.

01:02:58And if Christ has not been raised,

01:03:00then your faith is a delusion, and

01:03:02you are still lost in your sins.

01:03:05It would also mean that the

01:03:07believers in Christ who have died

01:03:09are lost.

01:03:11If our hope in Christ is good for

01:03:13this life only, and no more, then

01:03:16we deserve more pity than anyone else

01:03:19in all the world.

01:03:20But the truth is that Christ has been

01:03:23raised from death, as the guarantee

01:03:25that those who sleep in death will

01:03:28also be raised.

01:03:30For just as death came by means of a

01:03:32man, in the same way the rising from

01:03:35death comes by means of a man.

01:03:38For just as all people die because of

01:03:41their union with Adam, in the same way

01:03:44all will be raised to life because of

01:03:47their union with Christ.

01:03:49But each one will be raised in proper

01:03:51order.

01:03:52Christ, first of all, then, at the time

01:03:55of his coming, those who belong to him.

01:03:58Then the end will come.

01:04:00Christ will overcome all spiritual rulers,

01:04:04authorities, and powers, and will hand

01:04:07over the kingdom to God the Father.

01:04:09For Christ must rule until God defeats

01:04:12all enemies and puts them under his

01:04:15feet.

01:04:16The last enemy to be defeated will be

01:04:19death.

01:04:20For the scripture says, God put all

01:04:22things under his feet.

01:04:25It is clear, of course, that the words

01:04:27all things do not include God himself

01:04:30who puts all things under Christ.

01:04:33But when all things have been placed

01:04:35under Christ's rule, then he himself,

01:04:38the Son, will place himself under God,

01:04:42who placed all things under him.

01:04:44And God will rule completely over all.

01:04:48Now what about those people who are

01:04:50baptized for the dead?

01:04:52What do they hope to accomplish?

01:04:55If it is true, as some claim, that the

01:04:57dead are not raised to life, why are

01:05:00those people being baptized for the

01:05:02dead?

01:05:03And as for us, why would we run the

01:05:06risk of danger every hour?

01:05:09My friends, I face death every day.

01:05:12The pride I have in you, in our life in

01:05:15union with Christ Jesus, our Lord, makes

01:05:18me declare this.

01:05:19If I have, as it were, fought wild

01:05:22beasts here in Ephesus, simply from human

01:05:25motives, what have I gained?

01:05:27But if the dead are not raised to life

01:05:30then, as the saying goes, let us eat and

01:05:33drink, for tomorrow we will die.

01:05:36Do not be fooled.

01:05:38Bad companions ruin good character.

01:05:41Come back to your right senses and stop

01:05:44your sinful ways.

01:05:46I declare to your shame that some of you

01:05:48do not know God.

01:05:50The Resurrection Body

01:05:52Someone will ask, how can the dead be

01:05:55raised to life?

01:05:57What kind of body will they have?

01:05:59You fool!

01:06:01When you plant a seed in the ground, it

01:06:03does not sprout to life unless it dies.

01:06:07And what you plant is a bare seed,

01:06:10perhaps a grain of wheat or some other

01:06:12grain, not the full-bodied plant that

01:06:15will later grow up.

01:06:16God provides that seed with the body he

01:06:19wishes.

01:06:20He gives each seed its own proper body.

01:06:24And the flesh of living beings is not

01:06:26all the same kind of flesh.

01:06:29Human beings have one kind of flesh,

01:06:32animals another, birds another, and

01:06:35fish another.

01:06:37And there are heavenly bodies and

01:06:39earthly bodies.

01:06:40The beauty that belongs to heavenly

01:06:42bodies is different from the beauty that

01:06:45belongs to earthly bodies.

01:06:47The sun has its own beauty.

01:06:49The moon another beauty.

01:06:51And the stars a different beauty.

01:06:54And even among stars there are

01:06:56different kinds of beauty.

01:06:58This is how it will be when the dead

01:07:01are raised to life.

01:07:02When the body is buried, it is

01:07:05mortal.

01:07:06When raised, it will be immortal.

01:07:09When buried, it is ugly and weak.

01:07:12When raised, it will be beautiful and

01:07:15strong.

01:07:15When buried, it is a physical body.

01:07:18When raised, it will be a spiritual body.

01:07:22There is, of course, a physical body, so

01:07:25there has to be a spiritual body.

01:07:28For the scripture says, the first man,

01:07:30Adam, was created a living being.

01:07:33But the last Adam is the life-giving

01:07:36spirit.

01:07:37It is not the spiritual that comes first,

01:07:40but the physical, and then the spiritual.

01:07:43The first Adam, made of earth, came from the earth.

01:07:48The second Adam came from heaven.

01:07:50Those who belong to the earth are like the one who was made of earth.

01:07:55Those who are of heaven are like the one who came from heaven.

01:07:59Just as we wear the likeness of the man made of earth,

01:08:03so we will wear the likeness of the man from heaven.

01:08:07What I mean, friends, is that what is made of flesh and blood

01:08:11cannot share in God's kingdom.

01:08:14And what is mortal cannot possess immortality.

01:08:18Listen to this secret truth.

01:08:20So when this takes place,

01:08:48and the mortal has been changed into the immortal,

01:08:52then the scripture will come true.

01:08:55Death is destroyed.

01:08:57Victory is complete.

01:08:59Where death is your victory,

01:09:01where death is your power to hurt.

01:09:05Death gets its power to hurt from sin,

01:09:08and sin gets its power from the law.

01:09:11But thanks be to God,

01:09:12who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

01:09:16So then, my dear friends,

01:09:18stand firm and steady.

01:09:21Keep busy always in your work for the Lord,

01:09:24since you know that nothing you do in the Lord's service

01:09:28is ever useless.

01:09:33Chapter 16

01:09:35The Offering for Needy Believers

01:09:38Now concerning what you wrote about the money

01:09:41to be raised to help God's people in Judea,

01:09:44you must do what I told the churches in Galatia to do.

01:09:48Every Sunday each of you must put aside some money

01:09:52in proportion to what you have earned,

01:09:55and save it up,

01:09:56so that there will be no need to collect money when I come.

01:10:00After I come,

01:10:02I shall give letters of introduction to those you have approved,

01:10:06and send them to take your gift to Jerusalem.

01:10:09If it seems worthwhile for me to go then,

01:10:12they can come along with me.

01:10:15Paul's Plans

01:10:16I shall come to you after I have gone through Macedonia,

01:10:20for I have to go through Macedonia.

01:10:23I shall probably spend some time with you,

01:10:26perhaps the whole winter,

01:10:28and then you can help me to continue my trip,

01:10:31wherever it is I shall go next.

01:10:33I want to see you more than just briefly in passing.

01:10:38I hope to spend quite a long time with you,

01:10:41if the Lord allows.

01:10:43I will stay here in Ephesus until the day of Pentecost.

01:10:47There is a real opportunity here for great and worthwhile work,

01:10:51even though there are many opponents.

01:10:54If Timothy comes your way,

01:10:56be sure to make him feel welcome among you,

01:10:59because he is working for the Lord just as I am.

01:11:02No one should look down on him,

01:11:05but you must help him continue his trip in peace,

01:11:08so that he will come back to me,

01:11:11for I am expecting him back with the believers.

01:11:15Now about Brother Apollos,

01:11:17I have often encouraged him to visit you with the other believers,

01:11:21but he is not completely convinced that he should go at this time.

01:11:25When he gets the chance, however, he will go.

01:11:28Final Words

01:11:29Be alert.

01:11:31Stand firm in the faith.

01:11:34Be brave.

01:11:35Be strong.

01:11:36Do all your work in love.

01:11:39You know about Stephanas and his family.

01:11:42They are the first Christian converts in Achaia

01:11:44and have given themselves to the service of God's people.

01:11:49I beg you, my friends,

01:11:50to follow the leadership of such people as these,

01:11:54and of anyone else who works and serves with them.

01:11:57I am happy about the coming of Stephanas,

01:12:01Fortunatus, and Achaicus.

01:12:03They have made up for your absence

01:12:05and have cheered me up,

01:12:07just as they cheered you up.

01:12:09Such men as these deserve notice.

01:12:11The churches in the province of Achaia send you their greetings.

01:12:16Aquila and Priscilla and the church that meets in their house

01:12:20send warm Christian greetings.

01:12:23All the believers here send greetings.

01:12:26Greet one another with the kiss of peace.

01:12:29With my own hand I write this.

01:12:32Greetings from Paul.

01:12:34Whoever does not love the Lord,

01:12:36a curse on him.

01:12:38Maranatha, our Lord come.

01:12:41The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

01:12:44My love be with you all in Christ Jesus.

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