1Cor.6.1

And how dare you take each other to court! When you think you have been wronged, does it make any sense to go before a court that knows nothing of God's ways instead of a family of Christians?

1Cor.6.1

If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?

1Cor.6.1

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

1Cor.6.1

When you have something against another Christian, why do you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter, instead of taking it to other Christians to decide who is right?

1Cor.6.2

The day is coming when the world is going to stand before a jury made up of Christians. If someday you are going to rule on the world's fate, wouldn't it be a good idea to practice on some of these smaller cases?

1Cor.6.2

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?

1Cor.6.2

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

1Cor.6.2

Don't you know that someday we Christians are going to judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can't you decide these little things among yourselves?

1Cor.6.3

Why, we're even going to judge angels! So why not these everyday affairs?

1Cor.6.3

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

1Cor.6.3

Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

1Cor.6.3

Don't you realize that we Christians will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disagreements here on earth.

1Cor.6.4

As these disagreements and wrongs surface, why would you ever entrust them to the judgment of people you don't trust in any other way?

1Cor.6.4

Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!

1Cor.6.4

If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?

1Cor.6.4

If you have legal disputes about such matters, why do you go to outside judges who are not respected by the church?

1Cor.6.5

I say this as bluntly as I can to wake you up to the stupidity of what you're doing. Is it possible that there isn't one levelheaded person among you who can make fair decisions when disagreements and disputes come up? I don't believe it.

1Cor.6.5

I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?

1Cor.6.5

I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?

1Cor.6.5

I am saying this to shame you. Isn't there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these arguments?

1Cor.6.6

And here you are taking each other to court before people who don't even believe in God! How can they render justice if they don't believe in the God of justice?

1Cor.6.6

But instead, one brother goes to law against another--and this in front of unbelievers!

1Cor.6.6

But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!

1Cor.6.6

But instead, one Christian sues another--right in front of unbelievers!

1Cor.6.7

These court cases are an ugly blot on your community. Wouldn't it be far better to just take it, to let yourselves be wronged and forget it?

1Cor.6.7

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?

1Cor.6.7

Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?

1Cor.6.7

To have such lawsuits at all is a real defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?

1Cor.6.8

All you're doing is providing fuel for more wrong, more injustice, bringing more hurt to the people of your own spiritual family.

1Cor.6.8

Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.

1Cor.6.8

No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!

1Cor.6.8

But instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your own Christian brothers and sisters.

1Cor.6.9

Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex,

1Cor.6.9

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders

1Cor.6.9

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 homosexuals, nor sodomites,

1Cor.6.9

Don't you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals,

1Cor.6.10

use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom.

1Cor.6.10

nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1Cor.6.10

nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

1Cor.6.10

thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers--none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God.

1Cor.6.11

A number of you know from experience what I'm talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you've been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit.

1Cor.6.11

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1Cor.6.11

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

1Cor.6.11

There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.

1Cor.6.12

Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims.

1Cor.6.12

"Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything.

1Cor.6.12

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

1Cor.6.12

You may say, "I am allowed to do anything." But I reply, "Not everything is good for you." And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything.

1Cor.6.13

You know the old saying, "First you eat to live, and then you live to eat"? Well, it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that's no excuse for stuffing your body with food, or indulging it with sex. Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body!

1Cor.6.13

"Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

1Cor.6.13

Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

1Cor.6.13

You say, "Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food." This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them. But our bodies were not made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.

1Cor.6.14

God honored the Master's body by raising it from the grave. He'll treat yours with the same resurrection power.

1Cor.6.14

By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.

1Cor.6.14

And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

1Cor.6.14

And God will raise our bodies from the dead by his marvelous power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

1Cor.6.15

Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same dignity as the Master's body. You wouldn't take the Master's body off to a whorehouse, would you? I should hope not.

1Cor.6.15

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

1Cor.6.15

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!

1Cor.6.15

Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which belongs to Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never!

1Cor.6.16

There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one."

1Cor.6.16

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."

1Cor.6.16

Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh."

1Cor.6.16

And don't you know that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, "The two are united into one."

1Cor.6.17

Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever--the kind of sex that can never "become one."

1Cor.6.17

But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

1Cor.6.17

But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

1Cor.6.17

But the person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

1Cor.6.18

There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another.

1Cor.6.18

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

1Cor.6.18

Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

1Cor.6.18

Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.

1Cor.6.19

Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you.

1Cor.6.19

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

1Cor.6.19

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

1Cor.6.19

Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,

1Cor.6.20

God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.

1Cor.6.20

you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

1Cor.6.20

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

1Cor.6.20

for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.