I Corinthians 5-6

I Corinthians 5

¹It is said, in fact, that there is among you a sin of the flesh, such as is not seen even among the Gentiles, that one of you has his father's wife.

²And in place of feeling sorrow, you are pleased with yourselves, so that he who has done this thing has not been sent away from among you.

³For I myself, being present in spirit though not in body, have come to a decision about him who has done this thing;

⁴In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you have come together with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,

⁵That this man is to be handed over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may have forgiveness in the day of the Lord Jesus.

⁶This pride of yours is not good. Do you not see that a little leaven makes a change in all the mass?

⁷Take away, then, the old leaven, so that you may be a new mass, even as you are without leaven. For Christ has been put to death as our Passover.

⁸Let us then keep the feast, not with old leaven, and not with the leaven of evil thoughts and acts, but with the unleavened bread of true thoughts and right feelings.

⁹In my letter I said to you that you were not to keep company with those who go after the desires of the flesh;

¹⁰But I had not in mind the sinners who are outside the church, or those who have a desire for and take the property of others, or those who give worship to images; for it is not possible to keep away from such people without going out of the world completely:

¹¹But the sense of my letter was that if a brother had the name of being one who went after the desires of the flesh, or had the desire for other people's property, or was in the way of using violent language, or being the worse for drink, or took by force what was not his, you might not keep company with such a one, or take food with him.

¹²For it is no business of mine to be judging those who are outside; but it is yours to be judging those who are among you;

¹³As for those who are outside, God is their judge. So put away the evil man from among you.

I Corinthians 6

¹How is it, that if any one of you has a cause at law against another, he takes it before a Gentile judge and not before the saints?

²Is it not certain that the saints will be the judges of the world? if then the world will be judged by you, are you unable to give a decision about the smallest things?

³Is it not certain that we are to be the judges of angels? how much more then of the things of this life?

⁴If then there are questions to be judged in connection with the things of this life, why do you put them in the hands of those who have no position in the church?

⁵I say this to put you to shame. Is there not among you one wise man who may be able to give a decision between his brothers?

⁶But a brother who has a cause at law against another takes it before Gentile judges.

⁷More than this, it is not to your credit to have causes at law with one another at all. Why not put up with wrong? why not undergo loss?

⁸So far from doing this, you yourselves do wrong and take your brothers' property.

⁹Have you not knowledge that evil-doers will have no part in the kingdom of God? Have no false ideas about this: no one who goes after the desires of the flesh, or gives worship to images, or is untrue when married, or is less than a man, or makes a wrong use of men,

¹⁰Or is a thief, or the worse for drink, or makes use of strong language, or takes by force what is not his, will have any part in the kingdom of God.

¹¹And such were some of you; but you have been washed, you have been made holy, you have been given righteousness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

¹²I am free to do all things; but not all things are wise. I am free to do all things; but I will not let myself come under the power of any.

¹³Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will put an end to them together. But the body is not for the desires of the flesh, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body:

¹⁴And God who made the Lord Jesus come back from the dead will do the same for us by his power.

¹⁵Do you not see that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? how then may I take what is a part of the body of Christ and make it a part of the body of a loose woman? such a thing may not be.

¹⁶Or do you not see that he who is joined to a loose woman is one body with her? for God has said, The two of them will become one flesh.

¹⁷But he who is united to the Lord is one spirit.

¹⁸Keep away from the desires of the flesh. Every sin which a man does is outside of the body; but he who goes after the desires of the flesh does evil to his body.

¹⁹Or are you not conscious that your body is a house for the Holy Spirit which is in you, and which has been given to you by God? and you are not the owners of yourselves;

²⁰For a payment has been made for you: let God be honoured in your body.