Study Desk

Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy, and have been set free from sin.

I speak God's secret wisdom, which he has kept hidden. Before the world began, God planned this wisdom for our glory.

But as it is written in the Scriptures: "No one has ever seen this, and no one has ever heard about it. No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." Isaiah 64:4

The one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose, and each will be rewarded for his own work.

As for myself, I do not care if I am judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself.

But it seems to me that God has put us apostles in last place, like those sentenced to die. We are like a show for the whole world to see—angels and people.

We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are very wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You receive honor, but we are shamed.

We work hard with our own hands for our food. When people curse us, we bless them. When they hurt us, we put up with it.

For though you may have ten thousand teachers in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Through the Good News I became your father in Christ Jesus,

Take out all the old yeast so that you will be a new batch of dough without yeast, which you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

"I am allowed to do all things," but not all things are good for me to do. "I am allowed to do all things," but I will not let anything make me its slave.

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

You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit who is in you. You have received the Holy Spirit from God. So you do not belong to yourselves,

because you were bought by God for a price. So honor God with your bodies.

Now I will discuss the things you wrote me about. It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.

Do not refuse to give your bodies to each other, unless you both agree to stay away from sexual relations for a time so you can give your time to prayer. Then come together again so Satan cannot tempt you because of a lack of self-control.

I say this to give you permission to stay away from sexual relations for a time. It is not a command to do so.

Now for those who are not married and for the widows I say this: It is good for them to stay unmarried as I am.

Now I give this command for the married people. (The command is not from me; it is from the Lord.) A wife should not leave her husband.

For all the others I say this (I am saying this, not the Lord): If a Christian man has a wife who is not a believer, and she is happy to live with him, he must not divorce her.