Lawsuits among Believers

1If any of you has a legal dispute against another, do you dare go to courta before the unrighteous,b and not before the •saints? 2Or don’t you know that the saints will judge the •world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest cases? 3Don’t you know that we will judge angels — not to mention ordinary matters? 4So if you have cases pertaining to this life, do you select thosec who have no standingd in the church to judge? 5I say this to your shame!e Can it be that there is not one wise person among you who is able to arbitrate between his •brothers?f 6Instead, believerg goes to court against believer, and that before unbelievers!h

7Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you.i Why not rather put up with injustice?j Why not rather be cheated?k 8Instead, you act unjustly and cheat — and you do this to believers! 9Don’t you know that the unrighteousl will not inherit God’s kingdom?m Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters,n adulterers,o or anyone practicing homosexuality,p, q 10no thieves,r greedys people, drunkards, verbally abusive people,t or swindlersu will inherit God’s kingdom. 11And some of you used to be like this.v But you were washed, you were •sanctified,w you were •justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Glorifying God in Body and Spirit

12“Everything is permissiblex for me,”y but not everything is helpful. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be brought under the control of anything. 13“Foodz for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will do away with both of them.aa The body is not for sexual immoralityab but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.ac 15Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body?ad So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! 16Don’t you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh.ae, af 17But anyone joinedag to the Lord is one spiritah with Him.

18Runai from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.”aj On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoralak sins against his own body. 19Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuaryal of the Holy Spiritam who is in you,an whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20for you were boughtao at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.ap