Lawsuits Against Believers

¹When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous rinstead of the saints? ²Or do you not know that sthe saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? ³Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! ⁴So if you have such cases, twhy do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? ⁵uI say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, ⁶but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? ⁷To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. vWhy not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? ⁸But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even wyour own brothers!1

⁹Or do you not know that the unrighteous2 will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: xneither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,3 ¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹And ysuch were some of you. But zyou were washed, ayou were sanctified, byou were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Flee Sexual Immorality

¹²c“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³d“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one eand the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but ffor the Lord, and gthe Lord for the body. ¹⁴And hGod raised the Lord and iwill also raise us up jby his power. ¹⁵Do you not know that kyour bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶Or do you not know that he who is joined4 to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, l“The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷But he who is joined to the Lord mbecomes one spirit with him. ¹⁸nFlee from sexual immorality. Every other sin5 a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person osins against his own body. ¹⁹Or pdo you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? qYou are not your own, ²⁰rfor you were bought with a price. sSo glorify God in your body.