New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible

Avoiding Lawsuits with Christians

When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believersa!

1

Lawsuits Discouraged

Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints?

2

Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves?

2

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?

3

Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life.

3

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

4

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

4

So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church?

5

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

5

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

6

But instead, one believerb sues another — right in front of unbelievers!

6

but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?

7

Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?

7

Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

8

Instead, you yourselves are the ones who do wrong and cheat even your fellow believers.c

8

On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.

9

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality,

9

Or 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 effeminate, nor homosexuals,

10

or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people — none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.

10

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

11

Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

11

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

12

Avoiding Sexual Sin

You say, “I am allowed to do anything” — but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.

12

The Body Is the Lord’s

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

13

You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.

13

Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.

14

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

14

Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.

15

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

15

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

16

And don’t you realize 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.”d

16

Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.”

17

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

17

But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18

Run 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.

18

Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.

19

Don’t you realize 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,

19

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

20

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

20

For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible

1 Corinthians 6

1 Corinthians 6