New Living Translation

New King James Version

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

Do Not Sue the Brethren

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, 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

Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

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 shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

4

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

4

If then you have [a]judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?

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 a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?

6

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

6

But brother goes to law against 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

Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?

8

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

8

No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things 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

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 [b]homosexuals, nor [c]sodomites,

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 covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners 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

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were [d]sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by 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

Glorify God in Body and Spirit

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not [e]helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of [f]any.

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

Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord 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

And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by 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 the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!

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 he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”

17

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

17

But he who is joined 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 sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality 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 the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and 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 were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body [g]and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

1 Corinthians 6

1 Corinthians 6