Study Desk

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

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.

You all were bought at a great price, so do not become slaves of people.

The present time is a time of trouble, so I think it is good for you to stay the way you are.

Brothers and sisters, this is what I mean: We do not have much time left. So starting now, those who have wives should live as if they had no wives.

So the man who marries his girl does right, but the man who does not marry will do better.

So this is what I say about eating meat sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is really nothing in the world, and we know there is only one God.

But not all people know this. Some people are still so used to idols that when they eat meat, they still think of it as being sacrificed to an idol. Because their conscience is weak, when they eat it, they feel guilty.

Suppose one of you who has knowledge eats in an idol's temple. Someone who is weak in faith might see you eating there and be encouraged to eat meat sacrificed to idols while thinking it is wrong to do so.

So if the food I eat causes them to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again so that I will not cause any of them to sin.

If others have the right to get something from you, surely we have this right, too. But we do not use it. No, we put up with everything ourselves so that we will not keep anyone from believing the Good News of Christ.

If I preach because it is my own choice, I have a reward. But if I preach and it is not my choice to do so, I am only doing the duty that was given to me.

So what reward do I get? This is my reward: that when I tell the Good News I can offer it freely. I do not use my full rights in my work of preaching the Good News.

To those who are weak, I became weak so I could win the weak. I have become all things to all people so I could save some of them in any way possible.

I do all this because of the Good News and so I can share in its blessings.

You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win!

All those who compete in the games use self-control so they can win a crown. That crown is an earthly thing that lasts only a short time, but our crown will never be destroyed.

So I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air.

I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that I myself will not be disqualified after I have preached to others.