Study Desk

But I am coming to you soon, if the Lord wills; and I will take cognizance not of the talk of these arrogant people but of their power.

For I myself, even though I am absent physically, am with you spiritually; and I have already judged the man who has done this as if I were present.

You say, "For me, everything is permitted"? Maybe, but not everything is helpful. "For me, everything is permitted"? Maybe, but as far as I am concerned, I am not going to let anything gain control over me.

Don't you know that your bodies are parts of the Messiah? So, am I to take parts of the Messiah and make them parts of a prostitute? Heaven forbid!

I am giving you this as a suggestion, not as a command.

What I am saying, brothers, is that there is not much time left: from now on a man with a wife should live as if he had none —

I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to put restrictions on you — I am simply concerned that you live in a proper manner and serve the Lord with undivided devotion.

Am I not a free man? Am I not an emissary of the Messiah? Haven't I seen Yeshua our Lord? And aren't you yourselves the result of my work for the Lord?

Even if to others I am not an emissary, at least I am to you; for you are living proof that I am the Lord's emissary.

What I am saying is not based merely on human authority, because the Torah says the same thing —

But I have not made use of any of these rights. Nor am I writing now to secure them for myself, for I would rather die than be deprived of my ground for boasting!

For although I am a free man, not bound to do anyone's bidding, I have made myself a slave to all in order to win as many people as possible.

That is, with Jews, what I did was put myself in the position of a Jew, in order to win Jews. With people in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah, I put myself in the position of someone under such legalism, in order to win those under this legalism, even though I myself am not in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah.

With those who live outside the framework of Torah, I put myself in the position of someone outside the Torah in order to win those outside the Torah — although I myself am not outside the framework of God's Torah but within the framework of Torah as upheld by the Messiah.

I speak to you as sensible people; judge for yourselves what I am saying.

So, what am I saying? That food sacrificed to idols has any significance in itself? or that an idol has significance in itself?

No, what I am saying is that the things which pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice not to God but to demons; and I don't want you to become sharers of the demons!

If I participate with thankfulness, why am I criticized over something for which I myself bless God?"

Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or are you trying to show your contempt for God's Messianic community and embarrass those who are poor? What am I supposed to say to you? Am I supposed to praise you? Well, for this I don't praise you!

I may have the gift of prophecy, I may fathom all mysteries, know all things, have all faith — enough to move mountains; but if I lack love, I am nothing.