Paul: Epistles

1 Corinthians

Chapter 7

1

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote. It is well for a man not to touch a woman.

2

But because of the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

3

The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.

4

For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does.

5

Do not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement for a season, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, lest Satan tempt you through lack of self-control.

6

I say this by way of concession, not of command.

7

I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own special gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

8

To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain single as I do.

9

But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.

10

To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from her husband

11

(but if she does, let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband) --and that the husband should not divorce his wife.

12

To the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.

13

If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.

14

For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is they are holy.

15

But if the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so; in such a case the brother or sister is not bound. For God has called us to peace.

16

Wife, how do you know whether you will save your husband? Husband, how do you know whether you will save your wife?

17

Only, let every one lead the life which the Lord has assigned to him, and in which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

18

Was any one at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was any one at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision.

19

For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.

20

Every one should remain in the state in which he was called.

21

Were you a slave when called? Never mind. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.

22

For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.

23

You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.

24

So, brethren, in whatever state each was called, there let him remain with God.

25

Now concerning the unmarried, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.

26

I think that in view of the present distress it is well for a person to remain as he is.

27

Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek marriage.

28

But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a girl marries she does not sin. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.

29

I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; from now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,

30

and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods,

31

and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing away.

32

I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord;

33

but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife,

34

and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband.

35

I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

36

If any one thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry--it is no sin.

37

But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well.

38

So that he who marries his betrothed does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better.

39

A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. If the husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

40

But in my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I think that I have the Spirit of God.

Romans

Chapter 1

1

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God

2

which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures,

3

the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

4

and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

5

through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

6

including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;

7

To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

9

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers,

10

asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.

11

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,

12

that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.

13

I want you to know, brethren, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.

14

I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish:

15

so I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

17

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live."

18

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.

19

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

20

Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse;

21

for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened.

22

Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

23

and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles.

24

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

25

because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen.

26

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural,

27

and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.

28

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct.

29

They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips,

30

slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,

31

foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

32

Though they know God's decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them...

Chapter 2

1

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.

2

We know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who do such things.

3

Do you suppose, O man, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God?

4

Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

5

But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

6

For he will render to every man according to his works:

7

to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;

8

but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.

9

There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,

10

but glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.

11

For God shows no partiality.

12

All who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

13

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

14

When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.

15

They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them

16

on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

17

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the law and boast of your relation to God

18

and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed in the law,

19

and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

20

a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth--

21

you then who teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?

22

You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?

23

You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?

24

For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

25

Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.

26

So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

27

Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law.

28

For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical.

29      He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not

         from men but from God.