And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

for God is not characterized by disorder but by peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

If anyone considers himself a prophet or spiritual person, he should acknowledge that what I write to you is the Lord’s command.

Then he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty.

For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone.

But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; then when Christ comes, those who belong to him.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

But God gives it a body just as he planned, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.

And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, let us also bear the image of the man of heaven.

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

For this reason, I have sent Timothy to you, who is my dear and faithful son in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.

But the man who is firm in his commitment, and is under no necessity but has control over his will, and has decided in his own mind to keep his own virgin, does well.

But this knowledge is not shared by all. And some, by being accustomed to idols in former times, eat this food as an idol sacrifice, and their conscience, because it is weak, is defiled.

But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing these things so that something will be done for me. In fact, it would be better for me to die than – no one will deprive me of my reason for boasting!

To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) to gain those under the law.

So I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to die, because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people.

For though you may have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, because I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.