Now in giving the following instruction I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.

I wish you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be strengthened.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel – and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless. ¹ 

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) ¹  to gain those under the law.

And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

What should you do then, brothers and sisters? ¹  When you come together, each one has a song, has a lesson, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all these things be done for the strengthening of the church.

but we preach about a crucified Christ, ¹  a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.

And let us not put Christ ¹  to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes. ² 

For you are certainly giving thanks well, but the other person is not strengthened.

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

What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us. ¹ 

those with tears like those not weeping, those who rejoice like those not rejoicing, those who buy like those without possessions,

those who use the world as though they were not using it to the full. For the present shape of this world is passing away.

Instead I subdue my body and make it my slave, so that after preaching to others I myself will not be disqualified.

These things happened to them as examples and were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come.

“Everything is lawful,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is lawful,” ¹  but not everything builds others up. ² 

It is the same with you. Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, ¹  seek to abound in order to strengthen the church.

and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.

Now if Christ is being preached as raised from the dead, ¹  how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?

To those free from the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from God’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law.