Bible Gateway passage: 1 Corinthians 6 - New International Version (2024)

Lawsuits Among Believers

6If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?^{(A) 2}Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world?^(B) And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? ³Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! ⁴Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? ⁵I say this to shame you.^(C) Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?^{(D) 6}But instead, one brother^(E) takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!^(F)

⁷The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?^{(G) 8}Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.^{(H) 9}Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?^(I) Do not be deceived:^(J) Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers^(K) nor men who have sex with men^{[a](L) 10}nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers^(M) will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹And that is what some of you were.^(N) But you were washed,^(O) you were sanctified,^(P) you were justified^(Q) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Immorality

¹²“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.^(R) “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.”^(S) The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord,^(T) and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴By his power God raised the Lord from the dead,^(U) and he will raise us also.^{(V) 15}Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?^(W) Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”^{[b](X) 17}But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.^[c](Y)

¹⁸Flee from sexual immorality.^(Z) All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.^{(AA) 19}Do you not know that your bodies are temples^(AB) of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;^{(AC) 20}you were bought at a price.^(AD) Therefore honor God with your bodies.^(AE)

Footnotes

1. 1 Corinthians 6:9 The words men who have sex with men translate two Greek words that refer to the passive and active participants in hom*osexual acts.
2. 1 Corinthians 6:16 Gen. 2:24
3. 1 Corinthians 6:17 Or in the Spirit

Cross references

1. 1 Corinthians 6:1 : Mt 18:17
2. 1 Corinthians 6:2 : Mt 19:28; Lk 22:30; 1Co 5:12
3. 1 Corinthians 6:5 : S 1Co 4:14
4. 1 Corinthians 6:5 : Ac 1:15
5. 1 Corinthians 6:6 : S Ro 7:1
6. 1 Corinthians 6:6 : 2Co 6:14, 15; 1Ti 5:8
7. 1 Corinthians 6:7 : Mt 5:39, 40
8. 1 Corinthians 6:8 : 1Th 4:6
9. 1 Corinthians 6:9 : S Mt 25:34
10. 1 Corinthians 6:9 : Job 13:9; 1Co 15:33; Gal 6:7; Jas 1:16
11. 1 Corinthians 6:9 : Lev 18:20; Dt 22:22
12. 1 Corinthians 6:9 : Lev 18:22
13. 1 Corinthians 6:10 : 1Ti 1:10; Rev 21:8; 22:15
14. 1 Corinthians 6:11 : S Eph 2:2
15. 1 Corinthians 6:11 : S Ac 22:16
16. 1 Corinthians 6:11 : 1Co 1:2
17. 1 Corinthians 6:11 : S Ro 4:25
18. 1 Corinthians 6:12 : 1Co 10:23
19. 1 Corinthians 6:13 : Col 2:22
20. 1 Corinthians 6:13 : ver 15, 19; Ro 12:1
21. 1 Corinthians 6:14 : S Ac 2:24
22. 1 Corinthians 6:14 : S Ro 6:5; Eph 1:19, 20; 1Th 4:16
23. 1 Corinthians 6:15 : S Ro 12:5
24. 1 Corinthians 6:16 : Ge 2:24; Mt 19:5; Eph 5:31
25. 1 Corinthians 6:17 : Jn 17:21-23; Ro 8:9-11; Gal 2:20
26. 1 Corinthians 6:18 : ver 9; 1Co 5:1; 2Co 12:21; Gal 5:19; Eph 5:3; 1Th 4:3, 4; Heb 13:4
27. 1 Corinthians 6:18 : Ro 6:12
28. 1 Corinthians 6:19 : Jn 2:21
29. 1 Corinthians 6:19 : Ro 14:7, 8
30. 1 Corinthians 6:20 : Ps 74:2; S Mt 20:28; Ac 20:28; 1Co 7:23; Rev 5:9; 14:4
31. 1 Corinthians 6:20 : Php 1:20