Judge for yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? Does not nature herself teach you that, if a man has long hair, it is his disgrace, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? Since her hair is given to her for a covering. But if I seem to be arbitrary, it is because we do not have that custom, nor do the churches of God.
In giving you my instructions, I have this fault to find with you, that your meetings do more harm than good. For in the first place, I hear that, when you meet together in church, there are dissensions among you; and this in part I believe. For there must be factions among you, so that those who are the true ones may become known among you. Then again, when you meet together, it is not possible to eat the Lord's supper; because each one at dinner seizes his own portion first; and one man goes hungry, another man gets d^^k. Do you not have your homes for eating and drinking? Or do you despise the church of God, and put to shame those who are needy? What am I to say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I do not praise you.
For I received from the Lord this tradition which I handed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took a loaf and gave thanks and broke it and said: This is my body, which is for your sake; do this in remembrance of me. So also with the cup after supper, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink, in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this loaf and drink the cup, you are commemorating the Lord's death; until he comes.
Thus anyone who eats the loaf or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty against the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person prove himself worthy, and thus eat from the loaf and drink from the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks is eating and drinking his own damnation if he does not recognize the Body. For that reason many among you are weak and sick, and a good many have even died. If we judged ourselves, we would not be judged; but when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, so as not to be condemned with the world.
So, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home; so your gathering together will not be for your damnation.
I will give you my other instructions when I come.
But concerning matters of the spirit, brothers, I would not have you ignorant. You know that when you were heathens you were led helplessly at random to dumb idols. I make it known to you, therefore, that no one who is speaking in the Spirit says: A curse on Jesus; and no one can say: Jesus is Lord, unless he is speaking in the Holy Spirit.
But there are varieties of gifts; but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, and the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, and the same God, who activates them all among all. To each is given disclosure by the Spirit of what is to his advantage. To one, through the Spirit, it is given to speak with skill; to another, to speak with understanding, through the same Spirit; to another, faith, by the same Spirit; to another, the gifts of healing, by that one Spirit; to another, miraculous powers; to another, prophecy; to another, the power to discern spirits; to another, the varieties of speaking with tongues; and to another, the interpretation of the tongues. One and the same Spirit activates all these things, distributing them separately to each person as it will.
For just as the body is one and has many parts, but all the parts of the body, being many, are one body, so likewise is the Christ; for we were all baptized in one Spirit into one body, whether we were Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free; and we have all been given one Spirit to drink. For the body is not one part but many. If the foot says: Because I am not a hand, I ^ not part of the body; it is not for that reason not part of the body. And if the ear says: Because I am not an eye, I ^ not part of the body; it is not for that reason not part of the body. If all the body were eye, where would our source of hearing be? If all were hearing, where would be our source of smell? But as it is, God has set the parts, each of them, in the body, according to his will. And if all were one part, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, and one body. The eye cannot say to the hand: I have no need of you; nor again can the head say to the feet: I have no need of you. But by so much the more are those parts of the body necessary, which seem to be weak; and those parts of the body which we think are less regarded are those to which we give extra regard; and the unseemly parts of us are treated with more decorum, which our decorous parts do not need. But God has combined the body, giving extra attention to what is inferior, so that there may be no dissension in the body but all parts may be equally concerned for each other. And if one part suffers, all parts suffer with it; and if one part is honored, all parts rejoice with it. You are the body of Christ and its parts, individually.
And those whom God has established in the church are: first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, miraculous powers; then, gifts for healing, helpful actions, talents for governing, varieties of tongues. Surely we are not all apostles? Not all prophets? Not all teachers? Not all with miraculous power? Surely not all have gifts for healing? Not all speak with tongues? Not all can interpret these? Aspire to the gifts which are greater.
But now I show you a way that is even better. U I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have no love, all I am is sounding bronze or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all understanding, and if I have faith entire so as to move mountains, and have no love, I ^ nothing. And if I give all I have in alms, and if I give my body to be b^raed, and have no love, it does me no good. Love is patient, is kind, love has no jealousy, does not swagger, has no pride, is not immodest, does not look for its own advantage, is not stirred to anger, does not keep count of evil done, is not happy over wrongdoing, shares the happiness of the truth; all-sustaining, all-faithful, all-hopeful, all- enduring. Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will come to nothing; if there are speeches, they will be stopped; if there is understanding, it will come to nothing. For we understand in part and we prophesy in part; but when completeness comes, what is in part will vanish away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, and thought as a child, and reasoned as a child; now that I am a man, I am through with childish things. For now we see by a mirror, obscurely; but then face to face. Now
know in part; but then I will know in full, as I myself ^ fully known. And now there remain faith, hope, love; these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Pursue love, aspire to things spiritual, all the more so that you may prophesy. For one who speaks with tongues speaks not to men but to God, since no one understands him, and he talks mysteries by the Spirit; but one who prophesies to men speaks edification and exhortation and consolation. One who speaks with tongues edifies himself ; one who prophesies edifies the church. I would like you all to speak with tongues, but would like still more for you to prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless the latter translates it so that the church may be edified. But as it is, brothers, if I come to you speaking with tongues, what good shall I do you; unless I speak to you by way of revelation, or understanding, or prophecy, or teaching? In the same way, if the inanimate things which produce sound, whether flute or lyre, have no distinction in their tones, how will what is played on the flute or lyre be recognized? And again, if the trumpet gives out an unrecognizable call, who will make ready for battle? So too with you, if you do not with your speaking offer orderly discourse, how will what is said by you be understood? You will be talking to the air. Who knows how many kinds of language there are in the world? And none without its own sound. If, then, I do not know the meaning of the sound, I shall be a stupid barbarian to him who speaks it, and he who speaks it will be a stupid barbarian to me. Thus, as for you, since you are eager for the things of the spirit, try to excel in the edification of the church.